House

Statement of Significance

The place at 217 Elleker-Grasmere Road has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
The place is associated with Fred and Elizabeth North who were early settlers in Elleker and whose vegetable growing ventures became a thriving business and laid the foundation for what became an important primary industry of the Albany western districts. Frederick was also well-known as a haulage contractor working a bullock team on the construction of the Great Southern Railway.
The place is an early residence for the Elleker locality and a fine example of the Federation Bungalow style with its locally sourced random course faced granite stone walls and attractive landscaped gardens.
The place is representative of the many farms established in the Albany region in the late 19th and early 20th century that took advantage of the demand for fresh produce in the burgeoning Goldfields region with Albany connected to the State’s railway network as well as exporting high quality produce to the overseas market including England and Europe when Albany was still a major port.

Physical Description

Some of the notable features of this place include:
• Set in landscaped gardens
• Original part of house almost unchanged
• Walls random course faced granite stone, tuckpointed on one side
• Hipped corrugated iron roof
• Wooden framed sash windows and doors
• Outbuildings are a mixture of slab timber and corrugated iron

Some obvious modifications include:
• Extensions are built in rammed earth, brick and timber
• Timber extension completed in the 1990s out of recycled fabrics

History

This residence is said to have been associated with Fred North. Anecdotal evidence shows that he built the house but it is not known whether he lived there. Frederick North (1861-1949) was a haulage contractor with a bullock team working on the construction of the Great Southern Railway. In 1889 he obtained 30 acres (12 hectares) from the company under what he described later as deferred payment. He eventually extended his land holdings by further purchases, first from the WA Land Company and then from the State Government. North also had the property at 107 North Road, Elleker (North’s House/Grasmere). North Road in Elleker was named after him.
He was married to Elizabeth Hayes (1861-1947), daughter of John Hayes of Albany. An undated letter written by Fred North to his daughter Evelyn told of the North Family having been the first settlers in the Torbay locality and pioneers of the vegetable industry in the district. He went onto to comment about his first days of clearing bushland. I cleared and fenced about an acre, cultivated a portion of it for a garden, built a shack and cleared a track into it from where Grasmere Siding is now and then I got your mother (and three children) out.

Elizabeth North continued to tend the vegetable plot when Fred North when out to work for wages. Surplus cabbages were sold to the Albany market or Torbay timber workers.

A bag of cabbages sent to Coolgardie to the family of a brother of Fred North led to a change in fortune for the Torbay North family. The goldrush had led to a boom market for fresh produce and Fred’s brother encouraged him to take advantage of the unlimited market. Backed by Albany merchant, John Robinson, Fred and Elizabeth turned their vegetable garden into a thriving business which according to North’s letter, laid the foundation for what became an important primary industry of the Albany western districts. The Norths later moved to Bunbury in the 1920s to live and their property was purchased by Mr W Lloyd.

Elleker was originally developed as a railway junction on the Torbay line from Albany to Denmark by the Western Australian Land Company, who built the Great Southern Railway which was completed in 1889. It was originally called Lakeside, after Lake Powell. In 1896 the Government purchased the railway and gazetted Lakeside in 1899. The Torbay line served the many timber sawmills in the area and was renamed Torbay Junction in 1908. In 1920, the name change for Torbay Junction was raised which the local community protested against. The main reason for the name change was owing to the confusion with the other locality. By 1921 the name was changed to Elleker, the name was suggested by the local Primary Producer’s Association after a village in Yorkshire.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High
Authenticity: High/Moderate

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

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.