Meeberrie Station Homestead

Statement of Significance

The Meerberrie Station Homestead is significant as an architect designed building constructed at the end of the Great War when the Pastoral Industry was prosperous. The station building illustrate the effective use of local stone and form an important grouping which includes the ornamental meat house.

Physical Description

The Meeberrie Station comprises the homestead, linked outbuildings including Jackaroo;s quarters, laundry and store, meat house, the stables/carriage house and shearing shed. Designed by architect JH Eales of the firm Eales, Cohen, who also designed Mt Narryer Homestead, the homestead is a large building of local stone construction which forms a 'U' around a central flagstone courtyard. The place has a corrugated iron hipped and gabled room with vented gablets. The homestead features rendered brick corbelled chimneys, two bay windows and white rendered quoining around the openings while the stone work is pointed. Timber framed french doors open out onto the surrounding verandahs while the timber framed windows have 8 panes. A detached building immediately to the north contains the jackaroo's quarters which is of similar construction with a steeply pitched dutch gable roof and surrounding verandahs supported on timber posts. Single doors with 9 panes while the openings and edges have rendered quoins like the homestead. Between the jackaroo's quarters and the homestead is a third building of similar construction which contains the laundry, store and bedroom. To the rear is the meat house which is an elaborate timber structure supported on a stone base. Oriental in style the meat house has stairs leading down to a cellar. To the north of this group of buildings is a c1920 stone outbuilding with a corrugated iron lean-to. Approximately 100 metres to the north is the former carriage house which had stables at the back. Built in 1922 this stone building has rendered quoining around the openings. IT has a hipped and gabled corrugated iron roof with vented gablets and large timber doors to the east elevation. The Meeberrie Homestead complex has a number of mature palms and a row of large gums.

History

lease along the Murchison River that later became the Meeberrie Station were taken up very early, however Meerberrie Station was not established until 1913 when Billabalong Station (place 2) was split. The northern section was purchased by WJ & CJH Butcher and was named Meerberrie. The Butcher family had links witht the area since the late 1870's. Gambling in obtaining more land to the south, a homestead site was selected about a mile from the southern boundary. Following the deaths of CJ Butcher, who died in 1931 and JW Butcher who died in 1944, Meerberrie was sold to H & W Butcher, who were unrelated to the previous owners. Over the years the property had a number of different managers. At the beginning of 2001 new owners took over Meerberrie and have carried out considerable work onthe complex, including painting of all roofs and internal walls.The owners operate a Horse Adventure and Horsemanship business from Meerberrie Station.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Good

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.