On Sunday 14th August we conducted a  Heritage Homesteads Tour for  46 people. We visited Glengarry, Newmarracarra and Tibradden Stations, finishing at The Hermitage for drinks and nibbles. We were privileged to have a past resident of this area, Paul O’Brien, on board to give us insights into life in this area in  past years as well as our tour leaders Bruce Le, who filled us in on the fascinating stories of the pioneers of this area  and Tony Critch who connected the people and places to characters featured in Randolph Stow’s Merry Go Round in the Sea.

At Glengarry morning tea was served and we were welcomed by the property owner Gareth Rowe.  His son Ben talked about the history of Glengarry where Australia’s first female politician, Edith Cowan, was born,  Chinese labour was used to clear the rocks from these pioneering properties, and horses were bred for the Indian Army.

The coach then transported the group to Newmarracarra where Jerry Clune, one of the current owners of the property welcomed us and gave us a short history of the magnificent homestead that is still standing but now uninhabitable.    As well as hosting some grand occasions, the homestead became a hospital during the 1st World War and has been owned by the Clune family since 1945.

Lunch was served in the beautiful grounds of Tibradden Station where owners since 1967, Geoff and Jenny Collins welcomed the group and explained their connections to the original settlers, the Davis Family. The group was shown through the homestead, the cellar and the Cook’s House as well the shearing shed and mill.

The day ended with refreshments being served at The Hermitage, a Hawes building in Geraldton.