Ellensbrook facts for kids

Ellensbrook is a special old property found in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park near Margaret River, Western Australia. It's also known as Ellensbrook House or Ellensbrook Homestead. Today, the National Trust of Western Australia looks after it, making sure its history is preserved for everyone to learn from.

A Look Back: Ellensbrook's History

The land where Ellensbrook stands was once a traditional camping spot for the Noongar people, an Aboriginal group from Western Australia. They called this area Mokidup. It was also close to a very important spiritual place called Meekadarribee Cave.

Building a New Home

In 1857, a couple named Ellen and Alfred Bussell decided to build their new home here. They chose this spot because it was safe from storms, had fresh water, and the soil was good for farming. The house was built over many years. People who helped build it included convicts who were allowed to work outside prison (called "ticket-of-leave" convicts), sailors who had left their ships, and local Noongar people. The property was named Ellensbrook after Ellen Bussell.

The Bussell Family's Legacy

Alfred and Ellen Bussell moved away from Ellensbrook in 1865. However, their family stayed involved with the property. Their oldest daughter, Fanny, managed the place from 1871 to 1877 and made the house bigger. Later, their second daughter, Edith, lived there.

Edith's Home for Children

In 1899, Edith started the Ellensbrook Farm Home for Aboriginal Children on the property. This home operated for seventeen years. During this time, more parts were added to the main building.

At that time, it was hard for women to own property. So, when Alfred died in 1882, his daughters couldn't easily inherit Ellensbrook. But Edith worked hard and by the late 1920s, she managed to gain full ownership of Ellensbrook, which included about 900 acres of land.

Saving Ellensbrook: Restoration Efforts

Later, in the 1950s, Alfred and Ellen's grandson, Lennox Terry, and his wife Frances owned Ellensbrook. They used their own money to help fix up and protect the property. Another owner, John Norman (Jack) Williams, also helped with restoration work from around 1967 to 1979.

In 1979, Ellensbrook was given to the National Trust. The Trust then started a big project in 1984 that lasted six years. They carefully restored the site and turned it into a museum. In 2012, Ellensbrook was added to the State Register of Heritage Places, which means it's officially recognized as an important historical site. In 2016, a grant from Lotterywest helped fund more restoration work. Ellensbrook officially reopened in February 2019.

What Does Ellensbrook Look Like?

The Ellensbrook homestead is a single-story building built in a local style, meaning it uses materials found nearby. It's made from things like granite, limestone, paperbark, and timber. The house is in a grassy clearing, close to the Ellen Brook stream, natural bushland, and sand dunes near the coast.

Other interesting things at Ellensbrook include a family grave site from the 1850s. There's also a stone dam wall and a waterwheel from the 1950s. Many trees and plants grow there, some planted in the 1950s or even earlier. These include a mulberry tree, Moreton Bay figs, Norfolk Island pine, a flame tree, a pepper tree, and hydrangeas. There used to be a tea tree hedge, but it was destroyed in a fire in 2011.

Even though some changes have been made over the years, you can still clearly see how the property was originally used. The site is mostly unchanged and still looks very much like it did a long time ago.