William Wyndham's gravesite facts for kids
Quick facts for kids William Wyndham's gravesite |
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William Wyndhams gravesite, 2004
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| Location | Boyne Island, Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Official name: William Wyndhams gravesite and remnant orchard trees, Carnym, Wyndhams Farm | |
| Type | state heritage (landscape, archaeological) |
| Designated | 23 June 2000 |
| Reference no. | 601811 |
| Significant period | 1880s -1890s (fabric) |
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William Wyndham's gravesite is a special heritage-listed grave located on Boyne Island in Queensland, Australia. It is also known as Carnym or Wyndhams Farm. This site was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on June 23, 2000, because of its historical importance.
Contents
A Look Back: The History of Boyne Island
Boyne Island is well-known because of William Trevelyan Wyndham. However, another person named Charles Hedley first claimed land there. Charles Hedley was a naturalist from England. In 1882, he and J.R.B. Dawson took up land on Boyne Island. Hedley tried growing fruit there after trying oyster farming.
In 1888, Charles Hedley had an accident that hurt his arm. He then moved to Brisbane and worked at the Queensland Museum. He became a natural history expert, studying Australian animals. Hedley wrote about many topics, including plants, people's cultures, and shells. He even became the Scientific Director of the Great Barrier Reef Committee.
William Wyndham's Life and Farm
In 1888, William Trevelyan Wyndham bought Hedley's 240-acre property. It was in the southeast part of Boyne Island, near the Boyne River mouth. Wyndham had moved to Australia in 1849. He first lived in New South Wales. He was very interested in Indigenous culture. He even lived with Aboriginal tribes for seven years.
After his farm failed and his marriage ended, he moved to the Fitzroy River area in Queensland in 1875. He made a living by fishing and hunting. He also spent time with a tribe on Keppel Island. Wyndham worked hard to create a large orchard on his Boyne Island property. He called it "Carnym," which is said to be an Aboriginal name meaning "sand."
The Carnym Orchard: Plants from Around the World
Wyndham's orchard was very special. He grew pineapples, orange trees, and bananas. He even imported rare plants and seeds from Kew Gardens in England. Later, Wyndham sent plants grown on Boyne Island, like lilies, back to Kew. The seeds for his mango trees came from India by boat. Charles Hedley had given them to Wyndham. It's not clear if Hedley or Wyndham planted the tamarind trees.
The part of the property facing the river was called Plum Tree. This was probably because of the native Burdekin plums that grew nearby.
Wyndham's Contributions and Legacy
Being a fisherman, Carnym was a perfect spot for Wyndham. He earned extra money by delivering his farm's produce to Gladstone by boat. In 1889, he wrote a paper called "The Aborigines of Australia." He presented it to the Royal Society of New South Wales in Sydney.
Wyndham's paper mainly focused on the Aboriginal people of northern New South Wales. He had lived with them for seven years. He explained their traditions and customs. He also believed that different Aboriginal languages came from one original language. The Smithsonian Society of America even wrote to him about his ideas. They wondered if Australian Aboriginal languages were related to Tamil.
Wyndham's Unique Burial Site
William Wyndham passed away on July 8, 1898. He was first buried in his orchard at Carnym. Later, his daughter Bessie moved his remains to a hill on the western side of the property. Wyndham had prepared for this himself. He had brought a huge granite block, weighing about 1.5 tonnes, from Magnetic Island. He carried it by boat and dropped it at the mouth of the Boyne River at high tide. A bullock team then dragged it to the highest point on the island. This became his headstone.
Wyndham's family stayed on Boyne Island for three generations. Later family members continued to grow pineapples there. Bessie lived at Carnym until 1941. In 1972, a company called Comalco bought the farm. They built an aluminum smelter there, which started making products ten years later. The area where Wyndham's grave is located is now owned by Comalco. It acts as a buffer zone between the smelter and the nearby homes.
The area where Wyndham's house once stood was sold and divided into smaller lots in the mid-1970s. His simple wooden house was taken down in the early 1980s. Today, a park in the area is named after him. Tamarind and mango trees from his original orchard still grow in the park and the surrounding neighborhood.
What to See: Description of the Site
The heritage listing for this site points out two main areas: the gravesite and the orchard.
The Gravesite
William Trevelyan Wyndham's gravesite is in a small, clear area. It is surrounded by native plants at the highest point of Boyne Island. It faces east (23°56′03″S 151°20′48″E / 23.9341°S 151.3468°E). The headstone is made of rough granite. There are also local stones placed in a rectangle in front of the grave. The stone reads: "William Trevelyan Wyndham Born 3 April 1830 Died 8 July 1898."
The Remnant Orchard Trees
Nine mango (Mangifera indica) and two tamarind trees (Tamarind indicus) from Wyndham's first orchard are still found around the suburb. Two tamarind trees are in the corner of Wyndham Park. They are near the southern edge of the park on Olunda Street (23°56′13″S 151°21′13″E / 23.9369°S 151.3535°E).
Why It's Important: Heritage Listing
William Wyndham's gravesite and the remaining orchard trees were added to the Queensland Heritage Register on June 23, 2000. This means they are important for several reasons:
- It shows how Queensland's history developed.
The remaining trees show a rare example of a 19th-century orchard and garden. It was used for hobbies, scientific study, and selling produce.
- The tamarind trees can provide important scientific information.
These trees can help us learn more about plants and genetics. We can compare them to similar trees in other countries.
- The gravesite and park are beautiful and important to the community.
Wyndham's grave is on the highest point of Boyne Island. It's in a small clearing surrounded by native plants, which makes it very peaceful. The two old tamarind trees in Wyndham Park add to its beauty.
Wyndham Park is also important to the community. People use it for social gatherings and fun activities. The park has a play structure that looks like Wyndham's old house. This, along with the old tamarind trees and the park's name, connects it to the site's past.
- It has a special link to important pioneers.
Boyne Island is strongly connected to the work of William Trevelyan Wyndham and Charles Hedley. They were key pioneers in developing Central Queensland and the Calliope area. William Trevelyan Wyndham's gravesite and the tamarind trees are physical reminders of his work and interests. This includes his studies of Aboriginal languages and customs in New South Wales and Central Queensland. The site is also important because of its previous owner, the naturalist Charles Hedley.
Images for kids
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Remaining orchard trees
