Glengarry Homestead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Glengarry Homestead |
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Glengarry Homestead, 2009
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| Location | Gladstone-Monto Road, Boynedale, Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | c. 1894 - c. 1920 |
| Official name: Glengarry Homestead | |
| Type | state heritage (built, landscape, archaeological) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600386 |
| Significant period | 1890s-1910s (historical) 1890s-1910s (fabric) 1890s-1940s (social) |
| Significant components | kitchen/kitchen house, garden - rock / rockery, views to, residential accommodation - main house, roof/ridge ventilator/s / fleche/s, views from, meat house, trees/plantings, shed/s |
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Glengarry Homestead is a historic farm complex located in Boynedale, Queensland, Australia. It sits on a hill with great views of the Boyne River Valley. This special place was built between about 1894 and 1920. Today, it is protected on the Queensland Heritage Register because of its important history.
Contents
Exploring Glengarry Homestead's Past
Early Days in the Boyne Valley
The Glengarry homestead complex includes a brick house and timber buildings that were built a long time ago. This area, known as the Port Curtis Pastoral District, started to be settled in the early 1850s. Back then, Queensland was still part of New South Wales.
A very important early settler in the Boyne Valley was William Henry Walsh. He arrived in 1853 and owned huge areas of land. His main property was called Milton. In 1868, the land around Milton was surveyed. This included the area where Glengarry station would later be.
How Glengarry Became a Farm
In 1868, new laws meant that large land areas were broken up. This allowed more people to select smaller grazing properties. Even though the Boyne Valley was quite isolated, Milton was eventually divided in 1883.
A man named John Dickinson tried to get some land then, but it didn't work out. However, in 1885, his daughter, Isabella, was able to lease about 628 acres. John Dickinson also got another piece of land, about 160 acres, in 1892. This is where the homestead stands today.
Building the Homestead
By 1898, a government official checked on the land. Records show that John Dickinson had been living there since March 1894. He had built a brick house, which was quite valuable for the time. There was also a separate kitchen building made of timber and a large shed. These buildings had roofs made of corrugated iron.
The separate kitchen building was likely the first home on the property. When the new brick house was built, the older building became the kitchen and maybe a place for workers to stay. This was a common way for farms to grow and change over time.
Changes Over the Years
John Dickinson passed away in 1920. His family owned Glengarry until 1946, when William Bryce bought it. In the early 1960s, I. O. F. McDonald purchased the property. He added a modern section to the house. He also enclosed part of the verandah to create a bathroom and laundry.
Later, the Gladstone Area Water Board bought Glengarry in 1979. This was because of concerns about the property being affected by the new Awoonga Dam. The dam project could sometimes turn the homestead into an island, though this isn't expected for many years.
Since 1983, the property has been leased for grazing animals. The buildings are not lived in, but they are sometimes used by workers. Some of the older farm buildings, like the dairy and stables, have unfortunately collapsed over time.
What Glengarry Homestead Looks Like Today
The Glengarry homestead complex includes the main brick house, a separate kitchen, and some other farm buildings. They are all on a hill, offering wide views of the countryside.
The Main House
The main house is a single-story building made of brick. It has a hip-shaped roof covered with corrugated iron. There are verandahs (porches) on all four sides, supported by timber posts. Part of the verandah on the north side has been enclosed to make a modern bathroom and laundry.
The bricks are a rose-red color, and they are laid in a special pattern. Inside, there are three rooms that connect to each other. French doors made of cedar open onto the verandah. The ceilings are made of wooden boards and have small, decorative timber designs. The floors are covered with a material that looks like carpet.
The Modern Annexe
At the eastern end of the main house, there's a modern addition. It's made of fiber cement and glass, built on low concrete supports. A small open area separates this new part from the older house.
The Detached Kitchen
Behind the brick house, there's a separate kitchen building. A covered walkway connects it to the main house. This kitchen has a pyramid-shaped roof with a decorative metal vent and a brick chimney. Its roof and walls are covered with corrugated iron. The floor is made of packed earth with bricks and concrete on top.
The main room has an open brick fireplace. There are also two other rooms. Some windows have metal sun hoods with a thistle design.
Other Farm Buildings
Near the kitchen, you'll find the butcher's shop. It's made of timber and sheet iron. It has an arched roof in the middle, with two smaller sections on the sides.
Further north, there's another timber building on low supports. It has a hip roof and walls made of timber boards. Next to this, the remains of the buggy shed and blacksmith's shop have completely fallen down.
About 50 meters to the northwest, the dairy building has also collapsed. You can still see that it had a corrugated iron roof and walls made of timber slabs. To the southwest, under a fig tree, are the remains of the stables, which were built in a similar way. There's also a cottage, possibly from between the two World Wars, about 100 meters northwest of the homestead.
Gardens and Features
In front of the main house, you can still see where a tennis court used to be. It's just a flat area with small pieces of tape that once marked the court. Some old plants still survive, like two mango trees, a mulberry tree, citrus trees, and hibiscus. There's also a rock garden feature to the southwest of the homestead.
Why Glengarry Homestead is Important
Glengarry Homestead was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992 for several reasons.
A Glimpse into Queensland's History
This homestead shows us how early farms were set up in the Boyne Valley. It's a great example of a pastoral property with its homes and work buildings built in traditional ways.
A Rare Find
Glengarry is the oldest homestead still on its original site in this area. Many older homesteads have been destroyed or moved. The main house is also thought to be the only brick homestead of its kind from that time in Central Queensland. Usually, people used timber or local stone for building.
Learning About the Past
The homestead and its surrounding buildings can teach us a lot about the lives of farmers in the Boyne Valley long ago.
A Classic Example
The main house, with its older kitchen building, living quarters, butcher's shop, blacksmith's shop, dairy, stables, and other sheds, are all good examples of these types of buildings from that era.
Beautiful and Important
The main house looks nice with its shape, size, and materials. It's built on a hilltop, giving it amazing views of the mountains and the countryside. Its high position makes it a well-known landmark in the area.
Connected to the Community
The homestead is important because of its connection to the Dickenson family. They were early settlers in this part of Queensland, and the homestead tells their story.
