Catherine married Gustav Baumgarten in Melbourne on 30th November 1876. They lived at Pleasant Bank Vineyard at Barnawatha. According to the Cyclopedia of Victoria they had 180 acres of vines, 465 acres of agricultural and grazing land and a further 300 acres under cultivation.
During 1908 the Baumgarten family moved from Barnawatha to Moolan Downs, near Meandarra west of Dalby. They left a thriving business with an established homestead and moved to western Queensland. One of their first tasks when they arrived was to build the dwelling shown below.
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| Original dwelling at Moolan Downs - c1908 |
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| The second house at Moolan Downs |
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| The final homestead at Moolan Downs |
One can only admire our early pioneering families. Gustav died at Moolan Downs only four years after their arrival in 1912. I'm not sure if the final homestead was built before his death or not. Catherine lived there until her death in 1943. Both Catherine and Gustav are buried on the property.
You're very lucky to have this series of photos. Excellent blog.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have those photos! yes all our pioneering ancestors were incredibly tenacious. I wonder why they made the long distance move.
ReplyDeleteThat could be another blog post. Take a look at Ned Kelly's Jerilderie Letter. Not sure if that's the answer but could be part of it.
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