Selector's Hut (former)

A simple slab building located on property that is now part of Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) Samford Ecological Research Facility has a long association with the Marks family, who were important to Queensland’s medical and scientific community. The hut was built around 1873 by the original selector of the property George Atthow. The property was purchased by Dr Charles Marks in 1887, naming it ‘Cushleva’. After he extended the hut, his brother Dr Keighly Marks occupied the hut. He farmed and conducted his medical practice here. Keighly Marks moved away in 1903 and the cottage was occupied by caretakers. The Marks family had further developed their land on the south side of the road, where kit homes were established for weekend stays. The family included: Dr Charles Marks who ran his medical practice from 101 Wickham Terrace; stepson, Dr Espie Dods, who had a house adjacent; stepson Robin Dods, a well-known architect; eldest son Alexander was a medical practitioner; second son Ted was an ophthalmologist and geologist. His daughter Elizabeth, known as Pat, ended up living at ‘Cushleva’ from 1982 until her death in 2002. She bequeathed the property to the Queensland Institute of Technology (now QUT).