Carcory Homestead Ruin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Carcory Homestead Ruin |
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Carcory Homestead Ruin, from the North, 2011
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| Location | Eyre Developmental Road, Birdsville, Shire of Diamantina, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | c. 1870 - c. 1900 |
| Official name: Carcory Homestead Ruin | |
| Type | state heritage (archaeological, landscape) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600458 |
| Significant period | 1870s-1900s (historical) 1870s-1900s (fabric) |
| Significant components | yards - livestock, chimney/chimney stack, ruin/s, wall/s |
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The Carcory Homestead Ruin is a special old building in Queensland, Australia. It used to be a large home on a farm, but now it's mostly ruins (what's left of a building). You can find it on the Eyre Developmental Road near Birdsville.
This homestead was built between about 1870 and 1900. It's now listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This means it's an important historical site that needs to be protected.
Contents
Exploring the Outback: Carcory's Story
The Carcory Homestead Ruin is a stone building without a roof. It's located about 80 kilometers north of Birdsville. This area is known as the northern part of Roseberth Station.
Early Explorers and Settlers
In 1845, an explorer named Thomas Mitchell was the first European to explore this region. Later, in 1861, the famous explorers Burke and Wills also passed through. More people explored the area while searching for Burke and Wills. By the 1870s, this part of Queensland was some of the last land in the state that hadn't been claimed yet.
The Wilson Brothers and Carcory Station
In 1877, two brothers, Hector and Norman Wilson, took over the land where Carcory Homestead stands. They used it as a "pastoral run." This means it was a huge area of land used for raising livestock like cattle or sheep. The Wilsons came from a well-known family of "squatters" in Victoria. Squatters were early settlers who occupied large areas of Crown land, often before it was officially surveyed or sold.
The Wilson brothers owned other big properties too. They were also famous for helping to start the Melbourne Racing Club and the Caulfield Cup horse race.
Building for the Outback Climate
The Carcory Homestead was built using a special style of construction. This style was common across central Australia, including parts of South Australia, the Northern Territory, and Queensland. These buildings are important because they show a "vernacular style." This means they were built using local materials and methods that suited the environment.
Smart Design for Hot Weather
These buildings were made of stone with wide verandahs. This design helped keep the inside cool in the very hot, dry climate. There wasn't much timber available locally. Also, it was very expensive to transport building materials from far away. So, using local stone was a smart choice.
The homestead was built close to the Carcory Waterhole. This was an important water source on a major stock route (a path for moving livestock) to Birdsville.
Inside the Homestead
The main part of the homestead had two rooms, likely a bedroom and a living room. It probably had a hipped roof. There was also a chimney. At the back, there were two smaller rooms with a skillion roof, used as another bedroom and a store. The front of the house had an awning supported by posts.
The walls were made from local limestone blocks. They were covered with a smooth plaster-like finish, both inside and out. There was also a separate stone store and kitchen built next to the main house.
Sidney Kidman and the Drought
Around 1900, a very successful cattle farmer named Sidney Kidman took over the Carcory Run. He owned many stations across Australia. However, between 1900 and 1903, the area suffered a terrible drought. All 4,000 of Kidman's cattle at Carcory died.
After seeing the station in 1902, Kidman decided to close it down. It's said he let the mailman live in the homestead for about 18 months. When Kidman returned, the place was empty and had lost its roof. The remaining items were moved to another station.
Later Years and Preservation
In 1936, a Mr. Morton took over Carcory. By this time, the building was already in ruins. It's thought that most of the usable materials were taken from the site. These materials might have been used at another station after World War I.
Over the years, the harsh climate and even vandals damaged the building. The chimney collapsed around 1992. But in 1994, money was given to help repair and stabilize the homestead. The goal was to keep it from falling apart completely, but the roof was not replaced. It remains a stabilized ruin today.
What Carcory Homestead Looks Like Now
The Carcory Homestead is now the stone shell of a small house. It's made of limestone, which you can also see in the landscape around it. It's about 100 meters east of the Birdsville-Bedourie Road.
Walls and Features
The walls are about 45 centimeters thick. They are covered with a smooth finish that looks like cut stone blocks. A stone chimney is still standing at the northern end. The front wall (facing east) is made of stone that hasn't been smoothed. The window and door openings, and the corners of this wall, are decorated to look like strong stone blocks.
Inside, the walls were plastered. The floors were made of concrete. You can still see parts of a fireplace, window frames, and door frames. There are also piles of stones on the western side of the homestead. These might be the remains of other small buildings. About 75 meters further west, you can also see signs of old cattle yards.
Why Carcory Homestead is Important
Carcory Homestead Ruin was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. This means it's officially recognized as an important part of Queensland's history and culture.
Showing Queensland's History
The ruin helps us understand how Queensland developed. It shows us what early European settlement was like in this remote area. Being an isolated ruin, it also reminds us of the tough challenges faced by early settlers. Carcory was set up as a pastoral run in 1877. This shows how farming and ranching helped new towns grow in Queensland.
A Rare Example
Carcory is a rare example of an early homestead in this part of Australia. Not many buildings from that time and place have survived.
Learning from the Past
Because the site hasn't been changed much, the Carcory Homestead Ruin can teach us a lot. Through studying old documents and digging at the site, we can learn more about Queensland's history.
Unique Building Style
The Carcory ruin is a great example of a special building style. This style used local stone and spread across central Australia in the late 1800s. It was designed to handle the extreme heat of the outback. It also made up for the fact that there wasn't much local timber for building.
Beautiful and Meaningful
Carcory Homestead Ruin has a special beauty. This comes from its shape, the materials it's made from, and its location. It sits alone in a wide, open landscape. The fact that it's a ruin adds to the feeling of the place.
Connecting with the Community
Carcory Homestead Ruin is important to the local community. It's one of the oldest homesteads in the area. It connects people to the early history of their district.
