Jondaryan Homestead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jondaryan Homestead |
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Jondaryan Homestead, 2003
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| Location | Evanslea Road, Jondaryan, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | 1844 - 1937 |
| Official name: Jondaryan Homestead | |
| Type | state heritage (landscape, built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600635 |
| Significant period | 1840s-1860s (historical) 1840s-1860s (fabric) |
| Significant components | dairy/creamery, store/s / storeroom / storehouse, conservatory / glasshouse / greenhouse, residential accommodation - main house, residential accommodation - shearers' quarters, stalls - livestock, meat house, butcher's shop / killing shed / slaughter house (pastoral), garden/grounds, out building/s, kitchen/kitchen house, stables, chimney/chimney stack |
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Jondaryan Homestead is a special heritage-listed property located on Evanslea Road in Jondaryan, Queensland, Australia. It was once the main part of the huge Jondaryan pastoral station, which started in 1840. This station was so big that it became the largest privately owned property in Queensland at one point.
Today, the site includes a house built in 1937 after the original one burned down. It also has the original kitchen from 1844 and many other old buildings from the 1860s. These include a butcher's shop, shearer's quarters, stables, and a dairy. The homestead is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register because of its important history.
The large Jondaryan station was divided up over time, starting in 1908. By 1946, it stopped being one big station. The homestead and about 2,000 acres (810 ha) of land stayed with the founder's grandson. The famous Jondaryan Woolshed, which is now a museum, was sold separately and is also a heritage site.
Contents
History of Jondaryan Homestead
Jondaryan station began in 1840 when Henry Dennis claimed the land. The homestead site still has some very old buildings. These include the kitchen from the first homestead built in 1844 and other buildings from the early 1860s.
Early Days and First Owners
In 1840, people were looking for new land for their farms in New South Wales. They moved north to the Darling Downs area. The Leslie brothers were the first to set up a station there. Henry Dennis then claimed Jondaryan station for Sir Richard Todd Scougall.
However, Dennis did not officially register his claim. So, in 1842, Charles Coxen took over the Jondaryan property. Charles Coxen was born in England in 1809 and came to Sydney in 1834. He loved nature and helped start the Queensland Museum in 1862. He was also involved in many pastoral properties in Queensland.
Charles Coxen sent his nephew, Henry William Coxen, to Jondaryan in 1842 to manage the station. Henry Coxen became a very successful landowner in Queensland. He oversaw the first improvements to Jondaryan station.
Building the First Homestead
By 1843, Jondaryan station had three huts. These were supposedly built by James Chatman, a convict carpenter. There were only 7 people living at the station then, but this number doubled by 1844.
In 1844, work started on the first main house at Jondaryan. It was built on a ridge, but this spot attracted lightning. So, later that year, they decided to build a new house about 2 miles (3.2 km) upstream, where the current homestead stands. This new house was made from strong iron bark wood. It was the main house until it was destroyed by fire on 30 December 1937. The kitchen that you can still see today is the only part left from that original house. Other buildings, like a small shearing shed, were also built around this time.
Growing the Station
Jondaryan station grew a lot in the mid-1840s. By 1845, the property had expanded from 13,000 acres (5,300 ha) to 65,000 acres (26,000 ha). It had both sheep and cattle. At first, the land was owned by the Crown and used with a licence. In 1847, the rules changed, and Jondaryan became a leasehold property.
After Charles Coxen sold his share in 1845, the property was owned by James Macabrieu Andrews and Robert Tertius Campbell. Campbell stayed in Sydney and let Andrews manage the property. Over the next few years, Jondaryan changed hands several times. In c. 1855, Donald Coutts and Walter Gray, the owners at the time, applied to buy the land where the homestead and woolshed were located.
By the mid-1850s, Jondaryan had grown to about 125,000 acres (51,000 ha). In 1856, brothers Robert and Edwin Tooth bought the leasehold. They were merchants and brewers from Sydney. James Charles White managed the property for them.
In 1858, William Kent and Edward Wienholt became sub-lessees of Jondaryan. For the next ten years, Jondaryan became very successful. By 1867, over 22,000 acres (8,900 ha) of Jondaryan's land was privately owned. This made Jondaryan one of the largest privately owned properties in the area.
Building Improvements in the 1860s
The money made from farming was used to improve the homestead. Records show a lot of building happened in the early 1860s. In 1860, the main house was updated. New quarters for the shearers were built. A new butcher's shop, store, stables, and St Anne's Anglican Church were also built. The famous Jondaryan Woolshed was finished around this time too.
By the 1860s, Jondaryan Homestead was a complete complex. A visitor in 1922 described it as "quite a little township" with cottages for workers, stables, and other buildings. Another visitor said the main house was "very comfortable" and like a country home in England. It had a verandah, a garden with flowers and fruit, and a stream nearby.
Jondaryan Estates and Later Years
In 1863, Kent and Wienholt bought Jondaryan station from the Tooth brothers for £108,000. They formed a company called Jondaryan Estates. This company became one of Queensland's biggest farming companies, owning many properties.
Jondaryan station continued to grow in the 1870s and 1880s, covering over 300,000 acres (120,000 ha). However, in the 1890s, the government started taking back some of the leased land. The size of the station began to shrink.
In 1908, the first part of Jondaryan was sold off. More land was sold in the 1920s. By 1946, Jondaryan Estates closed down. Over 184 parts of Jondaryan station had been sold to 220 different owners. William Kent junior, the grandson of one of the founders, kept the homestead and about 2,000 acres (810 ha) of land. The woolshed, however, was now owned by different people. The Kent family owned the homestead property until 1974.
What Jondaryan Homestead Looks Like
The Jondaryan Homestead property is on Evanslea Road, about 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) southwest of Jondaryan town. Oakey Creek runs along part of its northern side. Important buildings at the homestead include the kitchen, butcher's shop, shearers' quarters, stables, dairy, toilet block, and store. The main house was built after the original one burned down in 1937. You can also see parts of other old structures, like horse stalls and a Chinese gardener's glasshouse. There are also some old gravestones on the property.
The Main House
The current house is shaped like a rectangle. It sits low to the ground and has a roof made of corrugated iron. The longest sides face east and west. The walls are covered with wooden boards. A long verandah (porch) runs along about three-quarters of the east side. It has square wooden posts and canvas blinds. Two sets of windows and three sets of French doors open onto this verandah. On the west side, there are many windows and a covered walkway that connects to the kitchen.
The Kitchen Building
The kitchen building is next to the west side of the house. It has a main roof with a pointed top (gable roof) and smaller roofs attached to its sides. All the roofs are made of corrugated iron. There's a brick fireplace and chimney. The outside walls are covered with weatherboards, and the inside walls are lined with wooden boards. The floors are made of wooden planks.
The Butcher's Shop
The butcher's shop is southwest of the house. It's a rectangle with a gable roof and stands on low wooden stumps. A verandah roof goes all around it. Some of the walls are made of horizontal wooden slabs, while others are open timber frames. The ends of the roof are covered with rough wooden boards. All the roofs are made of corrugated iron. Inside, you can see the wooden roof frame. The space is divided by some partial walls.
Shearers' Quarters
The building where the shearers lived has a hipped roof (sloping on all sides) made of corrugated iron. It sits on wooden stumps near the northeast corner of the house. A chimney goes through the roof in the middle. Some walls are weatherboard, and others are corrugated iron with charcoal for insulation. The verandah railing is made of timber frames with wool bail straps fitted diagonally.
The Stables
The stable building is south of the house. It's a long, narrow rectangle with a gable roof made of corrugated iron. The ends of the roof are covered with weatherboards. The other walls are made of vertical wooden slabs fitted between timber posts. Much of the timber looks hand-cut. There are wide wooden doors that open into a fenced yard. Inside, you can see the roof frame and wooden stalls for horses. Two smaller coach sheds are next to the stables.
The Dairy
In 1999, the dairy was covered in climbing plants, but you could still go inside. It's on the north end of the kitchen and has a pyramid-shaped roof. You can still see old wooden shingles on the underside of the roof. Part of the floor is made of wooden boards, and the entrance floor seems to be made of flat stones. The walls are covered with wooden weatherboards. There are also old vents in the ceiling and floor.
The Toilet Block
The toilet block is about 7 metres (23 ft) north of the kitchen. It's a narrow rectangle with a hipped roof made of corrugated iron. It sits on low wooden stumps. You can get inside from one long side by walking up a few wooden steps. The walls are lined with wooden boards inside. There are small wooden-framed windows. A concrete pipe for sewerage is attached to one end.
Chinese Gardener's Glasshouse
This small building is next to the east end of the toilet block, near the north side of the house. It has a gable roof made of corrugated iron, which is covered by a flowering vine. There's a wooden door on the east side. On the north and south sides, there are square glass panes in wooden frames. Below these windows, the walls are made of concrete. The gable ends on the east and west sides are filled with painted brick.
The Store
The store is an L-shaped building with gable roofs made of corrugated iron. It's located between the butcher's shop and the stables, south of the house. The walls are covered with weatherboards. It has a few doors and double-hung windows. There are also small wooden vent panels in one of the gable ends. Inside, you can see the wall and roof frames. The floor is made of wooden boards.
Horse Stalls
There are two horse stalls next to each other. Each has a gable roof made of corrugated iron. The gable ends are covered with hand-cut weatherboards, and the walls are made of vertical wooden slabs fitted between timber posts.
Killing Shed
This structure has two parts, each with a gable roof. The larger, lower roof is supported by four wooden posts. The smaller roof is higher up and supported by two posts. Wooden slab rails are fitted between the timber posts.
The Grounds
The area around the house, kitchen, and shearers' quarters has several old trees, including a tall palm. This area also has a well-kept lawn. A dirt road separates it from the butcher's shop, store, and stables. Some fencing can be seen north of the toilet block and glasshouse.
Why Jondaryan Homestead is Important
Jondaryan Homestead was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 because it meets important criteria:
It shows how Queensland's history developed. Jondaryan station was one of the very first large farms started in the Darling Downs region in the early 1840s. It helps us understand the beginning of farming in Queensland.
It shows what a large farming property looked like. Even though most of the first homestead was destroyed by fire, many old buildings are still in good condition. These include the kitchen from 1844, and the butcher's shop and stables from the early 1860s. They clearly show how a big farming property worked in Queensland's early days. The stables, horse stalls, and killing shed are great examples of how buildings were made from wooden slabs in the early 1860s.
It is connected to important people or groups in Queensland's history. Jondaryan has a special connection to the Kent family. They owned the homestead property for over 100 years. The company they helped create, Jondaryan Estates, became one of Queensland's largest farming companies.
