Darr River Downs facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Darr River Downs
Shearing shed at Darr River Downs Station, 1998
Location	Landsborough Highway, Morella, Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia
Design period	1870s - 1890s (late 19th century)
Built	1870s circa - 1900s circa
Queensland Heritage Register
Official name: Darr River Downs
Type	state heritage (archaeological, built, landscape)
Designated	27 June 2003
Reference no.	600666
Significant period	1870s-1890s (historical) 1870s-1880s (fabric)
Significant components	grave marker, stockyards, graveyard, shed - storage, machinery/plant/equipment - pastoralism, shearing shed/woolshed, store/s / storeroom / storehouse, wool scour, out building/s
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Darr River Downs is a heritage-listed homestead and station located near Morella in the Longreach Region of Queensland, Australia. It was built mostly between the 1870s and early 1900s. This historic place is very important because it shows how sheep and cattle farming grew in Queensland. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on June 27, 2003, which means it's protected for its special history and unique buildings.

The Story of Darr River Downs

Early Days and Owners

The land for Darr River Downs station was first claimed in the early 1870s. From 1876, a group of businessmen from Melbourne called Baird, Rowan and Co. started buying up these lands. They were sheep and cattle farmers.

Even though Darr River Downs first raised cattle, many new farmers in the 1880s started raising sheep instead. By the late 1880s, Darr River Downs was a large, combined property. Its lease was taken over by Baird, Rowan and Co.

Over the years, the ownership changed a few times. In 1888, William Taylor and Andrew Rowan took over the lease. Later, other partners joined and left. By 1898, the property was owned by the Bank of Australasia.

A Big Sheep Station

In 1888, Darr River Downs was advertised as a "First-class sheep station in Queensland." It covered a huge area, about 1,100 square miles (704,000 acres). It was one of three very large farming properties set up in the area. The other two were Corona and Evesham.

Building the Station

A stone storehouse was built around 1874. It was used as the main house for some years. Later, a new stone homestead (main house) was built. Other stone buildings were likely built around the same time. The stone for these buildings came from the nearby Darr River.

The Wool Scour and Woolshed

• Wool Scouring: From the 1840s, a new way to clean wool called "wool scouring" became popular in Australia. It replaced simply washing the sheep. The Darr River Downs wool scour is thought to be the first one built in this part of Queensland, likely in the early to mid-1880s. The owners wanted to make sure their wool was as clean as possible for buyers in London. Records suggest the wool scour was built in two stages, in 1883 and 1886. In 1886, Darr River Downs cleaned its own wool for the first time. By 1890, the station had about 135,550 sheep. In 1893, they produced 1,725 bales of wool.

• The Woolshed: A woolshed, where sheep are shorn, was built around 1883. During the shearers' strike in 1891, a group of striking shearers tried to burn down the woolshed, but they failed. A new woolshed was built, possibly in the early 1900s. It is believed that this new woolshed might have been a temporary building from the 1880 Melbourne Exhibition. This building was supposedly taken apart, shipped to Rockhampton, and then moved to Darr River Downs to be rebuilt as the woolshed. The woolshed was about two kilometres from the homestead. It had large pens for the sheep and living areas for the shearers.

Later Years

By 1904, the station had many buildings. These included the homestead, a kitchen, living quarters, a store, a workshop for wheels and carpentry, stables, and huts.

In 1910, the property was sold to James Henry Coleman and Edward James Watt from New Zealand. Watt became the sole owner in 1918. He was known as a kind employer. After World War I, Watt gave away 60,000 acres of Darr River Downs. He gave this land to four men who had worked on the station and returned from the war.

Watt passed away in 1942. In 1950, his nephew, TC Lowry, took over Darr River Downs. After Lowry's death in the mid-1970s, the property stayed with his family. The current owners bought the property in 1989. Today, the land with the homestead and other old buildings is about 51,564 acres.

The woolshed used to be shaped like a cross. Parts of it have been taken down and moved to other properties. However, the woolshed is still used today by Darr River Downs and other nearby farms. The main homestead was largely updated around 1987.

What Darr River Downs Looks Like

Darr River Downs is located west of the Darr River, northeast of Morella. It includes several important buildings: the homestead, an office and saddle room, a store, the woolshed, the ruins of the wool scour, and a cemetery.

• The Homestead: The main homestead building has been changed a lot over the years. Some of the original walls and paving stones outside are still there. However, most of the old inside parts have been removed. Because of these changes, the homestead building itself is not considered to have much original historical value.

• Office and Saddle Room: This is a single-story building with a sloped corrugated iron roof. It has verandahs (porches) all around. It is built from rough, square field stones held together with clay. The verandahs have tree trunk posts and earth floors.

• The Store: This is also a single-story building with a sloped corrugated iron roof and verandahs all around. It is built from field stone with clay mortar. Inside, the floor is made of stone, and the roof has no lining.

• The Woolshed: Located about two kilometres east of the homestead, the woolshed is covered in corrugated iron. It stands on timber stumps. Inside, it has timber floors, timber fences, and gates. You can still see signs of the old shearing equipment.

• Wool Scour Ruins: The remains of the old wool scour are located north of the homestead area.

• The Cemetery: To the south of the homestead, there is a cemetery. It is surrounded by a timber post and rail fence. It contains two graves with headstones and metal surrounds.

Why Darr River Downs is Important

Darr River Downs was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on June 27, 2003, because it meets several important rules:

Showing Queensland's History

Darr River Downs started in the early 1870s. It is important because it clearly shows how the farming industry grew and changed in Queensland over time.

Rare and Unique Features

The way the woolshed was built, using pre-made arched metal frames, is very rare and unusual. The ruins of the wool scour, built around 1886, are also a rare example of early technology. Even by the late 1800s, this type of wool cleaning was mostly found only in bigger towns.

Learning About the Past

The buildings from the 1800s and early 1900s that are still standing can teach us a lot. They help us understand building methods and how wool was processed in western Queensland a long time ago.

A Great Example of a Station

Darr River Downs shows the main features of a large farming station from the late 1800s and early 1900s. This includes how it was laid out, the materials used, its size, and its design.

Beautiful and Important Design

The layout, materials, size, and design of Darr River Downs show what a typical farming station looked like in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Along with the old trees planted there, these things make the place very beautiful and historically significant.

Amazing Technical Achievements

The woolshed and the remains of the wool scour also show great technical skill for their time. This is because they used early mechanical ways to wash wool and advanced metal frame building techniques.