General News
21 August, 2023
New era for historic Ledcourt
Historic Ledcourt Homestead between Horsham and Stawell has changed hands for the first time in 135 years. It was the first homestead built in the southern Wimmera and, because it was pre-1850, was officially in NSW as the State of Victoria was not...
Historic Ledcourt Homestead between Horsham and Stawell has changed hands for the first time in 135 years.
It was the first homestead built in the southern Wimmera and, because it was pre-1850, was officially in NSW as the State of Victoria was not declared until 1851.
Ledcourt is one of only about 150 buildings remaining from that era.
Graeme and Sarah Maher of Lubeck have bought land surrounding the homestead which from 1888 was owned by Alan Cooper and his family.
The former Ledcourt Station once comprised 200,000 acres or nearly 81,000 hectares but in 1850 was divided into three: Ledcourt, Swinton and Newington.
The Maher family has property for sheep and cropping at Lubeck, Dadswells Bridge and Mt Dryden and has now added 310 hectares with Ledcourt Homestead as its centrepiece.
"We'll soon have two sons back farming with us," Mrs Maher said.
"We wanted the land and the homestead is a bonus."
The Mahers are still to decide whether to renovate the heritage-listed homestead.
One thought is to create a farm-stay property.
The colonial Georgian-style homestead of Grampians freestone and convict-made bricks was originally roofed in timber shingles (now covered with iron), with cedar used as the joinery timber in its main rooms.
The floors are of pitsaw local timber.
Locally quarried bluestone was used to add single-room gabled pavilions.
A rear courtyard is paved in slate and there is a third pavilion on the west side of the homestead.
It has an interesting history.
Port Philip Commissioner Charles La Trobe painted the homestead in 1850, Cobb and Co coaches were regularly stabled there, and renowned author Marcus Clarke, who had a relative with a part share in the station, was a jackaroo on the property and did some of his writings while there.
It was also chosen as a subject by Austrian-born artist Eugene von Guérard, who painted in Australia from about 1850 and is considered Victoria’s most important colonial landscape painter.
Driscoll McIllree and Dickinson Stawell agent Neville Routley said land surrounding the homestead was sold in two lots, with 260 hectares at Mt Drummond being bought by a neighbour and 310 hectares with the homestead going to the Mahers.