Castleholme Homestead

Castleholme was established in the 1870s, following Hugh Conroy's selection and purchase of the then 257 hectare property in 1875. The Conroy family were Catholics. Mass was celebrated in their home until St Anne’s church was built nearby in 1901, with a graveyard adjacent. By 1916 a small cedar dwelling at Castleholme had become a rambling, fourteen-roomed house with wide verandahs. The grounds were graced with flowerbeds, shrubs and shade trees, and substantial outbuildings, and the principal activity was dairying. Castleholme remained in the Conroy family until acquired by the Co-ordinator General in 1978, as part of the Wivenhoe Dam reclamation area. That part of the property not inundated was leased by the Queensland Institute of Technology (QIT) for use as an experimental building station. The Castleholme homestead complex was identified by the QIT as a conservation area and the interwar cottage was renovated as caretaker accommodation. A cemetery remains on site, although the church was relocated. The QIT (now Queensland University of Technology) maintains the grounds, but not the buildings. Please note - This is a private residence and not publicly accessible.