So excited to finally be sharing all the gorgeous pictures from a Sunday morning spent traveling back in time for devonshire tea in the sunshine at Wolston Farmhouse, marveling at the heritage charms of a bygone era while wandering around Brisbane's oldest residential homestead, now a museum & pastoral event space run by the National Trust of Queensland.
Built in 1852, Wolston Farmhouse comprises of the homestead & garden from the Wolston Estate, a large parcel of land originally owned by Dr Stephen Simpson, a medical practitioner, Justice of the Peace, Police Magistrate & Commissioner for Crown Lands for the Moreton Bay district when the area was first opened to free settlers following the closure of the penal colony. After the death of this wife & child, Simpson named his nephew John Ommaney as his heir-apparent but tragedy struck when the young man, aged only twenty, was thrown from his horse while riding from Wolston Station, succumbing to his injuries despite medical attention. After so much sadness, Simpson's commitment to remain in the colony wavered & he put the property up for sale before returning to England.
Wolston Estate, then well-established as two thousand acres of fenced land with extensive gardens, orchards, 250 head of horses & 400 head of cattle, was purchased by Matthew Goggs & his second wife, Annie in the 1860s & continued to operate as a cattle & horse breeding station, albeit with some refurbishments & extensions to living quarters in order to accomodate the arrival of ten children. After living at Wolston Farmhouse for over twenty years, Goggs died in 1882 & was buried in a mausoleum on the property... subsequently damaged in the 1893 floods, meaning that his body & those of two infant children were hence re-interred at Toowong Cemetery. Following his death, his eldest son Matthew Buscall Goggs ran the estate until 1890 when he moved to Brisbane & the estate was then "leased" by subsequent parties, including a Mr Thomas Matthews in 1891.
In 1907, the Grindle family purchased the now-dwindling property, running a successful dairy that provided much of Brisbane & the surrounding areas with milk. By 1956 when the Wolston Estate was purchased by Robert Hurley, it had become run-down, the house inhabited by three elderly Grindle brothers. The Hurley family utilised the remaining 117 acres & re-established the once-thriving dairy business.
Late in 1960, the Queensland Department of Agriculture resumed the property to established a tick research centre, demolishing many outbuildings & intending to demolish the farmhouse itself, which was saved following a passionate & intensive campaign by the Queensland Women's Historical Association, the Royal Historical Society of Queensland & the newly formed National Trust of Queensland. In 1965, the house was transferred to the care of the National Trust & became their first property. Since then, it has undergone extensive repairs, turning it into a museum open to the public offering guided tours on Sundays, an immersive educational experience for a variety of school & community groups during the week by appointment & a pastoral venue for weddings, Christenings, birthday parties & the like...
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Dress: Meg by Design via Bristle linen
Wedges: Naot via Adavera Footwear patent leather, suede
Bag: Pigeonhole leather
Bracelet: Tibetan silver (from Maleny)
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For the occasion, casual & comfortable with a touch of bygone whimsy was the order of the day - a beautiful monochrome gingham linen smock dress from Meg by Design, found at the sublime Bristle by Melissa Simmonds in Paddington, sturdy black patent leather & suede Mary Jane wedges from Naot via Adavera Footwear (also in Paddington) with a matching black leather shoulder bag from the always funky Pigeonhole & finally, a chunky Tibetan silver bracelet from a little boutique in Maleny for that touch of daytime shine.
Fancy a visit?
223 Grindle Road, Wacol QLD 4076
