Kunmallup House

Statement of Significance

The homestead is important for its connection with early European settlement of the area and for its association with pioneering families. The building is a fine example of the style, construction methods and use of building materials in this period.

Physical Description

There were originally two buildings constructed near the Kunmallup Well (30m to the west). The owner of Kunmallup in the 1920's E.B. Anderson joined together the two adjacent buildings. The connecting portion became the entrance/lounge and it appears that the straight pitch verandah on the west was added at this time.

The north end of Kunmallup consisted of two rooms with a fireplace in each room on the north and south ends. The stone walls were approximately l/3m thick with brick work around windows and doors. A doorway connected the rooms which are 5lA x 3m. The south end had a lower roof line (to coincide with the ground slope) with a chimney at the north end. This was a similar overall size to the other original building. At some stage a bathroom was added to the north portion (NE corner) and a stone wall was connected to the original building. In recent times the framework has been painted and several front verandah (western) posts have been replaced. Portion of the building (SE end) is now lived in while the remainder is used as a general storage area

History

The original pastoral lease of 5000 acres surrounding the well was taken up by William Noonan in
January 1873. This was extended (to the north) as lease A177 by Owen Hale the following year. The site around the well being surveyed as location 93 for Hale on 5 December 1883. Previously (in 1877) Micheal Quinn from 'Glenfield' Williams had taken over the lease. In the late 1800's it was transferred to William Knott. Hale around this time moved to the Old 131 mile Police Barracks where he established a tannery. Knott died and his widow and daughter continued to live on the small isolated holding. Later she re-married a kangaroo shooter named W. Macdonald.

In 1914 EC Leggoe closed his auctioneering and agency business in York and bought 'Kunmallup'.
Due to the isolation his wife and children lived in Woodanilling being joined on the weekends by leggoe. At this time the property was small, encompassing the Kunmallup and Kenine Hills - a small pocket of rich country with some 500 acres of light plain to the west. Leggoe wrote about renovating the homestead in 1917 when requesting schooling for his children at Dowlering. At this time Leggoe's wife and children were living in Woodanilling because of the condition of the dwelling and to be close to schooling for the children.

In 1918 Leggoe when sold his interest in Kunmallup to EB Anderson the property totalled 11,000 acres. Later Owners included AH Dickson, Schmidt, E Forbes, Roland Parker, Flanagan and Jackson ( Tom Flanagan sold his share to the Fowler Bros from Williams in 1950 and built the Beaufort River tearooms) and finally the present owner H Thompson. The Thomson family lived here for several years before building a new homestead some 150m to the NNW.

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Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.