Homewood, Bellbrook
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| Homewood - Childhood Home of 'Slim Dusty' | |
|---|---|
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| Location | 1279 Nulla Nulla Creek Road, Bellbrook, Kempsey Shire, New South Wales, Australia |
| Coordinates | 30°43′43″S 152°29′51″E / 30.7285°S 152.4975°E |
| Built | 1915–1916 |
| Architect | David Kirkpatrick |
| Owner | Joy McKean Kirkpatrick |
| Official name | Homewood - Childhood Home of 'Slim Dusty'; Melody Farm |
| Type | state heritage (complex / group) |
| Designated | 27 January 2012 |
| Reference no. | 1870 |
| Type | Dairy |
| Category | Farming and Grazing |
| Builders | David Kirkpatrick and Thomas Ryan |
  Location of Homewood - Childhood Home of 'Slim Dusty' in New South Wales  Homewood, Bellbrook (Australia) | |
Homewood is a heritage-listed house and farm at 1279 Nulla Nulla Creek Road, Bellbrook, in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It was the childhood home of country music singer Slim Dusty. It was designed by his father, David Kirkpatrick, and built from 1915 to 1916 by Kirkpatrick and Thomas Ryan. It is also known as Melody Farm. The property is now owned by Slim Dusty's widow, Joy McKean Kirkpatrick. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 27 January 2012.[1]
Homewood was built in 1915-16 by David Kirkpatrick, with the help of a neighbour, Thomas Ryan. From 1927, it was home to David Gordon Kirkpatrick, the youngest child and only surviving son of David Kirkpatrick and Mary Partridge.[1]
The Nulla Nulla Valley, with its close-knit community, had strong musical traditions among the hardworking families dotted along the meandering banks of the creek. A large number of its residents, both men and women, could play an instrument or sing. Dances and house parties were held "about every week", with the news of these events spreading up and down the valley via the "bush telegraph." Young Gordon Kirkpatrick was exposed to all of this music and composed his early songs on the property. By the mid-1950s, as "Slim Dusty", he left "the Nulla" to pursue a phenomenally successful showbusiness career.[1]
In 1954, the property was sold to Eric Midgeley. A succession of Midgeley relatives and, subsequently, tenants occupied the place until 2003. In 2001 the Kirkpatrick family bought it back to serve as a lasting memorial to Slim Dusty's formative years. Since 2003, Homewood has been vacant.[1]
Description
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Homewood has a verandah to the front (facing east). The house is made of timber with an iron roof. The verandah (together with the roof) had some renovations done during 1980-82. There are two front windows facing out to the verandah. From the entrance hallway, there are two bedrooms, one on each side. The dining room (on the left) and third bedroom (on the right) are further down the hallway. A doorway from the dining room leads to the kitchen with adjoining bathroom. The open fire and stove are on the back wall of the kitchen with shelving to the left. There was no bathroom at first. The current bathroom was added in 1945 and located in a space occupied by the pantry.[1]
Despite its simple structure and basic foundation material there has been surprisingly little significant alteration to Homewood in its 90-odd years of existence. Homewood remains intact and is rich in its compelling associations with the boyhood and growing up of Slim Dusty.[1]
Homewood retains its original materials and features with little modification.[1]
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Modifications and dates
- Fences
The current fence was erected around the house 1980/82.[1]
- Tankstands and Iron Tank
The three tankstands pictured in the photographs dated 1978 were removed by the Rossiters when they purchased the property. The tankstands and iron tanks were replaced by a concrete tank in 1990.[1]
- Septic System
A septic system was installed in 1990.[1]
- Garden
The original garden has disappeared and replaced by new plantings. There are some surviving trees, bushes and fruit trees.[1]
- Cowbails
All that remains of the original cowbails is a cement slab where the eighteen-year-old Slim Dusty sat and wrote the song "The Rain Tumbles Down in July," in 1945. The replacement cowbails are still intact.[1]
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