Rainworth House

There are very few original timber houses that have survived from early settlement and Rainworth House, which in 1862 was the sole farmhouse in the area, is one of them.

It was built for notable mid 19th century public figure Sir Augustus Gregory who, besides being Surveyor General of Queensland from 1859 to 1879, was a renowned explorer who led expeditions to search for the lost Ludwig Leichardt.

Despite his high profile he led a relatively simple life in this rustic farm cottage, which, save for the closed-in front verandah remains largely untouched since when he lived there and features an interior of rough cut wide planked walls and ceilings.

When the estate was subdivided by its ensuing owner, who bought it after Gregory’s death there in 1905, the house was moved from nearby to its current location in Barton St.