Back to search results »

Back to search page »

Moranghurk

Other Name Moorbrook Farm Complex Location Midlands Highway,, LETHBRIDGE VIC 3332 - Property No B0694 File Number B0694 Level State

[1/1] B0694 Moranghurk Homestead

Statement of Significance

The pastoral run Morangourke (now Moranghurk) on the Moorabool River near Lethbridge was taken up by Peter Sharp in March 1846. The exact date of construction of the present homestead is uncertain but apparently in the late 1840s.
This axially planned house is built of sawn timber slabs fixed vertically in an adzed frame with cover battens, sapling rafters and iron roof replacing the original thatch.
Moranghurk homestead is of paramount importance as a rare example of the early Australian Colonial style, and constructed in a vertical timber slab technique with cover battens not known elsewhere in Victoria. The homestead has significant associations with John Matherson, a prominent pastoralist and financier, and his descendants for over 100 years and is evocative of the colonial architectural traditions of New South Wales and Tasmania. The verandah and valence, and unusual fenestration, are distinctive features.
Moranghurk homestead was extended by construction of a mid Victorian style weatherboard cottage at an unknown date. The original homestead is maintained in good condition and is externally intact.
Classified: 02/01/1956