Western Australia

Place: Leschenault Homestead Estuary Drive, Bunbury

Threat: Inappropriate Development

Significance of Place

The original cottage was built c1843 by William Pearce Clifton of wattle-and daub covered with weatherboards. The main single-storey weatherboard building was erected c1854-1870 with encircling verandahs and a low protective roof. The walls are of adobe, clad with weatherboard, and the original shingles are covered with corrugated iron. Nearby the original round stone water tank is still in use. The complex, which is surrounded by attractive grounds, is a fine example of early vernacular building.

The property was bought from Pearce Clifton by John Forster Johnson, a successful dairy farmer, in about 1880. It has associations with the settlement of the town and the establishment of the timer industry.

Description of Threat

The Bunbury Port Authority purchased the property in 1968 and the site has been under threat for some time, as part of future extensions of Port activity in the area. Their proposal is to relocate the building elsewhere. The Bunbury City Council wishes to keep the property intact and insitu and moved a motion to this effect at the end of 2001.

A locally based group, the Leschenault Homestead Preservation Society was formed in August 1981 and since then the Bunbury Built Heritage Group have been working to ensure that the house in its present location is not lost to the community.

Outcomes sought

Regulatory authorities and Ministers must ensure that heritage legislation and policy is respected and implemented to protect the integrity and future of heritage sites.

Government to facilitate a secure outcome in which the concerns of the local community and heritage groups are adopted in retaining the historic property in its current location.

Formulate a compatible re-use and develop a management plan for the property which involves interested community groups who have played a key role in securing a future for the site.