THE fertile flats of the Logan and Albert Valleys were ideal for dairying, but milk and cream are perishable and need rapid transport.
Two small butter factories had operated in the district – the South Brisbane Creamery Company and the Lowood Creamery Company.
However, the opening of the railway at Beaudesert in 1888, and the tramway in 1903, paved the way for a local butter factory.
The Logan and Albert Butter factory was built beside the railway, between Helen and Brisbane Streets.
Opened in 1904, the building was extended over time and the products diversified.
The factory was well known for its production of Budgeree Butter.
It was a major employer in the town and was extremely important to the farmers of the Beaudesert district who were now able to send their cream via the Beaudesert tramway.
This contributed to the early wealth of the town and surrounding area.
In her 1974 book Then and Now, the story of Beaudesert, Kathleen Nutting described it as one of Beaudesert’s most valuable assets.
The factory operated until 1987 and from that time milk had to be transported to factories in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Some plans were later put forward to restore the building, including the relocation of the Beaudesert Library, however, nothing came of these.
Despite being partly occupied by NORCO, the building became derelict and was finally dismantled.
Beaudesert Historical Museum is the proud possessor of much of the machinery from the factory, as well as butter boxes and some of the foil strips that resulted from the stamping of the bottle tops.
This tinsel was coveted as a Christmas decoration in years gone by.
