Maitland

Statement of Significance

Maitland has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
The place is associated with William Douglas, who was a guard on the first horse-drawn mail coach between Albany and Perth, then went into boatbuilding on the Kalgan River as well as operating the first regular trading and supply vessels on the South Coast to Fremantle, Esperance, Eucla and Adelaide. William became a long term resident of Albany and served on the Albany Council for several years from 1888. He was recognised for his bravery in the rescue of the crew from the City of York wreck off Rottnest Island in 1899 and Douglas Street, South Perth, is named in honour of the Douglas family.
The place has some architectural significance for its unusual design features, particularly of the internal finishes.

Physical Description

Some of the notable features of this place include:
• Set in bush surroundings near the old ‘Top’ Kalgan Bridge
• Set high above road level
• Walls are built from local stone with brick quoins on the corners and window surrounds
• The verandah goes around three sides of the house with timber floor decking
• Hipped corrugated iron
• Very unusual internal finishes – stone arches, gothic shaped windows in parts, wooden ceilings, thick walls and large granite boulder embedded in back wall

History

This residence was built in 1915-1916 by William Douglas and his sons and was named Maitland after a vessel of the Melbourne SS Co. that his son Burt Douglas – who lived in the house - had piloted. William Douglas moved from South Perth to Albany in 1868 after marrying Emma Matilda Barrett. He was a guard in the first horse-drawn mail coach between Albany and Perth and in 1869 started building and restoring boats on the banks of the Kalgan River with his younger brother, Frederick, and operated the first regular trading and supply vessels on the South Coast to Fremantle, Esperance, Eucla and Adelaide. William and Emma would go on to have six sons: William Arthur, Ernest Albert (Burt), Edward Enoch, Thomas Edgar, Percy Melville and Clement.
At their first property at Killarney, halfway up the Kalgan River, William and his son Edward operated a steam passenger cruise that ran from the Port in Albany. In 1891, William and Edward began clearing by hand the as-yet unsurveyed land at Kalgan River. In 1898, they commenced building a house on the property which they called “Myola” (see Douglas House, 41 Myola Dve, Kalgan).
William Douglas was best known for his role in rescuing the crew from the City of York wreck off Rottnest Island in 1899 for which he was officially recognised for his bravery by the Royal Humane Society. He also served on the Albany Council for several years from 1888. Douglas Street in South Perth is also named after this Douglas family.
From information supplied by the present owner, the Douglas family preferred to build stone homes, like “Myola”, and this house is built on a rocky outcrop with one wall actually formed by one of the large granite boulders Albany is famous for. It started as a one-room cottage and was extended over subsequent years.
Burt Douglas and his wife Charlotte (nee Powell) moved into Maitland after their marriage and went on to have three children Edwyn, Emma and Netta. Burt, like his father, was also a well-known maritime identity piloting vessels all around the south-coast, including working on his Uncle Fred Douglas’ mail vessel, but also famously as Captain of the Maitland and the State Steamship Service vessel, SS Eucla.
In 1921, Edwyn Douglas married Katie Johnson and they lived at Maitland then later moved to Mt Barker. Burt and Charlotte lived at Bunbury from 1925-1935 but retired to the Kalgan, moving back into Maitland where Burt died in 1943. They also had a property “Glenroy” on Middleton Road.
The Douglas family owned the property until the 1960s.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Moderate
Authenticity: HIgh/Moderate

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

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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.