Avoca Homestead Complex facts for kids

The Avoca Homestead Complex is a special group of old buildings. It used to be a large farm (station) and now offers accommodation and is a visitor attraction. It is located at 1122a Low Darling Road, Wentworth, in New South Wales, Australia. The main buildings were constructed between 1871 and 1879. It is also known as the Avoca Station Homestead and outbuildings. This important site was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 8 April 2016.

History of Avoca Homestead

Early Days and Aboriginal Heritage

The land around the lower Darling and Murray River areas has a very long history. Aboriginal people have lived here for about 45,000 years. Many places along the Murray and Darling Rivers show signs of their presence.

In 1829, the Government of New South Wales sent Charles Sturt to explore the Murrumbidgee River. Sturt was the first European to enter this region. He followed the Murrumbidgee to the Murray River, then to the Darling River. Sturt met many Aboriginal people, and his expedition usually had peaceful interactions.

Later expeditions, like the one led by Major Thomas Mitchell in 1836, sometimes involved conflict. In 1836, Mitchell explored the Darling River. Near Euston and Mildura, at a place called Mt Dispersion, there was a violent clash where many Aboriginal people lost their lives.

European Settlement and Conflicts

In 1838, Joseph Hawdon and Charles Bonney were the first "overlanders." They drove cattle from New South Wales to Adelaide along the Murray River. They crossed the lower Darling River on their way. Other overlanders soon followed this route. The meeting point of the Murray and Darling rivers became a known camp site.

As more overlanders passed through, they grazed animals and damaged the traditional lands of the Paakantyi/Barkindji and Maraura peoples. This led to more conflicts. A tragic event happened in 1841 at Lake Victoria, where many Aboriginal people were killed.

After these events, the conflicts lessened. Aboriginal people were pushed off their lands. Many had to join the workforce of the growing farming industry. By the 1840s, "squatters" (people who settled on land without official permission) began to establish large farms along the Darling and Murray Rivers.

Founding of Avoca Station

The town of Wentworth was approved in 1859. It was named after the explorer and politician William Charles Wentworth. In 1871, Daniel H. Cudmore bought the western part of Tapio Station on the Darling River. He named it Avoca, after his father's hometown in Ireland.

Daniel H. Cudmore first built a homestead from pine logs. Seven years later, in 1879, he added a stone extension next to it.

Timeline of Avoca Station Ownership

Here is a brief timeline of important events at Avoca:

• 1876: Daniel M.P. Cudmore bought Popiltah, combining it with Avoca. The total area became 1,100 square miles.
• 1880: Avoca and Popiltah Stations were given to Daniel M.P. Cudmore's sons. Daniel H. Cudmore stayed at Avoca.
• 1885: The Cudmore brothers managed about 709,000 acres of land.
• 1895: Daniel H. Cudmore left Avoca and moved to South Australia. Arthur Cudmore moved to Avoca.
• 1902: Milo and Arthur Cudmore applied for a long-term lease over Avoca Station.
• 1911: Avoca was advertised for sale.
• 1915: Ben Chaffey purchased the lease.
• 1917: Ben Chaffey and R.E. Hope took over the lease.
• 1918: R.E. Hope bought Avoca from Chaffey.
• 1935: The lease was transferred to R.E. Hope and Sons.
• 1947: John Parker bought Avoca and Para Stations.
• 1968: Mary (Parker) and Alan Christopher Dawes took over Avoca Holding.
• 1974: W.J. Parker sold his part. The Dawes family was granted a 99-year lease on the combined Avoca-Para land.
• 1984: The Dawes family bought the nearby Dunvegan Station.
• 2000: Ian and Barbara Law bought the 40-hectare Avoca homestead and its outbuildings.

Life at Avoca Station

Avoca was mainly a sheep grazing property. It was often run with the nearby Popiltah Station. The homestead complex was the central point of the station. It provided homes and facilities for the farm operations. In 1888, 120,000 sheep were shorn at Avoca using new shearing machines. The wool was then transported by paddle steamer down the Darling River to the Murray River.

Daniel H. Cudmore improved the station. He installed pumps to water crops like lucerne near the homestead. This irrigation system was set up early, in the 1880s. Avoca might have had one of the first irrigation systems on the Murray/Darling rivers.

Daniel H. Cudmore was an important leader in the Wentworth region in the 1870s and 1880s. He was a magistrate and chairman of the Wentworth District Council. He also helped fund the building of St John's Anglican Church in Wentworth.

His obituary (a notice about his death) mentioned: "Daniel Henry Cudmore (1844-1913) bought Avoca Station in 1870. He was very interested in technology. He spent a lot of money on draining the Darling's anabranch (a side channel of the river), building water storages, and putting up fences. He married Harriet Garrett Smedley in 1872. They had two sons and a daughter. After her death, he married Martha Earle McCracken in 1882. They had four more sons, including Sir Collier Robert Cudmore (1885-1971). Sir Collier won a gold medal for rowing at the 1908 Olympics and was important in South Australian politics.

The Cudmore family left two lasting impacts. Their improvements on their land helped later small farmers succeed. Also, their large houses like Tara, Avoca, and Adare are still amazing to see today."

Recollections of Avoca

Sara Kathleen de Lacy Roberts (born Cudmore) lived at Avoca as a teenager. She was educated at a boarding school in Melbourne. She traveled to and from school by train and paddle steamer. In 1971, at 88 years old, she shared her memories of Avoca:

"At Popiltah, there was one cook, one housemaid, and one nurse. No Aboriginal people worked inside the house at Popiltah, but one did at Avoca. There was a camp of 30 Aboriginal stockmen. Avoca had a staff of 10 men, including a jackaroo (a young farm trainee) and an overseer. They bred about 100 horses there. Every two years, one man spent months gently breaking in the horses.

The Avoca vegetable garden was by the river. A huge steam engine pumped river water to the vegetable and flower gardens. In hot weather, this was done at night and made a lot of noise. A Chinese gardener worked full-time. He would ask the kitchen every morning what vegetables were needed. All the linen was made at Avoca. The girls spent their time sewing, making visitors' beds, and preserving food."

The Cudmore family also had a special connection with Nanya's people. This was the last group of Aboriginal people living traditionally in the Scotia country. In 1893, they were encouraged to move closer to the station. Arthur Cudmore, Daniel's brother, wrote about this group. His daughter, Sara Kathleen, saw Nanya's group join the pastoral way of life. She noted their hunting practices and how they integrated into the station's work:

"The young men of the tribe became skilled stockmen. They were employed by Cudmore Bros. on the station for many years. Especially after the colt breaking was finished, they would be given the newly broken horses to ride. They were kind and good at handling them."

Between 1915 and 1918, Avoca was owned by Ben Chaffey. He was the son of George Chaffey, who helped start the Mildura irrigation colony.

Description of Avoca Homestead Complex

Avoca is located on the west bank of the Darling River. Along the main road, there are irrigated fields. The station buildings are arranged along the river bank. The homestead is at the south, and other buildings extend to the north. Most buildings face the river. The original woolshed was about 3 km south and is believed to have burned down.

The Homestead

The homestead faces southeast, looking over a bend in the river. There is a lawn in front of the house. The main house was built in two stages. The second part, built seven years later, is slightly taller. Both parts are similar in shape. They each have a central hall with two main rooms on each side. Smaller rooms are at the back. They are connected by a corridor.

Both parts have "M" shaped roofs with central valleys. They are now covered with corrugated iron. They have verandahs all around with timber columns. Both parts have two brick chimneys with decorative details.

The first part of the homestead was built in 1871 from cypress pine logs. The second part, in 1879, was built from stone. The building materials likely came from the property itself. The log building is painted dark brown. Its windows have six panes in each sash. The front door is made of four timber panels. The verandah is now screened in. There is also a modern addition with large glass sliding doors.

The second part of the homestead is built from limestone blocks. It has dressed stone quoins (corner stones) and decorative keystones around the windows. These are now painted white. The windows have two panes in each sash. The front door has glass panels on the sides and top. Inside, the walls are plastered. The ceilings have decorative plaster cornices and ceiling roses. The main rooms have timber mantelpieces. Both parts have timber doors and decorative skirtings.

Outbuildings

Behind the main homestead are several log buildings. These were likely all built in 1871. They include:

• A kitchen wing (now used as a laundry, cool room, and store).
• A separate kitchen wing with a bakehouse.
• Quarters for cooks and maids.
• Quarters for jackaroos (farm trainees).
• An office.

These buildings generally have gabled roofs. Some gables have weatherboards and decorative bargeboards. The interiors are often lined with timber boards. There is a cellar under the jackaroo's quarters. The office has a timber counter and fireplace. It holds a collection of old items and Aboriginal artefacts. There is also a screened meat house and a laundry.

An underground concrete tank collects rainwater from the house. It has a low conical roof and can hold about 40,000 litres. Near the river is an old corrugated iron pump house. It used to have a pump to draw water from the river.

Further north along the river are more outbuildings:

• Store: A rectangular timber building with a corrugated iron roof. It has weatherboard walls and decorative gables. It has a skillion (sloping) verandah on the east side.
• Stable/Coach Shed: Similar to the store but taller. It has an internal timber frame. External stairs lead to an upper level "hay loft." The walls are mostly weatherboard. Part of the floor is made of wood blocks.
• Gardener's Cottage: Located halfway between the homestead and the mess/kitchen building. It has four rooms and a small enclosed verandah facing the river. The walls are a mix of timber and hardboard. It has a brick chimney.
• Small Shed: Next to the gardener's cottage. It has weatherboard cladding and a corrugated iron roof. Parts of it have been removed, and it is now used as a carport.

Between the gardener's cottage and the mess/kitchen building are an orchard, a vegetable garden, and other plants. Orchards also extend southwest of the homestead. Near the gardener's cottage, there is a corrugated iron shed with a pump installed in 1963 for irrigation. Before 1963, a steam pump was on this site.

• Mess/Kitchen Building: Further north and closer to the river. It is a rectangular building made of logs. It has a lounge room, a mess room, and a kitchen with a large fireplace for cooking. A verandah is on the east (river) side. The building is lined inside with timber boards. The gables above the chimneys are covered in weatherboards.

Condition of Buildings

As of 2015, the main homestead buildings are in very good condition. Some plaster on a ceiling in the stone section is sagging. The buildings behind the homestead are generally in good condition. However, the jackaroo's quarters are sinking a bit over the cellar.

The store and stable/coach shed are in fair condition. Some walls are missing, and roof bracing is detached in the stable.

The mess/kitchen building is in poor condition. Its west wall has partly collapsed. This seems to be because the supports have failed. It needs temporary support to prevent further collapse and then repairs.

The gardener's cottage is in fair condition but is not used for living. The small shed next to it is in poor condition. Parts of its walls have been removed, and it has minor damage from falling tree branches.

Overall, the Avoca Homestead complex is very well preserved. Most buildings are in good to fair condition, except for the mess/kitchen, which needs urgent repairs. The complex does not include the original woolshed, which was destroyed. It also does not include the single men's quarters, which are on a different property and have been changed.

Changes and Dates

• Homestead: Built in two stages. The first stage (1871) was made of cypress pine logs. A brick addition was later added to the back. The verandah is now screened in, and a modern flat-roofed addition was built on the east.
• The first stage pine log homestead, along with the ancillary buildings, office, stable/coach shed, mess/kitchen, and singlemen's quarters, are believed to have been built around 1871.
• The second stage stone wing of the homestead was added in 1879. It is slightly taller. Both parts of the homestead have brick chimneys with decorations, which were added later to the simpler original chimneys.
• Mess/Kitchen: A verandah remains on the east side and part of the west side. The west side of the building has sagged and partly collapsed.
• Stable/Coach Shed: Additions were made to the west and north. The building has been changed, and the different building stages are not clear.

Heritage Listing

The Avoca Homestead Complex was established in the 1870s. It sits among old red gum trees on the western banks of the Darling River. It is a remarkably complete group of old timber and stone buildings.

Why is it important?

• History: It shows how large farms (pastoral homesteads) developed in the lower Darling River and Western Division of NSW. The first part of the homestead was simple log construction. The later part used more expensive materials like limestone and sandstone. This shows the growing success of the farm.
• Connection to People: It is important because of its link to the Cudmore family. They were a well-known pioneering farming family. They owned Avoca from 1871 to 1915. Daniel H. Cudmore, who started Avoca, was a leader in the Wentworth community. He helped fund the building of St John's Church. The Cudmore family also had a significant connection with Nanya's Aboriginal family group. This group was the last to live traditionally in the back country of NSW. The Cudmore family provided important accounts of their lives and how some younger men joined station work.
• Appearance: The complex has a strong visual impact. It is a well-preserved homestead with log and stone buildings. It is set by the Darling River among old red gum trees. The buildings show different construction methods, from simple log structures to more detailed designs.
• Research Potential: Daniel H. Cudmore was an early innovator in water management. He set up irrigation areas around the homestead. This early irrigation system is important. It could provide information for research on the history of water management on the Darling and Murray Rivers.
• Rarity: The complex is rare because it is a large and well-preserved group of buildings made from logs and timber slabs. The second limestone part of the homestead, with its dressed stone corners, is also rare in the region. It shows the growing wealth and success of the owners.
• Example of a Type of Place: It is an excellent example of early station buildings (from the 1870s-1880s). It shows how large farms grew from humble beginnings to successful businesses. This is seen in the changing building techniques and styles.