Historic Pinjarra homestead Old Blythewood entered on heritage register

21/5/96

One of the most significant historic buildings in the Murray district has been placed on the State Register of Heritage Places.

Heritage Minister Richard Lewis said the historic Pinjarra homestead, Old Blythewood, was built in the mid-nineteenth century and had close links to the pioneering McLarty family.

Mr Lewis said the McLarty family were well-known pioneers of the Murray district, were early participants in the Kimberley pastoral industry and prominent in State politics for nearly 70 years.

"John McLarty, the founder of Blythewood, arrived in Western Australia with his wife, Mary Anne, in 1839," he said.

"Within five years they had taken up a 15-year lease on 90 acres near Dandalup and they soon established themselves as one of the prominent families in the area.

"They took a leading role in a variety of commercial and community activities and John McLarty became known as a farmer, grazier, publican and building contractor.

"Mary-Anne was the district's first postmistress and held the position for many years."

Mr Lewis said McLarty and his sons developed a wide-ranging cattle business on Blythewood and in the early 1880s pioneered the Kimberley pastoral industry. Cattle from the Kimberley were fattened on the Blythewood property.

Two of the sons became members of State Parliament and a grandson, Sir William McLarty, was State Premier from 1947 to 1953.

The McLarty family's link with Blythewood began in 1856 when John McLarty bought the land and commenced construction of the buildings which still remained today.

The Pinjarrah Arms Hotel was established at Blythewood when the family moved there from Dandalup in the early 1860s.

The pub licence remained until the mid-1890s when a new hotel was built north of the Murray River.

Descendants of the original McLarty family gifted Blythewood to the National Trust in 1972.

The surviving buildings included a Flemish bond brick and shingle house, a Flemish brick and iron kitchen block, a number of 19th century farm outbuildings and some other buildings from the 1920s.

Mr Lewis said Blythewood was the centre of the McLarty family's wide range of domestic, commercial and civic activities, including the family home, the farm, the pub and the post office.

"As a staging inn, Old Blythewood played a significant role in the provision of refreshment and place of rest for travellers," he said.

"The property was one of the most renowned farms in the South-West and provides an important historical link with the settlement of the Murray district.

"The importance of Old Blythewood is shown by the local community's involvement in its conservation and ongoing management."

Mr Lewis said Old Blythewood, built in the Old Colonial Georgian style, was generally in sound condition and retained a high degree of authenticity.

Media contact: Bronwyn Hillman 222 9595 or 221 1377