Mulwala Homestead facts for kids

Mulwala Homestead is a special old house in Mulwala, New South Wales, Australia. It is listed on the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List because of its important history. This means it is protected as a valuable part of Australia's past.

A Glimpse into Mulwala's Past

Mulwala Homestead began as part of a big change in the Riverina area. This region was being settled by Europeans who wanted to use the land for farming animals. In the late 1820s, people called squatters started moving into the eastern Riverina. They saw that the land was good for raising sheep and cattle. Sadly, this meant that the Aboriginal people who lived there for a long time had to move away.

The Sloane Family's Story

An early settler at Mulwala was George Hillas. But the main story of Mulwala Homestead is about the Sloane family. Alexander Sloane came to Australia from Scotland in 1849. He started a farming business in 1853. In 1862, he bought a property called Savernake. He had almost 5,000 sheep there by 1863.

In 1864, Alexander bought Mulwala Station from George Hillas. The Sloanes lived in a simple hut built by Hillas. It was near a lagoon close to the Murray River. They made the hut bigger and built other small buildings. But in 1867, a big flood caused a lot of damage. The Sloanes then moved some of their buildings to higher ground. This new spot became the start of the Mulwala Homestead we see today.

Growing the Farm and Facing Challenges

The number of sheep at Mulwala grew a lot. From 12,081 sheep in 1865, it reached over 60,000 by 1874! Mulwala Station became known for its excellent sheep. In the 1890s, there was a big economic problem called a depression. Many farms struggled or went out of business. But the Sloanes managed to get through it. Alexander started growing wheat to earn more money. He also let other farmers work on his land.

Building the Homestead Over Time

In 1870, people said the homestead was "one of the most pleasant on the Murray River." The parts of the old buildings that survived the flood became the middle and south sections of the new house. In 1869, a schoolroom was added to the north side. Over the years, more rooms were built.

The homestead buildings were mostly made from Cypress Pine slabs. These were thick pieces of wood cut from trees. The roofs were made of wooden shingles. Inside, the walls were covered with pine boards, then calico (a type of cloth), and finally wallpaper. The family also created a lovely fruit and vegetable garden. The last major part added to the house was a wing built between 1927 and 1929. It was made of pise, which is a type of rammed earth.

Many other buildings were also built over the years. The shearing shed, where sheep were shorn, was started in 1867 and made bigger later.

Changes and New Owners

Alexander Sloane passed away in 1907. In the early 1900s, the Sloane family's land was divided among different family members. After 1964, Mulwala Homestead was not lived in all the time, but the Sloanes still owned it.

During World War II, a factory that made explosives was built nearby. In 1982, the Australian Defence Department bought Mulwala Station. This was because the factory needed to expand. Later, the person looking after the homestead had to move out. This was for safety reasons, as the explosives factory was getting closer. Because the buildings were empty, people worried about them. The Department of Defence has done some work to fix things. But the homestead has still become quite run down over time. Today, the property is owned by Defence/ADI.

What Mulwala Homestead Looks Like

Mulwala Homestead is a group of buildings, gardens, and other areas. It includes the main house, many smaller buildings, yards, and even a burial site.

The Main House

The homestead has several parts, called wings. They are all single-story buildings. The house has about 40 rooms!

• North Wing: This part has different roof shapes, covered with corrugated iron. The walls are mostly made of vertical Cypress Pine slabs. Some walls are painted, and some are varnished. There are also some weatherboard and brick walls. The verandahs (porches) have wooden floors and roofs made of corrugated iron. There are three brick chimneys with special tops.
• Central Wing: This part has an iron roof, with some old wooden shingles still underneath. The walls are all vertical pine slabs. Like the north wing, some are varnished and some painted. The verandah has a wooden floor and roof. It also has three brick chimneys.
• South Wing: This wing has an iron roof. The walls are made of brick and weatherboard. The verandahs have wooden floors, but one part has a concrete floor. Two of its three brick chimneys have double flues (two openings for smoke).
• Pise Wing: This part is made of pise, which means its walls are very thick (about 50 cm!). The surface of the walls is rough and painted. The chimneys are also made of pise. The roof is long and L-shaped, covered with iron. The verandah has a wooden floor and posts. One side has a sunroom with screen walls.

An interesting fact is that the wooden slabs in the buildings were cut using a pit saw. This was a special way of cutting wood that is not very common. Also, using vertical slabs for a main house like this is quite rare in the Riverina area.

Inside the Homestead

The house has many interesting old features. For example:

• Some rooms have slab walls and wooden ceilings.
• Other rooms have walls covered with hessian (a rough fabric) and wallpaper.
• You can see old cypress wood mantelpieces (above fireplaces).
• There are old doors with special catches.
• Many windows are sash windows (they slide up and down) or casement windows (they open outwards).
• Some floors are covered with old linoleum or rugs.
• You can find old skirtings (wooden boards along the bottom of walls).
• One room was even used as a dark room for developing photos!
• Some rooms have old brass or porcelain door handles.
• The pise wing has plastered pise walls, wooden floors, and an original old fuel stove in one room.

Other Buildings and Features

There are many other buildings around the homestead, even though some have been lost.

• Woolshed: Built in 1867, this is where sheep were shorn. It was made bigger four times and had 16 shearing stands by 1881. It has huge wooden posts and tree-trunk beams.
• Shearers' Quarters: Built in the late 1920s or early 1930s, this building housed the shearers. It has weatherboard walls and an iron roof.
• Shearers' Dining Hut: This building also has weatherboard walls and an iron roof. It has two brick chimneys and a brick oven for baking bread.
• Other Sheds: There's an engine shed (built in 1927 as a laundry), a carpenter's shed, a pump shed, a garage (built 1916), and a dovecote (for pigeons). There's also a carriage shed, a machinery shed, and a feed shed.
• Child's Grave: A sad part of the property is the grave of Alexander Turner Sloane, the fourth son of the family, who died in 1871. It is no longer clearly marked.
• Sheep Wash and Dip: You can find the remains of an old sheep wash from the 1800s. There's also a more complete sheep dip, which is a brick and concrete structure used to clean sheep.

The Garden

The garden was once very beautiful in the late 1800s. But it hasn't been looked after much since the 1930s. Over 140 different types of trees have been found there. You can see Pepper trees, Monterey Pines, Kurrajongs, and Cedars, as well as fruit and nut trees. There's even a line of citrus trees where an old driveway used to be. Some trees are very old, nearly 130 years! You can still see traces of old paths and driveways. The garden was not just for beauty; it also grew vegetables and fruit for everyone living on the station. Near the house, you can find the remains of an old tennis court.

Current Condition

Today, the buildings and garden at Mulwala Homestead are quite run down. Problems like termites and water getting into the buildings have caused a lot of damage. For example, parts of the chimneys are falling off, garden trees are dying, and gutters are full of leaves. Some parts of the outbuildings are falling apart, and some verandah floors are missing. The paint is in poor condition, and parts of the iron roofs are rusty. Inside, some ceilings and walls are cracking, and there's dampness in the walls. Possums and sheep have also caused damage. The woolshed is in very poor condition, with parts of its roof missing and its wooden beams failing. Trees growing too close to some buildings are also causing damage.

Why Mulwala Homestead is Important

Mulwala Homestead Precinct was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004. It is important for several reasons:

• History: It shows how the Riverina region was settled and how farming developed there in the 1800s. Mulwala was also important for raising special sheep and for growing wheat in New South Wales.
• Typical Australian Homestead: The homestead shows many features of Australian houses from the 1800s. For example, it has high roofs, verandahs all around, and different parts added over time. It also uses common materials like Cypress Pine slabs, weatherboard, corrugated iron, brick, and pise. The many outbuildings and their building styles also show what typical farms in the area were like. The sheep dip and old sheep wash are also good examples of sheep farms from that time.
• Rare Features: The homestead is special because its wooden slabs were pit-sawn, which is rare. Also, using vertical slabs for a main house (not just sheds) is uncommon in the Riverina. It's also rare to see so many parts of the original homestead still standing after the big floods of 1867. The Sloane family owned the property for a very long time, from the 1860s until the 1980s. The grave of a Sloane son is still on the property, even if it's not marked anymore.
• Beauty: The mix of trees, grazing areas, the homestead, and its many outbuildings creates a beautiful picture of farm life in the Riverina.