Celebrating 150 years of Bankfoot House
Fantastic beards, stylish aprons, Indigenous history, pioneering stories, marbles and quoits are just some of the wonderful nostalgic activities and events to enjoy throughout 2018 as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Bankfoot House.
Fantastic beards, stylish aprons, Indigenous history, pioneering stories, marbles and quoits are just some of the wonderful nostalgic activities and events to enjoy throughout 2018 as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Bankfoot House.
Located at Glasshouse Mountains, Bankfoot House was established in October 1868 by William and Mary Grigor as a lunch stop and staging post for the Cobb & Co route from Brisbane to the Gympie goldfields.
Heritage Portfolio Councillor Rick Baberowski said the sesquicentenary event marked a significant milestone for Bankfoot House and an opportunity to ponder on how dramatically our lives have changed over those 150 years.
“Bankfoot House is an iconic piece of our Sunshine Coast history and I’m looking forward to reminiscing about it’s great past throughout our celebrations this year,” Cr Baberowski said.
“Wandering through the house and around the grounds is like transporting yourself back to the 1800s, and you can see the progression through decades as you explore each room and see more than 6500 items in the museum collection.
“It is also an opportunity to understand the ancient history and significance of the place from the ancestors of the indigenous groups that called the area home.
“On the last Sunday of April, June and August, and at the special event on October 14, we’re going to step back in time and celebrate the remarkable families and history surrounding Bankfoot House that has made it such a treasured piece of Sunshine Coast history.
“Whether you have been to Bankfoot House many times, or have never visited, I encourage everyone to come along and be a part of these special sesquicentenary celebrations.”
Indigenous Culture
Sunday, April 29, 10am – noon
Now known at the Glass House Mountains, this area has long been a special meeting place for Kabi Kabi and Jinibara People. Learn about the Indigenous significance of this area through storytelling, bush tucker and children’s workshops.
Pioneering
Sunday, June 24, 10am – 1pm
The Grigor family were the first European family to settle in the region. Learn all about life in colonial times. View the film about the Grigor and Low pioneering families of the Sunshine Coast.
Cobb & Co
Sunday, August 26, 10am – noon
Hear from guest speakers including Jeff Powell, Curator of Cobb & Co Museum and Steve Ralph, Spirit of Cobb & Co.
Sesquicentenary
Sunday, October 14, 10am – 3pm
Marking 150 years since the founding of Bankfoot House, this special event will feature a traditional Welcome to Country, food stalls, live music, guest speakers, guided tours of the house and activities for all the family including a Cobb & Co display, whip cracking, heritage games and film screenings. There will also be novelty competitions and games including best beard, best hat, best apron, skipping, marbles and quoits thanks to volunteer members of the Friends of Bankfoot House.
Bankfoot House is located at 1998 Old Gympie Road, Glasshouse Mountains.
Discover more by visiting council’s Heritage website - heritage.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au, including more than 100 digital stories you can watch, listen to or read.
Check out the Bankfoot House video story about Mary Grigor and interviews with family members Ethel Burgess and Bill Ferris.
The preservation and promotion of Bankfoot House is proudly funded through council’s Cultural Heritage Levy – Our heritage, Our stories.
A brief history of Bankfoot House
Mary Fenwick and William Grigor first met in 1854 on the voyage from Bankfoot in Scotland to Australia.
Mary and William married in August 1863 and settled in Mooloolah Heads (now known as Mooloolaba) to work in the timber industry with other Scottish settlers.
In October 1867, gold was discovered in Gympie leading to one of the wildest rushes in Queensland history.
In 1868, Cobb & Co coaches planned a service to cater to the thousands of people heading north in search of riches. The coach routes would need stops at 12 mile stages and the Grigor’s saw this as an opportunity.
In October 1868, William and Mary purchased land on the route from Brisbane to Gympie for 20 pounds and moved their family from Mooloolah to their new home.
A homestead was quickly built to be ready for the first Cobb & Co coach run – they called it Bankfoot House.
While William continued to work away in the timber industry, Mary ran Bankfoot House providing accommodation, meals, supplies, stables and watering facilities for Cobb & Co and for the travellers.
Over the years the family ran a dairy, butchery, accommodation house, Cobb & Co stables, water and food stop and change-over, they were the local grocers, butcher and blacksmith, and there was a post office.
Mary Grigor was also the unofficial mid-wife of the region and a volunteer firefighter.
In 1900, at age 66, Mary passed away, leaving William to carry on running Bankfoot House.
In 1902, their daughter Clementina married William Burgess, the son of their nearest neighbours, and they moved into Bankfoot House.
In 1907, Clementina became the heir to Bankfoot House after the passing of William.
After Clementina died in 1963, the ownership of the property changed hands to another generation of the family, her daughter Mary and husband Jack Ferris.
The property remained with the same family across three generations, with the Grigor, Burgess and Ferris families occupying the house for more than 130 years.
After Jack’s passing in 2002 at age 101, at the request of the family, the house was sold to Caloundra City Council for preservation.
The council established the property as a House Museum and it became state-heritage listed on December 11, 2008.
Bankfoot House is the oldest surviving residence in the Glass House Mountains.