Murrumba Homestead Grounds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Murrumba Homestead Grounds |
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Murrumba Homestead Grounds
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| Location | 38 Armstrong Street, Petrie, Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Official name: Murrumba Homestead Grounds (former) | |
| Type | state heritage (landscape, built, archaeological) |
| Designated | 16 February 2009 |
| Reference no. | 602370 |
| Significant period | 1860s-1940s |
| Significant components | trees of social, historic or special significance, trees/plantings |
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The Murrumba Homestead Grounds are a special historical site located at 38 Armstrong Street, Petrie, Queensland, Australia. This place was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 16 February 2009 because of its important history.
The grounds were first set up by Tom Petrie in the 1860s. They are on a small hill known as Murrumba Hill. Today, this area is part of Our Lady of the Way Primary School and Parish Church. Even though the original Murrumba Homestead was taken down in the early 1950s, many of the trees planted by Tom Petrie and his family are still there. These include Bunya, Hoop, and Kauri pines, and a very large Weeping fig tree. These trees are some of the oldest and largest private garden plantings from the mid-1800s in Queensland.
The Story of Murrumba
Tom Petrie's Early Life
The Murrumba property was started in late 1859 by Tom Petrie (1831–1910). His father, Andrew Petrie, was one of the first free European settlers in Queensland, arriving in 1837. When Tom was a child, he spent a lot of time with the local Turrbal Aboriginal children. He learned their customs and languages and made many friends. He even traveled with the Turrbal people and attended a special Bunya festival.
Tom's ability to speak with Aboriginal people made him very well-known in Brisbane. Explorers like Ludwig Leichhardt, business people, and even Queensland governors would ask for his help. They wanted his knowledge of the land and its people. He helped them find valuable timber and mark out new roads.
Starting a New Life at Murrumba
Tom Petrie did not follow his father into the construction business. Instead, he chose to work on the land. In 1857, he married Elizabeth Campbell. Tom wanted to find good land for grazing cattle near Brisbane. He asked his friend Dalaipi, a respected elder of the North Pine clan, for advice.
Dalaipi suggested land near the Pine River. He also promised to protect Tom, his family, and his cattle. This help showed how much Aboriginal people respected Tom. It allowed him to live in an area that was generally considered unsafe for European settlers at the time.
A "Good Place" to Live
The land Dalaipi suggested had been used by Captain Griffin. Mrs. Jane Griffin was willing to sell the lease to Tom. She reportedly found it difficult to work the land effectively. The area Tom bought stretched from Sideling Creek to Redcliffe Point. It was bordered by the North Pine and Pine rivers. Tom named his new property Murrumba, which means "a good place."
Most of the land was open woodland. This was because Aboriginal people had regularly used fire to manage the land for centuries. With the help of Dalaipi's people, Tom cleared two acres. He built a small hut and a stockyard near Yebri Creek, below Murrumba Hill.
Tom Petrie and the Timber Industry
From 1860, Tom Petrie became very involved in the timber industry. His family had been using Hoop pine from the Pine River since the 1840s. At Murrumba Creek, a special area was set up where cut pines could be floated down to Brisbane.
In 1860, Tom helped William Pettigrew, a sawmill owner, search for valuable timber. They traveled to Tin Can Bay, the Mary River, and Fraser Island. This trip helped open the way for using the giant Kauri pine. Tom also explored the North Coast, looking for valuable red cedar and other timbers. He worked with William Pettigrew and employed Aboriginal workers to get timber. This helped him earn money to develop Murrumba.
Tom did not cut down Bunya pines from the Blackall Ranges. Like his father, Andrew, Tom knew that Bunya pines and the ranges where they grew were sacred to Aboriginal people. Even when a law protecting these trees was changed, he respected their importance.
Developing Roads and the Township
To help with his timber business, Tom Petrie marked out several early roads. He created a track between the Pine River and Bald Hills. He also blazed a trail from Murrumba to Maroochydore, which later became the Gympie Road. Another track he made went from North Pine to Humpybong (Redcliffe).
Tom Petrie held the Murrumba lease for less than three years. In 1862, the government decided to make the area into small farms. Tom bought the main homestead block (70 acres) and leased other nearby sections. This helped him keep his improvements on the land.
By 1864, Tom had built a larger timber homestead on top of the hill. This showed that he now felt more secure about owning the land.
The Murrumba Gardens and Family Life
Tom and Elizabeth Petrie raised nine children at Murrumba. Tom loved trees, whether for business, beauty, food, or healing. He planted many trees at Murrumba, including Hoop, Kauri, and Bunya pines. The Bunya pines are thought to have come from the Maroochy area as young plants. The Hoop pines came from Fraser Island as seeds.
Photographs from the early 1900s show four Bunya pines lining the entrance drive to Murrumba. They were important landmarks. Tom is also believed to have planted macadamia trees at Murrumba in 1865. A group of Hoop pines behind the house was supposedly planted at Dalaipi's suggestion. The place became famous for its beautiful gardens, which had fruit trees, flowers, and vegetables.
Growth of the North Pine District
Tom Petrie's presence at Murrumba encouraged more European settlers to come to the North Pine district. In the early years, he helped new settlers and local Aboriginal people get along. In 1869, Cobb & Co started a coach route from Brisbane to Gympie, using the road Tom had helped mark. A stop for coaches was set up temporarily at Murrumba Homestead. Tom later built a hotel nearby, which became the North Pine Hotel.
In the 1880s, the North Coast Railway was built through his property. Tom used this opportunity to divide some of his land into building blocks. These blocks were first sold in 1886 and became the start of the town of North Pine (later renamed Petrie). Tom Petrie was very active in local government, and his home was a center for social life in the area.
By 1884, the property had two houses, a kitchen, stables, a dairy, and two huts. By 1888, the family owned 3,000 acres in the North Pine district. An "ornamental hedge" was planted along the western side of Gympie Road, near the entrance to Murrumba. In the 1890s, a second house was built close to the first Murrumba house. A commercial dairy was also started.
Legacy of Tom Petrie
In the early 1900s, Tom's daughter, Constance Petrie, wrote and published her father's memories in a book called Tom Petrie's Reminiscences. This book is still an important part of Queensland history. Tom Petrie passed away at Murrumba on 26 August 1910. In 1911, the North Pine Railway Station and Post Office were renamed Petrie in his honor.
For the next 40 years, Murrumba was mainly lived in by Petrie women. Elizabeth Petrie stayed there until she passed away in 1926. Her daughters, Catherine Jessie Petrie and Idella Morrison Petrie, also lived there. Idella lived at Murrumba her whole life. During this time, the house and garden remained much the same. The place continued to be a social hub, and its gardens were known for their plants and birds.
A visitor once wrote:
From Murrumba gate to the house there is a long avenue of waving bamboos, cool and inviting and in the garden there are stately pines, bunya and poinciana trees, rows of palms "magnificently old and gloriousy tall". When Sir William MacGregor, our onetime Governor, paid a visit to the old Petrie homestead he remarked what a joy it was to see so many fine trees ...
In the early 1940s, the ornamental hedge along the street was still a local landmark. It was made of "ten-foot hedges of duranta bushes." The grounds were also known for their "great bamboos," "towering kauri and hoop pines," and a giant weeping fig tree.
In 1951, the property was sold to Archbishop James Duhig. He hoped the Presentation Sisters would use the site for training. The buildings were later sold and removed in 1952. The site remained empty until Our Lady of the Way Church and Primary School were built there in 1964. Many of the trees planted by the Petrie family are still there, mixed in with the school buildings.
What You Can See Today
The former Murrumba Homestead Grounds are now part of Our Lady of the Way Primary School. They are on a broad hill overlooking Anzac Avenue in Petrie.
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There are signs and plaques around the site that explain its history:
- One plaque marks where the Murrumba homestead stood.
- Another plaque is near where the stables were, remembering Murrumba's connection with Cobb & Co. as a place where coaches changed horses and travelers could stay.
- A third plaque is at the Hoop pine forest, which likely grew from trees planted by Tom Petrie.
The only remaining part of the original buildings is a section of old handmade brick paving. This was once the floor of the bakehouse. A very large weeping fig tree stands close to this spot, near the school entrance.
Many very old trees planted by Tom Petrie are still on the site. These include:
- Camphor laurel trees
- Kauri pines
- Bunya pines
- Hoop pines
Many of these trees, especially the Kauris along the southern edge and the Bunyas near the old entrance, are very noticeable landmarks.
The Dalaipi Forest, a group of Hoop pines, is thought to be newer growth and is not part of the heritage listing. Also, none of the school and church buildings built since the 1960s are part of the heritage listing.
Why Murrumba Homestead Grounds Are Important
The Murrumba Homestead Grounds were listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 16 February 2009 because they meet several important criteria.
Showing Queensland's History
The grounds of the former Murrumba Homestead, started in the 1860s, are important because they show a unique part of early settlement in Queensland. Tom Petrie's decision to settle Murrumba for grazing happened during a time of conflict between Aboriginal people and settlers. However, Tom Petrie had a rare friendly relationship with the North Pine clan. They suggested this place for his home because they considered him a friend since his childhood. This level of cooperation between European and Aboriginal peoples was unusual in early Queensland history. The old trees that are still there are important reminders of this cooperation.
Rare and Special Features
The former Murrumba Homestead Grounds still have some of the earliest private garden plantings in Queensland. The large number of old trees that have survived is very uncommon for homesteads from the 1800s in Queensland. These early plantings include a weeping fig, Hoop pines, Bunya pines, and Kauri pines.
Connection to Important People
The Murrumba Homestead Grounds are important because of their special connection to early Queensland settler Tom Petrie. He was part of the first free family to settle in Queensland. He was also a friend to the Turrbal people and a very important source of information about them. Tom Petrie was a pioneer of the north coast area, marking roads that connected Pine Rivers to Brisbane, Gympie, Redcliffe, and the North Coast.
Tom Petrie made his living mostly by cutting timber. He always had a strong interest in native trees. He planted many Hoop, Bunya, and Kauri pines at Murrumba. While the Petrie family lived there, the gardens at Murrumba Homestead were well-known throughout Southeast Queensland for their plants and birdlife. Many visitors came to see them, including Sir William MacGregor, who was the Governor of Queensland.
