Eblin Drive in Hamilton was formed in the later 1920s as part of another sub development of a large piece of land in this area. Prior to this the house Wunkoo was facing Langside Drive which means when the house was built in the 1860s and for nearly 60 years the front of the house was facing to the south and back over the Hamilton and Bulimba reaches of the Brisbane River. From Langside Drive you can see the view the residents of Wunkoo would have had prior to urbanisation of this ridge. Today Wunkoo is a feature of Eblin Drive. Even though the street consists of a fine range of homes of varying historical architectural styles Wunkoo with its extensive landscaping and immaculate modern presentation is definitely a highlight.
The folowing taken from the Brisbane City Council Heritage Register provides a background to the history of Wunkoo. The link to the complete citation can be found here.
https://heritage.brisbane.qld.gov.au/sites/default/files/citation/wunkoo_821.pdf
'Wunkoo' was originally a low-set, one-storey house constructed in the 1860s. It was probably built for Alfred J.W. Nightingale, an early manager of the Government Savings Bank, who purchased over 13 acres at Hamilton in the 1860s. 'Wunkoo' (allegedly an Aboriginal word mean "high and rocky land") was leased to tenants from the mid-1880s. Mary Brownlow Cole, a former tenant, bought the property in 1919 and added an upper timber storey which was let as a separate flat. This was replaced by a later owner circa 1980.'Wunkoo' is one of the oldest surviving residences in Hamilton and is important in demonstrating Hamilton's emergence in the 1860s as a rural enclave favoured by many of Brisbane's upper class residents.
F. E. Lord in 1931 when writing about Wunkoo in her Brisbane Historic Homes feature articles for The Queenslander newspaper provided a wonderful description in her visit to Wunkoo.
BRISBANE'S HISTORIC HOMES.
LXXXVI.—Wunkoo. See illustrations on page 23.)
By F. E. LORD.
THE aboriginals could say with feeling: "In the years that are gone for ever, in the beautiful days of old, before the white people came and took our country and our freedom from us, what happy times we spent on this wunkoo—high and rocky land— in which the native trees grew thickly and down to the beautiful river." Crescent road now winds its steep way up the once tree covered slope from the main Hamilton road, running by the banks of the still beautiful river; and houses with gardens, in which grow planted trees that have taken the place of the native ones. But up to about 20 years ago there were still many of the native trees growing on the 11 acres surrounding this old stone house with the aboriginal name. The late Mr. Alfred Nightingale, one of the early managers of the old Government Savings Bank, owned the house for many years, but whether it was originally built for him I have not been able to ascertain. I have been told, however, that some interesting and historic people rented it from him at different times after he went to reside at Wynnum. Professor Shelton was one, and Mr. Somerset, who was afterwards appointed Administrator at New Guinea, was another; the E. I. C. Browne family and the J. C. Hassalls were others; and lastly Mrs. Brownlow Cole and her daughter. They lived there as tenants for about five years; then when the estate was cut up about 20 years ago Mrs. Brownlow Cole purchased the old home and one acre of land round it. The house then was as we see it in the older day photographs accompanying this article, with the gable ended, slate covered roof, and the veranda surrounding it on three sides. Being built low to the ground, one is able to step off any part of the veranda on to the lawn. There was a room at each end of the veranda, and a veranda at the back of the house. In the course of converting the upper part of Wunkoo into a flat with-in recent years Mrs. Brownlow Cole built above this veranda, as can be seen in the photograph showing the back of the house and the kitchen. She had a balcony erected in front, and a porch on to the veranda below. In the matching of these additions at the back which mainly comprise a kitchenette and a bathroom and the balcony the centre part of the slant-ing roof was raised. The staircase was removed from the hall to the north-east end of the ver-anda to now reach the upper part of Wunkoo; and in place of the veranda room there a porch was built with a Gothic arch and doors to fit into it, and an upper story to it with a large opening in its eastern side. As all these additions are of wood and cover ed with corrugated iron, Wunkoo now, from the front, has a very quaint appearance.
THE original old brick kitchen, with its red-tiled floor and its concrete floored veranda, has not been altered, I understand, beyond the end of the veranda being widened. The stables, coachhouse, and other out-buildings were situated somewhere to the back of Wunkoo and in the vicinity of what is now Eblin drive. The present laundry was added by Mrs. Bronlow Cole to the back of the kit-chen. The maid's room opens off the inner end of the kitchen, and its window on to a most delightful nook between the laundry and the house, overhung with a flowering creeper run riot. The old kitchen itself is very pic-turesque with creepers climbing round its veranda posts and festooning them-selves along the edge of its roof, pot plants about the veranda, and its brick walls painted red. Beyond the end of the kitchen, in the shadow of a magnificent chestnut tree, now in flower and frequented by birds, is a delightful enclosure, in which are growing, en masse, ferns, lilies, and other plants that flourish in the shade.
FROM the wide end of the kitchen veranda, where a table and chairs denote that a semi alfresco cup of tea is often partaken of there in the summer time, one steps immediately into this green enclosure. Charming beds of flowers edge the back veranda of the house and help to make beautiful other parts of the back garden of Wunkoo. Mrs. Brownlow Cole sold all the frontage to Langside-street, which runs off Crescent-road, so she now uses the back gate, which opens into Eblin drive. On this side of the house is a beautiful jacaranda and a flame tree both now in flower and others. In almost the centre of the photo-graph showing the old kitchen and the back of the house can be seen a rock-surrounded flower bed. Beneath this is the old well, from which, up to al-most recent years, water for the use of the house was pumped, and still may be. One old pump is to be seen by the wall of the house round the
corner of the south side, and the other one, with pot plants on shelves peep-ing over it on each side, helps to keep up the old-time aspect of the kitchen veranda. The lower floor of the main house comprises the long divided room so often mentioned, which takes up the right hand side as one enters from the front, and a door from each part opens into the hall, which extends through the house. Across the hall are two rooms, the principal bedroom in front and the present dining room behind it. Each contains a fireplace with a white marble mantelpiece in the former room and a wooden one in the latter. The whole of the large room opposite, from which the dividing doors have long since been removed, Mrs. Brownlow Cole uses as a lounge. The sides and top of the opening, into which the folding doors fitted are evidently of stone, like the walls, and nearly 2ft. in thickness. The walls of these three main rooms are papered. The southern end of the veranda now is mostly filled in by a room added by Mrs. Brownlow Cole, I believe and at its end is the original end veranda room, which is the bathroom. The flat upstairs consists of two large rooms, the balcony, and the utility rooms at the back.
MRS. BROWNLOW COLE is a sister of the late Mrs. Patrick Perkins, one of whose homes, Aubigny, on North Quay, now called Loretto, was written up early in this year. Mrs. Brownlow Cole's first husband was her sister's brother-in-law, Mr. Tom Perkins. Mr. Brownlow Cole was a Devonshire man, and after his marriage to the widow of Mr. Tom Perkins he took her to England, where, in the historic town of Oxford, her one child—Miss Nell Cole—was born. Reminders of Mrs. Brownlow Cole's travels are to be seen about the comfortable rooms in the shape, chiefly, of china pieces; some charming bits were obtained at Malta. In his book, "A Journalist's Memories," Major-Ceneral Spencer Browne says that "Mrs. (Patrick) Perkins was a charming woman, and Mrs. Brownlow Cole is her beautiful and no less charming sister." And to this I may add that she is kindly, warm hearted, and most hospitable. Major-General Spencer Browne says that Mr. Night-ingale joined the Savings Bank service in 1860, and that he was one of the authorities on the early days and a pioneer of Humpybong. Mr. Eyles Irwin Caulfield Browne, he states, was a reader and thinker, and lived at Kingsholme, New Farm, "a delightful place." That historic home, mentioned by Mr. Jeremiah Bartley in his "Opals and Agates," now is demolished, but its vicinity is known as Kingsholme. Mr. E. I. C. Browne was a member of the Legislative Council, and one of the proprietors of the "Courier," and his wife was a sister of the first wife of the late Mr. Justice Harding, whose fine old granite home, St. John's Wood, at Ashgrove, was written up in the early part of these reminiscences. Members of the well-known old Has-sall family have lived in various parts of Brisbane. The associations of this fascinating, old stone home, Wunkoo, therefore, are all historic, and even with its modern additions there is no mistaking its old-time build. Not much more than a peep of the river can now be obtained from Wunkoo, on account of the large trees that have grown to maturity in the gardens of the homes below, but the sun still "comes to call each morning, like a friend across the way," quite early.
In the late 19th century Wunkoo was used as a tennancy and was occupied by some very interesting people until purchased by Mary Brownlow Cole in 1919. She had been a tennant but decided to purchase the property.
The Brisbane Courier Saturday November 7, 1896
At The Hamilton, on Langside-road, Wunkoo, splendid Stone House, now occupied by Professor Shelton, containing eight rooms, kitchen, servant's room, bathroom, &c, with stables and coachhouse, good garden and a large area land. Apply Cameron Bros., Town Hall.
One of the tennants of Wunkoo was Professor Shelton who came to Brisbane in 1889 to assist the Queensland colonial government in the development of the agricultural industry. He stayed for a number of years and as you will read left a lasting legacy to this day.
Professor Shelton
The Brisbane Courier Thursday August 29, 1889
Some short time since the Government asked the Department of Agriculture of the United States to nominate a gentleman for the position of Instructor in Agriculture for Queensland. A letter was received on Monday last from the Department of Agriculture, Washington, U.S.A., highly recommending Professor E. M. Shelton, M.Sc, director and professor at the experiment station, Kansas State Agricultural College, for the appointment. The Government, acting on its recommendation, have appointed Professor Shelton for a period of three years at a salary of £750 per annum. A cable message announcing the appointment will be despatched to Professor Shelton forthwith.
Professor Shelton played a vital role in Queensland's early agricultural industry and his Queensland legacy is the establishment of the Agricultural College at Gatton. He was the first principal of the college. The obituary below provides a brief synopsis of his life.
Queensland Times Friday 11th May 1928
E. M. SHELTON. DEATH ANNOUNCED. NOTED AGRICULTURIST.
(Australlan Press Association.) SEATTLE, May 9. Professor E. M. Shelton, whom the United States sent to Queensland in 1890 as agricultural adviser, is dead, Professor Shelton was born In 1847. (The late Professor Edward Mason Shelton. was born in England, and went to America when a child. From an early age he took great interest.in agricultural matters, and for a period held a Government position in Japan. Returning to America, he inaugurated the Kansas Agricultural College at Manhattan, Kansas, and when he left that Institution in 1889, it had more than 500 students. He was appointed first Instructor in Agriculture in Queensland on January 15, 1890, and held that position until July 1, 1897, when he became the first Principal of the Queensland Agricultural College at Gatton. He resighed from that position in 1898, and commenced business in Brisbane with Mr. Robert Brown as Messrs, Shelton and Brown, machinery agents. Subsequently he returned to the United States, and settled in Seattle. His family are all American. Mrs. Shelton, was noted as a lecturer In domestic science.
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