Early 1800s Macquarie farm at Bathurst listed for July auction

Macquarie, the oldest farm and oldest continuing residence west of the Great Divide, has been listed for July 5 auction.

The 1820s convict barracks and the homestead, built a few years later, have been restored by Paul and Bonny Hennessy, who became just the third owners of the property in 2012.

When the Hennessys secured the property, the homestead was uninhabitable.

Since then they have employed more than 250 tradespeople and labourers.

The 1150 acre Macquarie is situated 12 kilometres south-east of Bathurst at The Lagoon.

With its early Colonial/Georgian homestead, Macquarie contains part of the original 1000 acre land grant to Lieutenant William Lawson by Governor Lachlan Macquarie as Lawson’s reward for his contribution in finding a way across the Blue Mountains.

Lawson was to become fond of Macquarie and in his honour renamed Discovery Farm after him, apparently following a Vice-Regal visit during one of Macquarie's tours of inspection.

Macquarie, in it’s 200 years of colonial history, has only had two owners prior to the Hennesseys.   

It had remained in the Lawson family until 1918 when it was sold to the McKibbin family.

One of the McKibbin's was Tom McKibbin who lived at Macquarie with his wife, Edith.

A colourful character, Tom was an Australian Test cricketer n the 1890s whose 1896 tour of England saw his bowling action the subject of some controversy.

Bill Marshall and Pat Bird at Ray White have the listing.

This article first appeared in The Weekend Australian.