Homewood, Bellbrook facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Homewood - Childhood Home of 'Slim Dusty'
Location	1279 Nulla Nulla Creek Road, Bellbrook, Kempsey Shire, New South Wales, Australia
Built	1915–1916
Architect	David Kirkpatrick
Owner	Joy McKean Kirkpatrick
New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name: Homewood - Childhood Home of 'Slim Dusty'; Melody Farm
Type	state heritage (complex / group)
Designated	27 January 2012
Reference no.	1870
Type	Dairy
Category	Farming and Grazing
Builders	David Kirkpatrick and Thomas Ryan
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Homewood is a special house and farm located in Bellbrook, New South Wales, Australia. It's famous because it was the childhood home of a legendary Australian country music singer, Slim Dusty. His real name was David Gordon Kirkpatrick. His father, David Kirkpatrick, designed and helped build the house between 1915 and 1916. Homewood is also known as Melody Farm. Today, Slim Dusty's wife, Joy McKean Kirkpatrick, owns the property. It's so important that it was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 2012.

The Story of Homewood

Homewood was built by Slim Dusty's father, David Kirkpatrick, with help from a neighbor, Thomas Ryan. This happened between 1915 and 1916. From 1927, it became the home of David Gordon Kirkpatrick, who was the youngest child and only son of David Kirkpatrick and Mary Partridge. This is where the future Slim Dusty grew up.

The Nulla Nulla Valley, where Homewood is located, was a close-knit community. Many families lived along the creek, and they loved music. A lot of people, both men and women, could play an instrument or sing. Dances and house parties were held almost every week. News about these events traveled quickly through the "bush telegraph," which was how people shared information before phones and the internet. Young Gordon Kirkpatrick grew up surrounded by all this music. He even wrote his first songs right there on the property. By the mid-1950s, he became famous as "Slim Dusty" and left the Nulla Nulla Valley to become a hugely successful musician.

In 1954, the property was sold to Eric Midgeley. Different relatives and then tenants lived there until 2003. In 2001, Slim Dusty's family bought Homewood back. They wanted it to be a lasting reminder of his early years. Since 2003, Homewood has been empty.

What Homewood Looks Like

Homewood is a timber house with an iron roof. It has a verandah (a covered porch) at the front, facing east. The verandah and roof were updated between 1980 and 1982. There are two front windows that look out onto the verandah.

When you enter the house, there's a hallway. There are two bedrooms, one on each side of the hallway. Further down, you'll find the dining room on the left and a third bedroom on the right. A door from the dining room leads to the kitchen, which has a bathroom next to it. The kitchen has an open fire and a stove on the back wall, with shelves nearby. Originally, there was no bathroom. The current bathroom was added in 1945, in a space that used to be a pantry.

Even though Homewood has a simple design and basic foundations, it hasn't changed much in over 90 years. It still looks very much like it did when Slim Dusty was a boy. This makes it a special place that reminds people of his childhood and how he grew up.

Changes Over Time

While the main house is mostly the same, some things around the property have changed:

• Fences: The fence around the house was put up between 1980 and 1982.
• Water Tanks: The original tankstands (structures holding water tanks) and iron tanks were replaced with a concrete tank in 1990.
• Septic System: A septic system for waste was installed in 1990.
• Garden: The original garden has disappeared. New plants have been added, but some old trees, bushes, and fruit trees are still there.
• Cowbails: Only a cement slab remains of the original cowbails (where cows were milked). This is the spot where the 18-year-old Slim Dusty wrote his famous song "The Rain Tumbles Down in July" in 1945. The newer cowbails are still standing.

Why Homewood is a Heritage Site

Homewood is considered important to the history of New South Wales because of its strong connection to Slim Dusty (David Gordon Kirkpatrick). It shows how simple his childhood was and how the music and environment of the Nulla Nulla community inspired his songs. Homewood helps people, both in Australia and around the world, understand Slim Dusty's character and his role as a very important musician and cultural figure.

Homewood was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 27 January 2012 because it met several important requirements:

• It shows how cultural history developed in New South Wales.

Homewood and its surroundings show the simple and humble way Slim Dusty grew up. This lifestyle and landscape influenced his character, his songs, and his performances throughout his long and successful career.

• It has a special connection to an important person in New South Wales's history.

Homewood is important because of its link to Slim Dusty, who was a musician, composer, and performer of national importance.

• It shows special design or creative achievements.

Homewood is a good example of a small timber and iron house. These types of houses were common for small dairy farmers. Homewood is the only original example of this kind of house remaining along Nulla Nulla Creek.

• It has a strong connection to a community or cultural group.

Homewood helps people understand Slim Dusty's character and his role as a significant musical and cultural figure. Many Australians love Slim Dusty and his music, and they hold this place in high regard.

• It shows the main features of a certain type of cultural place or environment.

Homewood is a good example of working-class homes built by small dairy farmers in the Upper Macleay region from the 1890s to the 1950s. It used local timber and mass-produced materials like corrugated iron. It's a modest timber house with its original water tank stand and clothesline still intact. It's similar to early buildings on remote farms that were often replaced by bigger houses when families became wealthier. The nearby village of Bellbrook also has similar old houses and buildings.

Images for kids

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  Rear of house

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  Homewood house within the context of the farm

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  Heritage boundaries