Herron Homestead

Author

City of Mandurah

Place Number

09070

Location

Lot 85 Quail Rd, Herron Lake Clifton

Location Details

Lot 101 on Plan 23024

Local Government

Mandurah

Region

Peel

Construction Date

Constructed from 1866

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents
Heritage List Adopted 27 May 2014

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management
Category
Municipal Inventory Adopted 27 May 2014 Category 2

Statement of Significance

• The homestead is a good representation of the development of the area. • The earliest colonial building still standing in the Lake Clifton area. • Demonstrates the style of architecture that was adopted by early settlers in the Mandurah area.

Physical Description

Limestone cottage with lime bag finish situated at the northern end of Lake Clifton. The building has colonial bar windows, two feature chimneys and an iron roof. A shingled roof is still visible underneath. The cottage is set amongst cleared paddocks at the foot of a coastal ridge in a very picturesque setting and is only accessible via a dirt track.

History

The homestead was built by James and Isabella Herron who arrived in WA from Ireland on the Clara in 1853. The original 70 acres surrounding the cottage was purchased around 1864 and by 1875 the Herrons had leased a total of 13,500 acres of grazing land from the government. Before the present cottage was built the family lived in a slab hut inland from the north end of Lake Clifton. Herron Homestead was not as isolated as it currently is as the main line of road from Australind to Mandurah ran along the eastern shore of the lake. Butter was made at the cottage, with wheat, barley and oats grown in the surrounding fields. Cattle were grazed on the surrounding leasehold land and horses bred for the Indian Army. Evidence of the infrastructure necessary for making butter and threshing grain still survives around the cottage. Two of the Herron daughters tragically drowned in a boating accident on Lake Clifton in 1886. Around 1894 the surviving members of the family moved to Coolup to take advantage of the proximity of the land to the new railway to Pinjarra and the Lake Herron Cottage became an outstation used as both a base for seasonal grazing and a summer holiday home The property was a training centre for The 10th Light Horse Regiment in World War One. There are signatures inscribed into the limestone walls that were part of a family tradition dating back to 1866, the most notable being that of former Western Australian Premier, Sir Ross McLarty, who regularly stayed there as a child.

Integrity/Authenticity

Authenticity : High

Condition

Good

References

Ref ID No Ref Name Ref Source Ref Date
Ronald Richards "Mandurah and the Murray: a sequel to the history of the old Murray District of Western Australia" Shire of Murray and City of Mandurah 1993

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Present Use FARMING\PASTORAL Cottage
Original Use FARMING\PASTORAL Cottage

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Wall STONE Limestone
Roof METAL Corrugated Iron

Historic Themes

General Specific
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Settlements

Creation Date

17 Jul 1997

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

01 Apr 2021

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.