About us

Tony and Jacque headed back to PNG then off to West Africa for 3 more years. On return from Africa in 1994 and before heading to East Timor a plan was hatched to develop the land into a residential sub-division (now High Street). However, the question remained “What to do with the “Old School Building” which was now derelict. The previous dairy farmer owner had bought the school from the Education Department in 1972 and had moved it on to his land and used it as a hay barn. The years from ‘72 to ‘94 had taken their toll. Tony felt something had to be done with the “Old Highfields School” (built in 1877). Tony had spent his first 4 school years in a similar style one teacher school out on the Darling Downs (Woodview State School - this school is now an historic display at the Jondaryan woolshed.) Tony’s mother is an artist (Kaye Marsh) and she and other artists had been using another old building on the land as an artists studio and so with Kaye and the other artists in mind it was decided to move the old school building and relocate it near the New England Highway and restore it to its former glory so it could become an Art Gallery. Whilst Tony and Jacque were overseas the restoration began with massive efforts from many volunteers all managed by Kaye Marsh. The timing to renovate the old school coincided nicely with the Highfields School 125th Celebrations and provided much impetus to the restoration. Celebrations came and went and finally the “Old School House Gallery” had its opening event in January 1996.

For a year or so coffee, muffins and scones were served and the gallery was run by Jacque with the help of many artists. While Galleries are always appreciated they don’t always make money, especially in the yet to be discovered Highfields. In 1997 Kaye Edwards and her partner Catriona Wharton who were making speciality chocolates for weekend markets approached Jacque and Tony to lease the small kitchenette off the Gallery. Their idea was to make chocolates during the week for sale at the weekend markets with the hope to sell coffee and cake in the Gallery during the week. They called their business “The Chocolate Cottage”. They began by leasing half of the floor space and the other half was occupied by the Gallery. A year later they took over the whole building and “The Chocolate Cottage and Café” was born. A year after that (1998) Colin, Kaye’s husband replaced Catriona in the business. The “Chocolate Cottage and Café” began to boom, much like the rise and rise of Highfields. Since then there have been many kitchen revamps, each one bigger than the last to expand the Chocolate Cottage and Café to its present size. In 2000 the site began to expand with the addition and renovation of 4 more buildings including a WWII era Borneo barrack army building (originally the artists’s studio) and the Music room from the Toowoomba Prep school plus two purpose built shops. In 2006, 2 more buildings were built and in 2022 the Music room was split into 2 shops.