Heritage specialists, archaeologists and First Nations’ representatives have been engaged to uncover more about Bankfoot House and its surrounds. The dairy roof has recently been restored by replacing the timber shingles with shakes using traditional materials and methods, and a Virtual Reality experience shows life before European settlement.

State heritage listed Bankfoot House is the oldest surviving residence in the district. Built in 1868 in time to greet the first Cobb & Co coach travelling from Brisbane to the Gympie goldfields, it offered a lunch stop, staging post, post office and accommodation.

In 1878 a new building was constructed at the rear of the original house using local pit-sawn timber, beech and cedar. Other earlier buildings included a butcher shop, dairy, laundry, stables and feed shed. After surviving many years, the 1868 house was dismantled in 1930, with some timber used to extend the 1878 house. Changes included a lower roof-line and new kitchen. In the 1960s the northern and eastern verandahs were enclosed.

The property remained in the same family for 134 years until 2004 when Council purchased the building and its contents. In 2015 the architecturally designed Mary Grigor Centre was built as an interpretive, research and archival space. Other projects include the 2018 shed rebuild, 2023 house painting, and 2024 dairy roof restoration.

Bankfoot House TOUR & TALK

Visitors will receive a special tour that includes the conservation and archival storage areas in the Mary Grigor Centre and the restored shed and Dairy.