Boondooma Homestead – Qld

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Boondooma Homestead, is in Boondooma Queensland, about 100km north west of Kingaroy or 130km north of Dalby

Entry sign to Historic Boondooma Homestead Qld
Photo: Entry To Boondooma Homestead

Arriving At Boondooma Homestead

Peter and Dianne, the friendly and informative caretakers, welcomed us when we arrived. Peter showing Larry where to park our van and Dianne taking payment for camping and getting our details. They also gave us a information book with all the details of the property and it’s gardens. Peter has such enthusiasm and knowledge about this place you can tell he’s bursting to tell you all about it.

Historic Boondooma Homestead Qld
Photo: Some Of The Old Buildings You Can Walk Around
Boondooma Homestead Qld camping by the dam
Photo: Looking Over The Dam To The Camping & Homestead Complex

Once we had set up not far from the dam, Peter came over and told us a bit more about the homestead. He gave us a bit of history on the old buildings and said we were free to walk around at our leisure. He also said he would give us a tour that afternoon. As we planned to stay three days we chose to have a wander around ourselves and have the guided tour another day.

Camping At Boondooma Homestead

There are limited powered sites available, maybe 6 or 8, that I noticed. Alternatively there’s a huge amount of open space for un-powered camping. They have a few events on through the year that attracts a huge amount of camping and caravanners. With that in mind you’ll find many well kept grassed areas to camp on.

Boondooma Homestead Qld camping
Photo: Our Powered Site
Boondooma Homestead Qld camping
Photo: Heaps Of Un-powered sites
Boondooma Homestead Qld camping
Photo: More Un-powered Sites

Boondooma Homestead Qld camping by the dam
Photo: Looking Over The Dam To Un-powered Sites

Our grassed powered site was nice and flat with a nice view of the dam. They do encourage you to come with full water tanks as they have a limited water supply. We had two full fresh water tanks so this didn’t bother us.

Camp Kitchen

Near the firepit and stacks of wood is Boondooma Homestead large camp kitchen. Here you’ll find a BBQ, microwaves, sink, fridge, counter top oven and gas ring to name but a few.

Boondooma Homestead Qld camp kitchen
Photo: Firepit & Larry By The Camp Kitchen
Boondooma Homestead Qld camp kitchen
Photo: Camp Kitchen
Tent World
Boondooma Homestead Qld camp kitchen
Photo: Tea & Coffee Available At Camp Kitchen & Reception Area

Tea and coffee are available here as well as near the reception area. A donation tin is next to them for your donation.

Amenities

As per our usual, we don’t normally use the amenities. At Boondooma Homestead they have toilets but I believe they don’t have showers. That is unless you are staying in one of their 6 rooms. They have a disability ensuite.

Walk Around Boondooma Homestead

If like me you like to walk around old or historic building, and imagining how things used to be, you will love this place.

To quote form Boondooma Homesteads website

The homestead was built from the 1850s to the 1870s and was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21st October 1992. The main surviving buildings in the complex include a stone building and timber house from the 1850s. Features include: a dining room (erected during the 1870s); a walkway between the house and the dining room; a cooling shed; cow bails (prior to 1939 used as stables); a structure which functioned as a postal receiving office from the 1860s; and a garage built in the 1950s.

See More On Boondooma Homestead Website
Man standing by Fire place at Historic Boondooma Homestead Qld
Photo: Larry Checking Out The Old Photos
old bed and dummies in old fashioned dress at Historic Boondooma Homestead Qld
Photo: One Of The Bedrooms

This old homestead has so much character and is thought to be haunted, so we were told by Peter. With it’s high ceiling in the dining room, fire places and tin roof, this homestead transports you back in time. Walking around you will see original beds, pianos and organs as they would have had back in the day. As well as photos and house hold objects from the 1800s.

Historical Boondooma Homestead Qld
Photo: Historical Boondooma Homestead
Historical Boondooma Homestead Qld
Photo: So much History In & On Those Walls

Historical Boondooma Homestead Qld
Photo: Musical History

Off from the main house there is the cookhouse. This housed the kitchen, the cook and his family. The cookhouse was separate from the homestead in case of a fire. They were however connected. Once cooked, the cook would transport the food by trolley to the dinning room. The trolley ran on wooden rails along a covered area to the dining room.

Historical Boondooma Homestead Qld kitchen trolley ran on wooden rails along a covered area to the dining room
Photo: The kitchen Trolley Ran Along Wooden Rails To The Dining Room
Historical Boondooma Homestead Qld kitchen trolley ran on wooden rails along a covered area to the dining room
Photo: The Food Trolley

After a wild storm in 1927 destroyed the cookhouse, the lady of the house Jane Ann Thomson, chose to have a wood burning stove put in a recess in the main house. This stove is on the verandah awaiting restoration.

Buddy, Jane Ann’s grandson, comes to the homestead to do renovations on a multitude of things. He’s apparently in his 80’s but still likes to pop in and work on getting the place fixed up.

Other Boondooma Homestead Building

The post office was established in 1855. The pay for the mailman at the time was $450 a year, a large sum in those days. Walking around the complex you see the old Stone store, cool shed, meat shed and more.

Historic Boondooma Homestead Qld Historic gardens
Photo: One Of The Old Buildings
Boondooma Homestead Qld Historic buildings
Photo: Work Shop
Boondooma Homestead Qld Historic building old fridge and kitchen implements
Photo: Inside One Of The Old Buildings

Old Machinery and cars can be found in the old historic wooden buildings as well as around the property. As you might have gathered from my Silver Wattle Caravan Park – Mount Morgan post, I like old rusty memorabilia at camp sites 😀

Boondooma Homestead Qld Old rusty ute and caravan
Photo: Cool Old Rusty Ute & Van
Boondooma Homestead Qld Old rusty ute car
Photo: History In It’s Cars
Wireless one
Boondooma Homestead Qld Old rusty car
Photo: Hidden History Everywhere

Boondooma Homestead Gardens

If you’re in to gardens or plants you might enjoy a walk around the grounds. Here, you will find grape vines, trees and plants that have been there since the 1850s.

Historic Boondooma Homestead Qld Historic gardens
Photo: The Homestead & Grape Vines

Historic Boondooma Homestead Qld Historic gardens
Photo: The Caretakers Can Show You Around The Gardens Or Walk Around At Your Leisure
Bargain Avenue
Historic Boondooma Homestead Qld Historic gardens
Photo: More Vines By The Homestead

I found the Bottle Tree that was planted in 1930 interesting. In 2000 it appeared to be dying, after some research they found cement had been used successfully to save bottle trees (yes you read that right, Cement!). The inside was found to be rotting, so after cleaning it out, the hole in the tree was filled with concrete. Now, it’s doing well! Chickens are also kept in the gardens which was a nice surprise.

Boondooma Homestead Qld Historic post office building and bottle tree filled with cement to fix it from rotting
Photo: Old Post Office With The Bottle Tree On Left Of Picture
Boondooma Homestead Qld Gardens
Photo: Larry In The Gardens

Boondooma Homestead is the place you go to camp if you like to history, a quiet location, diconnecting from the outside world and star gazing. We paid to stay for 3 days but chose to leave after one night. This was because we had no internet and need it for work. We asked Peter and Dianne if we could pay it forward and let the next campers use our payment. Us leaving had nothing to do with the camp and would 100% stay again.

If you like camping at historical sites like this you might also like Wandoan’s Juandah historical site also in Queensland. Also Oakabella Homestead in WA has camping.

More Information

  • Location : Boondooma
  • Click for Google map location
  • State: QLD
  • Pets: Yes
  • Camp type : Historic Homestead
  • Price : Unpowered sites: single $8 or $15pn for two. Powered site $13 for single or $20pn for two. Cabin accommodation – single $40pn or $66pn twin share. Price correct as of February 2023
  • Water ? : Recommended to bring your own as there is no water to hook up to
  • Power ? : Yes
  • Will suit: All sized vehicles
  • Is it on Wikicamps ?: Yes
  • Drive time to nearby shops: 15 minutes south to Durong
  • WIFI (tested with boost): No reception at all unless near the reception I believe. Caretakers use radios to communicate.
  • Amenities : Toilets, Dump Point
  • Other : History, camp kitchen, dam, heaps of room, friendly caretakers, historic gardens

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