BYRAMINE HOMESTEAD
1436 MURRAY VALLEY HIGHWAY BURRAMINE, MOIRA SHIRE
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The explorations of Hamilton Hume and William Hilton Hovell into inland New South Wales and Victoria on route to the Port Phillip District in 1824-25 and the favourable reports of the land they had seen was a significant event in the colonization of Victoria. Hamilton Hume had taken up a pastoral property at Gunning near Goulburn in 1821, and in 1824 he set off from his property at Gunning near Goulburn with William Hovell on their famous and ground-breaking expedition to Port Phillip Bay. The explorations of the party were also undoubtedly of personal interest to the pastoralist Hume and no doubt influenced other members of the Hume family in taking up pastoral land in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales near to the Murray. Hume also had significant associations with the Port Philip district through his marriage to Elizabeth Dight, a sister of John and Charles Dight who built the water-powered flour mill on the Yarra River in the area which now bears the name of Dight's Falls.
John Kennedy Hume, the brother of Hamilton Hume acquired property near Gunning in New South Wales in 1823 expanded it with purchases in 1836. His pastoral run was originally known as Wooloowandella, but the homestead, which is believed to have been built between 1836 and 1839, was given the name Collingwood. Hume had apparently also intended to take up a run on the south side of the Murray River but before he was able to do so he was fatally wounded at Gunning on 20 January 1840 while assisting neighbours in resisting a party of bushrangers headed by the notorious Thomas Whitton. With the assistance of Hamilton Hume, John Kennedy Hume's wife Elizabeth took up the Yarroweya [later Yarrawonga] run in 1842 but it is not known when she first resided at the property. It has been assumed that Elizabeth Hume's house Byramine on the Yarrawonga property was constructed shortly after the run was taken up in 1842. This assumption is based on accounts of Elizabeth Hume personally travelling to the property in 1842 accompanied by a party which included skilled building tradesmen and carrying a plan for a house which had been prepared by an English architect for use in India. In correspondence dated February 1857, however, Elizabeth Hume indicated that 'my servants formed the Yarrawonga Station by placing my stock upon the same' and it is clear that Hamilton Hume managed the Yarrawonga property until at least 1849. Also, records indicate that Elizabeth Hume was still residing at her home Collingwood at Gunning until 1850. Unless Byramine was built for a property overseer, the house is unlikely to have been built prior to Elizabeth Hume's move to the property in the early 1850s.
Following Elizabeth Hume's death in July 1864, the pre-emptive right passed into the hands of James McCulloch and James Kennedy. In 1869, John Rutherford took possession and it was while in his ownership that a Survey of Country Lands first recorded the location of 'brick cottage-home station' and other farm buildings. Byramine passed through a number of hands before being purchased by James Clarke who covered the timber shingle roof of the house in corrugated iron. The house later fell into disrepair and was severely neglected by the time the property was purchased by the Dufty family in 1922. Recognizing its historic value, family member Alice Dufty resisted pressures for its demolition, returned it to a habitable state, and maintained it until the family disposed of the property in 1980. The homestead site was later excised from the pastoral property and run as a functions venue and tourist resource.
How is it significant?
Byramine Homestead is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
Byramine Homestead is of architectural significance for its rare planning form generated by the octagonal principal rooms and entrance hall and is also significant as a distinctive example of the Colonial Regency style. The encircling verandah creates an appearance reminiscent of a colonial bungalow. It bears a close similarity to only one other house in Victoria, Habbies Howe near Seymour, which was probably built in the late 1840s. The claims that both the Byramine and Habbies Howe designs have Indian associations cannot be verified.
Byramine Homestead is of historical significance for its associations with the pioneering Hume family and the pastoral industry of the Murray region of Victoria. The property is significant for its association with explorer Hamilton Hume who managed the property on behalf of the owner Elizabeth Hume, the widow of his brother John Kennedy Hume who was murdered by bushrangers in 1840.
[Online data upgrade project 2005]
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BYRAMINE HOMESTEAD - History
The explorations of Hamilton Hume and William Hilton Hovell into inland New South Wales and Victoria on route to the Port Phillip District in 1824-25 and the favourable reports of the land they had seen was a significant event in the colonization of Victoria. Hamilton Hume had taken up a pastoral property at Gunning near Goulburn in 1821, and in 1824 he set off from his property at Gunning near Goulburn with William Hovell on their famous and ground-breaking expedition to Port Phillip Bay. The explorations of the party were also undoubtedly of personal interest to the pastoralist Hume and no doubt influenced other members of the Hume family in taking up pastoral land in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales near to the Murray. Hume also had significant associations with the Port Philip district through his marriage to Elizabeth Dight, a sister of John and Charles Dight who built the water-powered flour mill on the Yarra River in the area which now bears the name of Dight’s Falls.John Kennedy Hume, the brother of Hamilton Hume acquired property near Gunning in New South Wales in 1823 expanded it with purchases in 1836. His pastoral run was originally known as Wooloowandella, but the homestead, which is believed to have been built between 1836 and 1839, was given the name Collingwood. Hume had apparently also intended to take up a run on the south side of the Murray River but before he was able to do so he was fatally wounded at Gunning on 20 January 1840 while assisting neighbours in resisting a party of bushrangers headed by the notorious Thomas Whitton. With the assistance of Hamilton Hume, John Kennedy Hume’s wife Elizabeth took up the Yarroweya [later Yarrawonga] run in 1842 but it is not known when she first resided at the property. It has been assumed that Elizabeth Hume’s house Byramine on the Yarrawonga property was constructed shortly after the run was taken up in 1842. This assumption is based on accounts of Elizabeth Hume personally travelling to the property in 1842 accompanied by a party which included skilled building tradesmen and carrying a plan for a house which had been prepared by an English architect for use in India. In correspondence dated February 1857, however, Elizabeth Hume indicated that ‘…my servants formed the Yarrawonga Station by placing my stock upon the same…’, and it is clear that Hamilton Hume managed the Yarrawonga property until at least 1849. Also, records indicate that Elizabeth Hume was still residing at her home Collingwood at Gunning until 1850. Unless Byramine was built for a property overseer, the house is unlikely to have been built prior to Elizabeth Hume’s move to the property in the early 1850s.
Following Elizabeth Hume’s death in July 1864, the pre-emptive right passed into the hands of James McCulloch and James Kennedy. In 1869, John Rutherford took possession and it was while in his ownership that a Survey of Country Lands first recorded the location of ‘brick cottage-home station’ and other farm buildings. Byramine passed through a number of hands before being purchased by James Clarke who covered the timber shingle roof of the house in corrugated iron. The house later fell into disrepair and was severely neglected by the time the property was purchased by the Dufty family in 1922. Recognizing its historic value, family member Alice Dufty resisted pressures for its demolition, returned it to a habitable state, and maintained it until the family disposed of the property in 1980. The homestead site was later excised from the pastoral property and run as a functions venue and tourist resource.
Sources:
Andrew Ward. Conservation Analysis and Specification of Conservation Works at ‘Byramine Homestead’, Yarrawonga. 1995.
R V Billis & A Kenyon. Pastoral Pioneers of Port Phillip. 1972
A Noel Loughnan [ed]. From Ballanda to 1968. The Story of Yarrawonga. 1968.
Alan J Dunlop. Wide Horizons. The Storey of the Yarrawonga, Tungamah and Cobram Shires. 1978
Australian Heritage Database. Collingwood Homestead, Gunning, NSW datasheet
BYRAMINE HOMESTEAD - Plaque Citation
Built after the pioneering Hume family took up the pastoral run in 1842, the homestead has a highly unusual design with octagonal principal rooms,entrance hall and an encircling verandah reminiscent of a colonial bungalow.
BYRAMINE HOMESTEAD - Permit Exemptions
General Exemptions:General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions. Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.Specific Exemptions:General Conditions: 1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object. General Conditions: 2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of works that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such works shall cease and Heritage Victoria shall be notified as soon as possible. Note: All archaeological places have the potential to contain significant sub-surface artefacts and other remains. In most cases it will be necessary to obtain approval from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria before the undertaking any works that have a significant sub-surface component.General Conditions: 3. If there is a conservation policy and planall works shall be in accordance with it. Note:A Conservation Management Plan or a Heritage Action Plan provides guidance for the management of the heritage values associated with the site. It may not be necessary to obtain a heritage permit for certain works specified in the management plan.
General Conditions: 4. Nothing in this determination prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions. General Conditions: 5. Nothing in this determination exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authorities where applicable. Minor Works : Note: Any Minor Works that in the opinion of the Executive Director will not adversely affect the heritage significance of the place may be exempt from the permit requirements of the Heritage Act. A person proposing to undertake minor works must submit a proposal to the Executive Director. If the Executive Director is satisfied that the proposed works will not adversely affect the heritage values of the site, the applicant may be exempted from the requirement to obtain a heritage permit. If an applicant is uncertain whether a heritage permit is required, it is recommended that the permits co-ordinator be contacted.
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BYRAMINE HOMESTEADVictorian Heritage Register H0370
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BYRAMINE HOMESTEADVictorian Heritage Inventory
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"AQUA PROFONDA" SIGN, FITZROY POOLVictorian Heritage Register H1687
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