• History

    Art

    Music

    Beef Cattle Grazing,

    Heritage Homestead,

    Gallery,

    2017 GAMA Award Winner and

    Event Venue

     

  • 140th Weekend Highlights

    A stunning wrap-up of a fabulous weekend to celebrate Kilburnie's Anniversary!

    Thankyou Matt Williams Photo+Video for creating such epic content for Kilburnie :)

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  • Where We Are

    • Located in the Banana Shire, in Queensland, Australia, the 140yr old property is a unique place. Yes, it's a cattle station. But there's more. A fascinating collection of art and historic material has been amassed at Kilburnie for the past century, and now it is time to shed light on this amazing legacy. In early 2017 the Homestead was opened to the public for the first time, and since then we have welcomed around 2000 visitors to Kilburnie.
    • Kilburnie hosts public Open Days each year, with changing exhibitions of Art and History. (See What's On) Every Open Day we also welcome local musicians to perform in the Homestead. Open Day entry is usually by donation, or if you plan to book a group tour and lunch contact us for pricing. We also fund-raise for the R.F.D.S. and are committed to supporting local artists and businesses, in honour of the late Ruby Campbell.
    • The Homestead is 25km from the local town of Biloela, and 15km from the village of Jambin, 100km from Gladstone, and 140km from Rockhampton. We are easily found on the Argoon Kilburnie Road, and are certainly regional, but definitely NOT remote! 4WDs are welcome, but not necessary!

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    • We offer guided tours of the main homestead, outbuildings, burial sites, and gallery.
    • Multimedia displays help tell the story of Kilburnie and the Campbell family.
    • Live blacksmithing displays and horse and buggy rides at some Open Days (see What's On)
    • Plenty of parking space and limited wheelchair access to the ground-floor areas.
    • Light refreshments are available to purchase on Open Days and there are shaded seating and eating areas throughout the grounds.
    • We have toilet facilities and are child-friendly.

    Pictured above: Stationhands Mal and Shane working on our 2017 Australia Day Fencing project.

  • Kilburnie History Book

    & 140th Magazine

    Buy here!

    Kilburnie Publications!

    Kilburnie Publications!

    A$13.00 - A$60.00
    Our long-awaited book; 'Kilburnie - 140 years in a Timeless Country' is available for purchase until stock runs out!
    $60AUD - LIMIT OF ONE COPY PER ORDER!
    Limited edition - each one signed and numbered by the authors.
    Approx 100 pages in length, A4 (landscape) size hardcover.
    Full colour photographs and lots of interesting Kilburnie history inside.
    Please be advised that this is a heavy item so postage and packing will be $20

    ALSO AVAILABLE: Limited Edition Kilburnie 140 Magazine featuring cover art by Brandon Butler (GABA Art)
    32 beautiful glossy pages of photos, articles and recollections of Kilburnie. A great add-on to the Hardcover Book.
    (Magazine price includes shipping so be sure to select "free shipping" for magazines only.)


    View more details...
    Select
    Quantity
    Coming soon
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    What's On

     

    Our 140th Anniversary Weekend is over - watch this space for future Events!

     

     

     

     

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    Follow our Facebook Page to stay updated:

     

    https://www.facebook.com/HistoryArtMusicBananaShire/

     

     

     

     

  • History

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    Early days...

    The beginning of the story... 1870 - 1943

    Kilburnie was established as a pastoral property in 1883 by John and Elizabeth Campbell, who had emigrated to Queensland, Australia, from Ireland in 1870. They had been working on Dumgree Station, near Gladstone in Central Qld, but were keen to obtain land of their own. The first lease for Kilburnie was for 10 000 acres. The Campbell family had nine children (eight survived into adulthood) and in the early days of Kilburnie all the children were active helpers on the property. The family bred draught horses, and eventually introduced the first Hereford cattle to the area. As the children grew up and got married they moved on to new lives, but one daughter, Ruby (a gifted artist), stayed on at Kilburnie, eventually inheriting the property when her father John passed away in 1943. (Image; Elizabeth and John Campbell).

    Beryl Campbell (l) and Ruby Campbell (r)

    Kilburnie today...

    The story continues: 1940 - 2018...

    Although Ruby Campbell never married there were always plenty of visitors to Kilburnie; her many nieces and nephews would often come to stay with her and she was very active in promoting the arts in Central Qld, lobbying for galleries to be established in Rockhampton and Biloela. When the time came to pass on her beloved Kilburnie in 1977, she left it to her niece Heather Stewart (nee Campbell). Heather kept the property going through difficult times following Ruby's passing, and it was always her vision that one day Kilburnie Homestead could be opened to the public, and the amazing collection of history and art that has been amassed here could be appreciated.

    A fourth generation descendant of John and Elizabeth Campbell, Heather's daughter Fiona, and her family, are now bringing this vision to reality. (Image; Beryl and Ruby Campbell)

  • Art

    Beauty in the Bush

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    Etchings

    Exquisite detail in Black & White

    Kilburnie is the birthplace and former home of Ruby Martin Campbell (1888 - 1977), a significant Central Qld artist. Among her most notable works is the collection of black and white etchings she created during the 1930's.

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    Pyrography

    Marks of fire

    Ruby Campbell's artistic legacy also includes a very beautiful collection of designs burned into timber furniture. As you wander through the Homestead you will encounter Pyrographic designs inspired by myth and legend. 

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    Paintings

    An extensive collection of Works

    The Kilburnie Homestead art collection is home to a great variety of paintings in various mediums by Ruby Campbell and many other artists, both local and national, including a number of works by the late Geoffrey Bardon, A.M.

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    1888 - 1977

    Artist, Pastoralist, Philanthropist

  • Music

    Live performances by local musicians in the Homestead gardens.

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    Saxophonic & Friends

    Reviving Classic Music

    We are fortunate to have a wealth of talented local musicians in the area! Kilburnie is committed to supporting these amazing performers, and when the Homestead is open, we host performances of vocal and instrumental music for our guests.

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    Smoko and Songs

    Eat, Drink and be Merry

    Sit back and enjoy the performances with a cup of complimentary tea or coffee (light refreshments are available to purchase as well). There's plenty of room to relax in the Homestead's extensive grounds.

  • Contact Us

    Don't be afraid to reach out. We'd like to hear from you!

    Argoon Kilburnie Road, Callide, Queensland
    Open to the public April - Aug (see What's On for more details).
    0438093019
  • TEAM

    Find us here: 531 Argoon Kilburnie Road,

    Callide, Queensland, AUSTRALIA

     Photo credit: Leonardo Flaiban via Visual hunt / CC BY-ND

    Heather Stewart

    Owner of Kilburnie Homestead

    Without Heather's vision and determination, Kilburnie would not be here today. Sadly Heather passed away in September 2022. We plan to keep her legacy alive at Kilburnie.

    Photo credit: Robert Bejil Productions via VisualHunt / CC BY

    The Musicians

    Allan, Del, Naomi, (pictured)

    Also... Les, Maggie, Fiona, Ron, Genevieve, Debbie....

    Photo credit: Robert Bejil Productions via VisualHunt / CC BY

    The Curators

    Fiona & Maggie

    We love cataloging, curating, and researching our collection.... and taking selfies!

    Photo credit: Robert Bejil Productions via VisualHunt / CC BY

    The Stationhands

    Although the crew has changed a bit lately, you'll still find friendly faces around the ridges here.

    Photo credit: Robert Bejil Productions via VisualHunt / CC BY

    The Blacksmiths

    Working with Iron and Fire in the Kilburnie Blacksmith's Shed

    Photo credit: Robert Bejil Productions via VisualHunt / CC BY

    The Volunteers

    Pictured; Len Neale.

    Running a museum takes a lot of willing workers!

    Photo credit: Robert Bejil Productions via VisualHunt / CC BY

    The Cats

    Pictured; Jack and Mowse.

    Kilburnie is home to a variety of animals, but the ones most likely to be spotted by visitors are the cats...