Mudges Farm

Author

Shire of Kulin

Place Number

06952

Enlarge Map

Show Property Street View

There no heritage location found in the Google fusion table.

Location

behind Wheat Bin Holt Rock

Location Details

Other Name(s)

Francis property
Holt Rock Telephone exchange

Local Government

Kulin

Region

Wheatbelt

Construction Date

Constructed from 1937 to 1970

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
(no listings)

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	19 Mar 1997	Category 4	Category 4 Some heritage value, but not essential to an understanding of the district. Recommend that the place is not constrained by the Town Planning Scheme at this time. Re-assess the significance of the place when the Inventory is regularly reviewed. Assess in more detail when considering a development application. Record prior to redevelopment or demolition.

Statement of Significance

The place demonstrates associations with a pioneer family of the
district, and a way of life no longer practiced. It provided a communication linkage to the furtherest
east settlement in the Shire.

Physical Description

Original structure is a 4 room mud brick cottage, surrounded by a verandah, with a
pantry and bathroom at either end of the back verandah. Later another verandah was added to the
back, and a room added on the northwest corner. In the early 1960s a room was added to the front
and the south east corner of the verandah enclosed.

History

Holt Rock is immediately west of the rabbit proof fence in the
Lakes district. The 3500 scheme had developed and floundered in 1929, east of the fence, but
created interest in the Lakes district. In 1937, Mark Allan Francis established a home on his property
at Holt Rock. The mud bats were made on site, near the house from clay insitu. it took several
months to make the bricks. The house was considered the first "real" house in the Holt Rock district
because up until that time settlers had lived in "camps" -( timber and hessian dwellings.
In 1944 the phone exchange was connected to Holt Rock. The Francis men helped construct the
single line to Lake Varley. The men cut the salmon gum poles and dragged them into position, while
the PMG supplied the phone cable. Only one line went to Lake King from Lake Varley, and as well
as the Holt Rock exchange, it included the exchanges at Lake Camm, South Varley and Lake Varley.
In 1949 after the death of M Francis, his son Campbell took over until 1952 when his daughter and
her husband took over the property. Ruth Levis (nee Francis) and Mr Levis ran the farm until 1970
when they sold to Brian and Jill Mudge. The exchange was transferred to provide a public phone
box facility in Holt Rock at that time.
A married couple worker's cottage was built in 1964, behind the house, and after a year, Tom
Lashmar lived there and share-farmed the property for Levis.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: redeemable
Authenticity: low degree

Condition

Good

References

Ref ID No	Ref Name	Ref Source	Ref Date
	"From our humble beginnings Lake Varley-Holt Rock 1928-1978".	Lake Varley Progress Association	Undated
	WE Greble; "A Bold Yeomanry Social Change in a Wheatbelt District Kulin 1848-1970".	Shire of Kulin	1979

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Other Use	Transport\Communications	Comms: Telephone Building
Original Use	RESIDENTIAL	Single storey residence
Present Use	RESIDENTIAL	Single storey residence

Construction Materials

Type	General	Specific
Wall	BRICK	Handmade Brick

Historic Themes

General	Specific
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS	Telecommunications
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY	Settlements

Creation Date

22 May 1997

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

01 Jan 2017

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.