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reduced from 12,000 to 2,000. In 1899 the business partnership was rearranged, with David, William and Thomas carrying on the firm as Archer
Brothers. In 1907 the firm became a limited liability company, with Robert as Chairman of Directors and having full power to carry on its business. Seven years later, in a scheme devised by Robert, the almost debt free leases to Torsdale, a property held in partnership between himself and his brother, were amalgamated with the holdings of Archer Brothers Ltd. This exercise involved much personal sacrifice by Robert and his brother, James, to save the family firm. Robert Stubbs Archer died in 1926. Apart from having managed Gracemere for over 40 years, he served as President of the Rockhampton Agricultural Society for thirty years, Chairman of the Rockhampton Harbour Board, and as the local Director of the
586:. The key pieces of carving in the house decorated the sitting room. Prior to the 1890s, Daisy was responsible for carving the fireplace surrounds, the fire screen, the carved panels of the bookshelves, a spinning chair and behind this, a carved pelmet. Her husband Robert suggested that the chimneypiece be panelled and embellished, and this work was probably carried out before 1905. King-Church was responsible for the roundel at the top of the chimney, which carried the date AD 1858 and was surrounded by the motto 'East West hame's best'. Underneath it he also completed an opposing pair of griffins. Below this was Joan's first carving, matched bird panels. Daisy's carving for the bookshelves shows the inspiration she drew from Nordic folk carvings. While her cousin and fiancé Alister Archer (James Archer's son) served overseas during the
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469:, which was originally used as the Larvik Customs House. It was surrounded on three sides by the sea and the brothers' father landscaped its gardens down to the water's edge. Gracemere's garden design comprised two sections: formal surrounds to the house made of raised planting beds retained behind stone walls and containing small scale shrubbery; and beyond this, larger trees scattered informally down to the lagoon shore. A series of gravelled or stone-edged pathways led visitors to various destination points around the lagoon. The stone walls surrounding the front circular lawn and raised garden beds were constructed by miners made destitute by the failure of the
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503:. Gracemere lost one square mile of riverside land to the new municipality and its town side boundary was relocated only a couple of kilometres from the homestead. In 1856 the Crown Lands Commissioner for Leichhardt had consulted Charles Archer regarding a suitable site for the township. The place on the Fitzroy River where vessels were unloading goods for Gracemere was selected, at a point where a sandy bay crossed the river. There was a suggestion that the new town be named Charleston in honour of its founder, but he modestly declined this honour and Rockhampton, meaning "town near the rocks in the river" was chosen.
827:. The verandah deck is clad in wide timber boards and the exterior walls are clad with weatherboards. A window on the short eastern facade is sheltered by a curved hood clad in corrugated iron and supported on a largely solid bracket. Two casement windows open onto the verandah and have two lights in each leaf. A single leaf door opens off this verandah. A fenceline composed of timber picket parts, the trunk of a mature tree and a section of posts and rails, runs between the north-east corner of the house and a point approximately two-thirds the way along the length of the cottage.
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of all windows and doors to create top and bottom wall plates. In the upper section were placed a series of ventilation openings. The availability of lengths of trees suitable for splitting slabs influenced this decision. Sections of the outer iron bark slab walls were arranged to ensure that joining studs in the wall would meet tie beams in the ceiling. This junction is noticeable along the top plate. Also, the verandah windows featured shelf-like sills that positioned earthenware flasks of cool water "known as water monkeys" to catch the slightest breeze.
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on the sloping peninsula identified by
Charles in 1853. In plan the house was a simple rectangle, the long sides of which faced east and west. It contained two large rooms, one designated as a sitting room with fireplace. The walls of this structure were clad in vertical ironbark slabs and the roof with timber shingles. Experienced with the regional sub-tropical climate, Colin ensured that the rooms of his house were shaded on two sides by verandahs. The west-facing verandah was shaded further by a timber pergola, which quickly became overgrown with
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773:. Outside this area the planting scheme is more informal. On the west, beyond the relevant line of garden beds by approximately three metres, are located two bougainvillea covered arbours constructed from cut saplings and linking the formal area to the natural one by the water's edge. About three metres north of the north-western corner of the raised beds lies a slate grave marker inscribed with the name George Elliot and the date 1856. On the opposite corner of the garden bed arrangement, a stone-edged path leads to the boat shed and jetty.
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Joan Archer's single chair for her husband, Alister, also still exists. Its four faces are solid. The side panels curve up toward the backrest and are topped with carved nodes. The seat and backrest are padded with leather. There is also a three-seater, pew-like chair positioned under the window opening onto the east-facing courtyard. Its four faces are solid carved timber. The backrest, seat and front panel are divided into three segments. A crest appears to occupy the central panel on the backrest.
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timber posts, in between which have been inserted some sections of vertical adzed timber slabs and some of corrugated iron. Its northern elevation is entirely open, with only the timber posts visible, while the short sides facing east and west are partly filled. The elevation facing south is entirely filled with timber slab and corrugated iron panels. The whole structure is leaning heavily. A Banyan Tree (Ficus bengalensis) stands adjacent to the south-eastern of this structure.
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colonial
Queensland. The change from sheep to cattle is reflected at Gracemere Homestead in adjustments to its layout, depicting the economic evolution of the region. Its Hereford stud, one of the first in Queensland, played an important role in promoting the breed in many parts of the state. Responses to drought, flood and pests, as well as to changes in relevant markets and industries, are also reflected in the fabric of the place.
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elements and the spatial relationship between them demonstrates the nature of early station life in
Central Queensland. The materials of the house reflect the technology and skill involved in the various forms of construction used. Also the design, particularly of the slab-clad section, shows a consideration of passive cooling mechanisms or strategies in response to the sub-tropical climate, which continues to be practiced today.
709:). The framing for the walls of the west-facing wing is exposed on the exterior, with a long tie beam separating the upper and lower wall sections and creating a strong vertical datum. This plate acts as the head for all windows and doors opening onto the verandahs. A number of the upper ventilation openings remain and appear to be made of cross-braced timber boards. The wall framing on the south-facing wing is also exposed.
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incorporated this smaller, east-facing verandah. On the northern end of this wing a comparatively narrow verandah separates the main bedroom from a screened room on the north-west corner and a further room between it and a corrugated iron water tank on the north-east corner. Both these rooms have individual gabled roofs of corrugated iron, the ridges of which run perpendicular to the length of this wing.
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Archer were amalgamated, becoming Archer & Co. A shingle-roofed structure, known as
Bachelor's Hall, was built to house the brothers. Also, a visitor to the station, George Elliot, died of natural causes and was buried in what was to become the garden. He and his brother, "Hobby" Elliot, a notable pastoralist in the district, were friends of the Archers. Charles returned to Norway at the end of 1856.
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corrugated iron. Verandahs extend along the north and south facing elevations of the building, the roofs of which are broken-backed extensions of the main roof. These have floors lined with timber boards. The local ground slopes gently to the north-east. A timber and chainwire fence runs between the eastern end of the house and a point approximately halfway along this building's southern face.
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by the family since 1855. They were initially successful. However, Crown Law
Officers provided a late opinion that the consolidation was illegal and the Government proclamation advertising it was cancelled. The issue was not resolved until 1875 when William Archer petitioned the Queensland parliament to obtain pre-emptive rights over certain leased portions of Gracemere on which approximately
853:, and parts of the fireplace extension are clad in painted weatherboards. The roofs at the verandah edges are supported on undecorated timber posts. Three board doors open onto the south-facing verandah of this building. A mature tree marks the entrance joined to the house by a concrete path. The store also has a door on this facade. Two six light fixed windows also feature on this facade.
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supervised by Colin Archer who went on to have an internationally renowned career as a naval architect, wood carved internal fittings and furnishings, which contribute significantly to the atmosphere and history of the house, were completed by Daisy and Joan Archer. The garden conceived of and executed by
Charles and William respectively has been tended by successive Archer generations.
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622:. It is situated on a peninsula jutting into Gracemere Lagoon, which occupies old watercourse country that takes the overflow of nearby Scrubby Creek, and whose eastern bank forms the western boundary to the Gracemere allotment. Generally, the land slopes from the north to the south of the property and is overlooked to the east by the peaks of the
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no offers were received the properties were offered separately. After
Torsdale was finally sold in 1949, the directors agreed that the Gracemere head station block be sold to Joan and Alister Archer. Their son Cedric and his wife and child returned to assist the couple maintain the property. Daisy Archer also returned and worked on the garden.
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the 1870s, James, the youngest of the original Archer brothers, had managed
Gracemere before taking on the management of Minnie Downs in 1880. When he returned to Europe in 1883, Robert Stubbs Archer was considered competent to manage Gracemere alone. He married Alice Manon (Daisy) Marwedel in 1889 and they began a family at the homestead.
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that is attached to large timber posts at the water's edge. The roof slopes away from the water. The wall facing back to the garden is clad in unpainted weatherboards, while the opposite one is open to the view. The short elevations facing west and east are made with cross-braced timber battens. The floor is lined with timber boards.
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Two short flights of timber stairs provide access to the south-facing verandah. The gable roof is supported at the verandah edge by undecorated timber posts. There are two corrugated iron water tanks adjacent to the western facade. At least two casement windows open onto the southern verandah. They have two lights in each leaf.
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The roadway leading between the entrance to the allotment off the
Capricorn Highway on the eastern side of the property and the homestead's buildings and garden on the western side is lined by a series of mature Tamarind Trees. They appear to be planted approximately seven metres apart for the entire
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This structure is set between the office and the carpenter and blacksmith's shop described above, approximately five to seven metres back from the line they make on the roadway. It has a corrugated iron roof and its wall and roof framing are made of rough-hewn timber posts. Its south-facing elevation
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Robert's son-in-law and nephew, Alister Archer, took over management of Gracemere following Robert's death. In 1947, at a Board meeting of Archer Brothers Ltd, it was agreed that all properties would be sold. Originally Gracemere was to be sold with Torsdale, including the homestead lot, however when
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While members of the second generation of Archers had started to arrive in Australia and take jobs on the Archer company's properties as early as the mid-1850s, it was not until David Archer's son, Robert Stubbs Archer, commenced management of Gracemere that a real handover of control started. During
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and described the garden twenty years after it was established. He catalogued the varieties of shrubs and trees growing there, including orange trees, pineapple and mango, the Madagascar Delonix (poinciana), the Brazilian Jacaranda, several sorts of Australian conifer, and a beautiful specimen of the
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A further wing was added prior to the 1874 arrival of Thomas and Grace Archer and their large family, and after 1861 when Sandy (Alexander) Archer lived for a year at Gracemere and sketched the original house. The new wing created an L-shaped plan that extended toward the east. It contained two large
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In 1858 Colin Archer designed and constructed the surviving slab house at Gracemere homestead. All the timber for wall framing and roof cladding was felled on the property. According to Colin's journal the house took from May to July to complete. It was sited to the immediate east of Bachelor's Hall,
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This building is sited approximately five metres directly east of the detached kitchen, along the entrance roadway. It is rectangular in plan, with its length running east to west. This structure is similar in form and materials to the main part of the kitchen, with verandahs facing south and north.
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In 1866 and 1867 Queensland experienced a severe economic recession. Gracemere's prospects as a pastoral station were never to match its earlier successes. At the end of this decade the Archers made a change from sheep to cattle on Gracemere. It was determined that sheep did not grow high-grade wool
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During 1861 and 1862 the Archers were able to pre-emptively purchase the land on which the homestead was sited. Archer & Co. sought to have its twelve runs in the Port Curtis District, including what was still known officially as Farris, consolidated under the name Gracemere, which had been used
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When first exploring the area it was Charles who imagined a house on the Gracemere peninsula and conceived of its general relationship to the lagoon being mediated by a garden, however, it was William Archer who laid out the homestead's extensive garden after 1858. Its design partially emulates that
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took up a total of twelve runs in the Port Curtis district, including Charles Archer's Farris run. Being in what was classified as a "settled" district, Port Curtis runs were subject to possible resumption, which prompted the Archers to seek land further inland in the "unsettled" districts. In 1854,
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office/s, yards - livestock, mill - wind, decorative features, boat shed, wall/s - retaining, shed/s, tree groups - avenue of, jetty/pier, residential accommodation - guest house/s, furniture/fittings, shop - blacksmith's, residential accommodation - main house, out building/s, store/s / storeroom /
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Stables and Attached Cattle Yards The stables and the cattle yards attached to them are located approximately thirty to fifty metres further east along the entrance roadway. The stable building is sited in the south-eastern corner of the square shaped yards. It is rectangular in plan, with the long
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This small structure is located at the end of a pathway leading from the south-western corner of the raised garden bed enclosure to the edge of the lagoon. A rectangle approximately two by five metres in plan, the structure has a skillion roof clad in corrugated iron and supported on timber framing
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This simple cottage is located approximately twelve to fifteen metres from the northern end of the house. A narrow concrete path leads between it and the grassed courtyard of the house. The cottage is rectangular in plan and has a gable roof clad in corrugated iron. Timber stumps support the timber
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The garden extends to the south and west of the house down to the edge of the lagoon, containing both formal and informal sections. The focal point is a raised circular lawn approximately five metres in diameter and adjacent to the western wing. On the three remaining sides, it is flanked by raised
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The walls and ceiling of the generously proportioned sitting room are lined with wide timber boards that have a dark appearance. The floorboards are not stained. A line of Archer family portraits remains along the long east-facing wall of the sitting room, resting above the picture rail. These have
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The windows on each elevation overlooking the lagoon are casements with three lights in each leaf. A number of the west-facing windows have timber louvered shutters. A number of the doors opening out of the later wing extending east are french, and have low-waists and three lights in each leaf. All
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adjoining Rockhampton, holding it until 1886. In 1888 he was elected again as Member for Rockhampton and retained this seat until 1896 when he resigned in order to return to the family home in Norway. He was also heavily involved in the separation movement, which sought to have northern and central
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10,000 worth of improvements had been made, resulting in the "Gracemere Pre-emptive Bill" being passed. Leases on the relevant runs were granted from 1862 and the company continued to pay rent until, after they voluntarily surrendered what remained of it, the leased portions of the run were resumed
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Colin Archer began his return journey to Norway in September 1861. Just before he arrived Charles died, requiring Colin to stay permanently in Norway to assist his mother. He eventually married a Norwegian woman and started his own business as a naval architect and boat builder, becoming famous for
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Other buildings constructed around 1858 include: servant's quarters, office and bookkeeper's quarters, carpenter and blacksmith's shop, stables and cattle yards. Opposite these, on the southern side of the entrance roadway, were sited a number of worker's cottages and a woolshed. This collection of
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The composition of the outer walls of the house reveals the degree to which the designer strived to incorporate passive cooling mechanisms and his ability to creatively utilise available materials. The walls were four metres in height. Colin employed a continuous wall plate or tie beam at the heads
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Gracemere Homestead has a particular association with the Archer family, which played a key role in the development of the pastoral industry in Central Queensland. They were also keenly involved in public and community affairs. In addition to the design and construction of the original house being
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The station buildings, in particular the house and its garden, occupy a picturesque setting on a promontory on the eastern shore of a large perennial lagoon. The beauty and interest of the site has been enhanced over 150 years of working life and is of immense aesthetic significance. The house and
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This structure is sited approximately seven to ten metres further east from the office and bookkeeper's quarters described above. Rectangular in plan, it has a hipped roof clad in corrugated iron, the ridge of which runs from east to west. Its wall and roof framing members are made from rough hewn
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is located in the centre of the west-facing wall. The panels have semicircular ends and are carved with stylized foliage. A number of pieces of freestanding furniture also remain. They include a spinning chair, which has four turned and splayed legs and a narrow backrest fitted into a simple seat.
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The founding (early 1850s) and evolution of Gracemere Homestead is important in demonstrating the economic, political and social development of Central Queensland. The pioneering efforts of its first owners, David, Charles and William Archer, illustrate the pattern of non-indigenous settlement in
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On the interior, the hewn timber frame and the shingles that originally clad the roof are visible. The floors are lined with unfinished timber boards. The building is divided into a number of small rooms. A number of single skin interior walls appear to be clad in chamfer boards. There are also a
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A narrow kitchen is adjacent to the sitting room in the south-facing wing. Beyond this are a dining room and a further bedroom. These rooms also open onto a long, deep verandah looking south, as well as onto a smaller verandah on the opposite facade. The verandah on the east face of this wing has
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Daisy Archer, and later her daughter Joan born in 1890, were largely responsible for the woodcarvings that decorate the interior of the main house at Gracemere Homestead. Daisy's interest in woodcarving had been inspired chiefly by the station bookkeeper, Henry James King-Church. He also fostered
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Throughout the term of his station management, Robert Stubbs Archer maintained Gracemere as a viable business despite facing a severe drought in 1885, floods in 1890, the arrival of the cattle tick in Queensland in 1896, and the great drought of 1898–1903, during which the Archer cattle herd was
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Upon arrival at Gracemere, Charles Archer began the task of equipping the station with the necessary buildings and structures such as stockyards, a shearing shed and huts for the workers. In 1856 Colin moved from Coonambula to Gracemere, and the firms David Archer & Co and Charles and Thomas
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The detached kitchen and store building is located approximately five metres from the north-east corner of the house. Its length runs parallel to the south-facing wing of the house. It is essentially rectangular in plan, founded on very short timber stumps and sheltered by a gabled roof clad in
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In August 1855 Charles stocked Farris run with sheep, and set about establishing it as the Archers' head station in the Port Curtis district. Around this time the brothers decided that Farris lake and run would be renamed Gracemere after Thomas Archer's wife Grace. Thomas, another of the Archer
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The complex of buildings at Gracemere Homestead survives highly intact and is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of an early pastoral homestead with its house and extensive sub-tropical garden, detached kitchen, offices and shops, and other sheds and yards. The variety of
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In plan, a long sitting room extends from the south-western corner of the house toward the north. The main bedroom caps this wing. Both rooms open onto a long, deep verandah, which overlooks the lagoon to the west, and onto a smaller verandah on the eastern facade. The width of the bedroom has
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The homestead block remains in the Archer family. On a nearby rise, accessed via a nearly one kilometre long entrance avenue, is the station cemetery. Once on the homestead allotment, the Crown resumed the land in 1965. The first Archer to be buried there was Robert Stubbs, all previous family
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It is unclear precisely when the Bachelor's Hall was removed and a screened room inserted on the north-western corner of the house. The Hall is visible in a 1908 photograph, but another taken in 1930 reveals that it had been removed by then. Also, the narrow verandah originally built onto the
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Due to the age and intactness of the place, in particular the house clad in iron bark slabs and pit-sawn timbers and the mature trees of the garden, Gracemere Homestead has the potential to yield information through historical and archaeological research that will contribute to an improved
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Beyond the south-facing line of garden beds is a lawn area edged by azalea shrubbery. An overgrown metal windmill, about eight metres in height, stands approximately ten metres to the south of the south-west corner of verandah. At the eastern end of this line of beds is located a rough
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members returning to Europe before their deaths. Daisy Archer was buried there in 1952 and Alister Archer in 1965. Other people involved with the station were also interred there, such as Henry King-Church and Edward Kelly, the station's overseer during the mid to late 19th century.
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rooms, for dining and sleeping, and one small room. The design of this addition harmonized with that of the existing wing: it was one room deep, had four-metre high outer walls, a matching roof pitch, and verandahs placed on all sides. The walls were clad in pit-sawn Burdekin Plum (
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The complex of buildings and landscape that comprise Gracemere Homestead includes: a house and extensive garden, a boat house and jetty, a guest cottage, a detached kitchen and store, an office and bookkeeper's quarters, a carpenter and blacksmith's shop, a vehicle/machinery
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floor framing. A verandah approximately one and a half metres wide faces back toward the house and is accessed via a short flight of timber stairs. The cottage roof is supported at the outer verandah edge on simple timber posts. A timber top rail rests on a centred timber
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The walls in the dining room are lined with wide vertical boards that are painted white. The ceiling joists are exposed and have a dark appearance that contrasts with the white boards behind. The internal walls of the two bedrooms are similarly framed and finished.
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A further structure is located approximately ten metres to the north of the kitchen building described above. It has a gabled roof clad in corrugated iron. In terms of form and materials it appears to be very similar to the Office and Bookkeeper's Quarters.
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also made from cut saplings over which bougainvillea has been trained. There is a similar structure adjacent to the south-east corner of the entry to the south-facing verandah. A timber pergola runs along the length of the west-facing verandah. It supports
325:. Each of the nine sons eventually came to Australia, remaining for varying periods of time before returning to Europe. The first son significant to the story of Gracemere Homestead was David Archer, who arrived in 1834 to work on an uncle's property in
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east-facing end of the later wing had been enclosed by 1907. A guest cottage built equidistant between the servants' quarters and kitchen must have been constructed at some time following the demolition of Bachelor's Hall in the early 20th century.
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The remains of a brick fireplace and oven project out of the western facade and are separately sheltered under a skillion roof clad in corrugated iron. The store at the eastern end of the building forms a similar appendage. The exterior walls and
705:. The main exterior walls of the house that adjoin the verandahs are four metres in height. On the west-facing wing they are made of vertical adzed ironbark slabs, while on the south-facing wing they are made of pit-sawn Burdekin Plum (
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garden beds retained behind dry-stone granite walls. These beds continue in front of the southern wing. Graveled pathways separate the raised beds and the central lawn. In its centre sits an upright length of petrified wood holding a
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The garden supports as many as sixteen different varieties of bougainvillea, including: Mrs Butt (scarlet), Alton Downs (pinkish red), Louise Waltham (apricot pink) and Thomasii (deep pink). Other dominant species include frangipani
716:. The walls of the screened enclosure and other semi-detached room on the north face of the building are similarly clad. The sill height for the timber-framed screens is low, set at approximately half a metre off the verandah floor.
594:. She also completed a dining room dresser. Joan continued the Nordic associations but tackled illustrative themes from folk tales and legends and included figures rather than only flowers, scrolls and other Neo-Renaissance motifs.
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Timber stumps support the floor framing above the ground sloping gently from the north-eastern courtyard to the south-west. The timber for the floors is imported New Zealand pine, which is known to be resistant to
529:. A photograph of the Fram was hanging in Gracemere's dining room in 1913. Colin also achieved fame for his designs for pilot boats and rescue cutters or lifeboats, his work revolutionising boating safety.
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and built in 1858. An additional wing was constructed sometime between 1862 and 1874. Charles and William Archer were the first Europeans to enter the area where the homestead and the city of
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The original wing of Gracemere Homestead, occupied since its construction in 1858, remains highly intact, which is rare for a structure of timber slab construction of this era in Queensland.
449:). It is not clear whether Colin Archer was involved with the design of this extension, as he returned to Norway in 1861, but a number of his key design features were carried through.
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While on these trips, Charles made semi-professional maps, which were used to construct the first official map ever published of the central coast hinterland in January 1854, when the
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those opening out of the original west-facing wing are single leaf doors with low waists and four panels. Skillion hoods clad in corrugated iron and supported on simply carved timber
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Eager to find land more suited to sheep and wool production, as were many southern pastoralists, Charles and William explored the central coast hinterland in 1853 in the wake of
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shelter the window and door opening east out of the bedroom in this wing. The sole window that opens onto this east-facing courtyard consists of a single leaf with six lights.
748:. The edges of the chimneypiece form a triangle topped by a roundel of carving. Above the mantel is a wide strip of carving divided into two panels with a narrow shelf above.
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in 1848. Sometime between 1843 and 1852 the eldest Archer son, Charles, arrived from Norway. In 1852 David returned to Norway and was replaced by Colin, the eighth brother.
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sides running parallel to the roadway. The roof is clad in corrugated iron. The yards are approximately twenty-five metres square. A number of trees line the yard fences.
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occupies a spot approximately ten metres to the south-east of that corner of the house. Further east from this by about another ten metres is a stand of Tamarind trees.
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Other examples of the woodcarving efforts of Daisy and Joan Archer remain in the sitting room. A bookcase with carved panels separating curtains drawn across two books
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Joan's initial interest in the craft. Unlike her mother, whose work was completed for private enjoyment, Joan exhibited her work and received prizes in Rockhampton and
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pastoral property established during the 1850s. These structures are complemented by an extensive sub-tropical garden and other significant landscape elements. The
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The verandah roofs are supported on undecorated, stop-chamfered timber posts. The exterior wall and gable on the short eastern face of the house are clad in
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in Norway. Charles identified his ideal site for a house on a peninsula midway along its eastern shore. The brothers then explored further east along the
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in coastal country, but more significantly local meat processing facilities had developed. The family company had established one of Queensland's first
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brothers, had made his way to Australia in 1853 and he and his wife had resided at Eidsvold Station in the Burnett until returning to Europe in 1855.
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garden display this quality in particular because of the high degree of design and workmanship with which they were conceived and constructed.
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The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.
329:. Two of his brothers, Thomas and William, followed in 1837. The young men formed a partnership to establish Durundur, a sheep station on the
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Gracemere Homestead comprises a number of single storey, timber and corrugated iron structures, including a large house, characteristic of a
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375:. Three days later they descended into the valley and discovered what Charles described as a "magnificent sheet of water". It was named
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is largely open, with only the framing members visible. Its eastern face is clad, probably in weatherboards, and features a window.
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Queensland made a separate colony. During all his years in the Queensland parliament he resided principally at Gracemere homestead.
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and gate provides access to the south-facing verandah. There are corrugated iron water tanks positioned on each side of this wing.
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been a feature of the room since at least the 1930s and include a portrait of Julia Archer sent from Norway before the start of
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On 4 May 1853 the Archer party reached the top of the northern escarpment of the Dee Range and observed the confluence of the
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Gracemere Homestead is located approximately 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south-west of the Rockhampton city centre along the
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storehouse, chimney/chimney stack, kitchen/kitchen house, garden - rock / rockery, garden - ornamental/flower, tank - water
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and their family company have owned Gracemere Homestead for almost 150 years. The first wing of the house was designed by
732:. The room features an open fireplace on its short, south facing wall. It is decorated with the carved timber surrounds,
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549:. In 1865 he and William became committee members of the Queensland Land League. In June 1867 Archie was elected to the
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completed by Daisy and Joan Archer, and Henry James King-Church. The surrounds and chimneypiece consist of stylized
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of the single-storey house designed by Colin Archer in 1858 and extended before 1874. It is L-shaped in plan with a
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The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places.
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The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Queensland's history.
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to establish the Gracemere garden, to which many Central Queensland trees and shrubs can trace their origins.
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been enclosed. A small room occupies the north-eastern corner of the north-facing verandah. A set of timber
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region. Seeking further pastoral land they explored north along the river systems, selecting Emu Creek,
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557:. In parliament he promoted land legislation reform and played a pivotal role in the drafting of the
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The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage.
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pierces the main roof in its south-west corner and fills part of the southern verandah wall.
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It was during this period that a further Archer son and brother made Queensland his home.
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The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.
545:(Archie) settled at Gracemere in 1860 after trying various entrepreneurial activities in
638:, stables and attached cattle yards, and a one kilometre long avenue of Tamarind trees.
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Visitors approach the homestead from the east, along the avenue of Tamarind trees (
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on the eastern facade. The main roof extends in a broken-backed manner over the
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building many kinds of seaworthy vessels. Most renowned was the polar ship, the
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681:. Timber shingles are visible beneath the iron cladding. An unrendered brick
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on 8 October 2014). The geo-coordinates were originally computed from the
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The Archers were of Scottish extraction but in 1825 the family moved to
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and Leichhardt pastoral districts open for settlement. In 1854 the
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278:, Australia. It was built from 1858 to 1890s. It was added to the
561:. After returning from Europe in 1870, Archie was elected to the
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in 1840–41. They were amongst the earliest pastoralists in the
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The place is important because of its aesthetic significance.
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on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria.
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on either side of the hearth supporting a simple, narrow
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buildings supported a bustling community. A Banyan Tree (
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Archer family having tea on the lawn at Gracemere, 1872
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810:) native to the Fitzroy region. A large stand of
148:state heritage (built, landscape, archaeological)
1136:This Knowledge article was originally based on
484:lived for almost a year at Gracemere homestead
360:exploration of the area between 1844 and 1846.
1217:Buildings and structures in Central Queensland
857:number of board doors opening between rooms.
499:In October 1858 Rockhampton was proclaimed a
217:Location of Gracemere Homestead in Queensland
8:
411:after Leichhardt's aborted effort in 1847.
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209:
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1157:"Queensland heritage register boundaries"
513:, which brought the Norwegian explorers
1168:licence (accessed on 5 September 2014,
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944:understanding of Queensland's history.
407:they were the first Europeans to reach
391:to Keppel Bay in July and August 1853.
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914:Gracemere Homestead was listed on the
626:and to the south-west by those of the
480:The Norwegian naturalist and explorer
18:Historic site in Queensland, Australia
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906:one kilometre course of the roadway.
426:Verandah of Gracemere Homestead, 1940
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1102:"Gracemere Homestead (entry 600508)"
1150:licence (accessed on 7 July 2014,
1139:"The Queensland heritage register"
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861:Office and Bookkeeper's Quarters
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101:1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century)
870:Carpenter and Blacksmith's Shop
650:Gracemere homestead, circa 1940
559:Crown Lands Alienation Act 1868
551:Queensland Legislative Assembly
245:Gracemere Homestead (Australia)
1:
1110:. Queensland Heritage Council
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1202:Queensland Heritage Register
1107:Queensland Heritage Register
916:Queensland Heritage Register
280:Queensland Heritage Register
130:Queensland Heritage Register
892:Miscellaneous Shed/Building
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840:Detached Kitchen and Store
396:New South Wales government
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35:Gracemere Homestead, 1996
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1212:Homesteads in Queensland
860:
806:) and Leichhardt trees (
521:on their voyages to the
475:Sydney Botanical Gardens
172:1850s-1860s (historical)
383:near their hometown of
266:at 234 Gracemere Road,
879:Vehicle/Machinery Shed
651:
471:1858 Canoona gold rush
446:Pleiogynium timoriense
427:
295:
220:Show map of Queensland
179:Significant components
1189:at Wikimedia Commons
1172:on 15 October 2014).
707:Pleiogynium timorense
649:
602:Gold Mining Company.
425:
293:
262:is a heritage-listed
248:Show map of Australia
901:Tamarind Tree Avenue
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831:Boat House and Jetty
786:and sandpaper vine (
673:roof that ends in a
465:of the family home,
371:Rivers flowing into
282:on 21 October 1992.
174:1850s-1890s (fabric)
44:234 Gracemere Road,
1187:Gracemere homestead
1162:State of Queensland
1144:State of Queensland
555:seat of Rockhampton
494:Araucaria bidwillii
358:Ludwig Leichhardt's
260:Gracemere Homestead
140:Gracemere Homestead
82:23.4267°S 150.446°E
78: /
24:Gracemere Homestead
1207:Rockhampton Region
808:Nauclea orientalis
652:
428:
300:Central Queensland
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272:Rockhampton Region
169:Significant period
161:Reference no.
50:Rockhampton Region
1185:Media related to
1160:published by the
1142:published by the
656:Tamarindus indica
620:Capricorn Highway
455:Ficus bengalensis
345:, Coonambula and
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87:-23.4267; 150.446
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910:Heritage listing
802:), royal palms (
662:and the eastern
563:seat of Blackall
543:Archibald Archer
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624:Berserker Range
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588:First World War
574:studs in 1862.
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404:Archer brothers
398:proclaimed the
327:New South Wales
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389:Fitzroy River
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351:Upper Burnett
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331:Stanley River
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304:Archer family
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137:Official name
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98:Design period
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1166:CC-BY 3.0 AU
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1148:CC-BY 3.0 AU
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1112:. Retrieved
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730:World War II
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321:in southern
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308:Colin Archer
297:
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109:1858 - 1890s
15:
1127:Attribution
746:mantelpiece
738:fire screen
614:Description
592:Oslo Museum
553:in the new
489: 1880
467:Tolderodden
400:Port Curtis
339:Moreton Bay
314:now stand.
312:Rockhampton
85: /
73:150°26′46″E
61:Coordinates
56:, Australia
1196:Categories
975:References
792:agapanthus
736:piece and
703:white ants
409:Peak Downs
373:Keppel Bay
276:Queensland
153:Designated
70:23°25′36″S
54:Queensland
679:verandahs
660:courtyard
628:Dee Range
584:Toowoomba
547:Polynesia
538:in 1876.
527:Antarctic
369:Mackenzie
333:north of
268:Gracemere
264:homestead
114:Built for
46:Gracemere
1170:archived
1152:archived
1114:1 August
825:baluster
722:brackets
572:Hereford
519:Amundsen
347:Eidsvold
335:Brisbane
41:Location
779:pergola
771:sundial
753:alcoves
742:columns
734:chimney
664:facades
349:on the
286:History
1164:under
1146:under
851:gables
812:bamboo
764:Garden
695:stairs
668:hipped
523:Arctic
515:Nansen
385:Larvik
381:a lake
379:after
377:Farris
365:Dawson
343:Cooyar
323:Norway
319:Larvik
164:600508
675:gable
642:House
106:Built
1116:2014
636:shed
525:and
517:and
510:Fram
501:town
367:and
145:Type
1198::
1104:.
983:^
630:.
486:c.
435:.
274:,
270:,
52:,
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1118:.
798:(
535:£
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