Canberra

James Carseldine’s large block remained intact until 1887, when two small subdivisions were transferred to his brother, Joseph Carseldine (32 perches) and to Robert Day (1 rood, 1.3 perches). The northern railway reached Bald Hills in 1888, when James lost another 3.3 perches, resumed by the Commissioner for Railways. The arrival of the railway brought change to the district, making it easier for settlers to reach and live in the area. 

Between 1890 and 1902, James further subdivided his land and disposed of other smaller blocks. On 22 June 1901, Joseph Carseldine’s son, Arthur Wesley Carseldine, born in 1880, obtained title to 1 rood and 24 perches. Arthur married Ethel Tucker on 18 June 1902. It was a double wedding, with Rose Tucker, Ethel’s sister, marrying Mr. A. Stewart, the youngest son of another Bald Hills pioneer, John Stewart. A short time afterwards, Arthur obtained a mortgage for £75 on his land from the Commonwealth Bank. This loan is likely to have gone towards paying for the construction of a house on Arthur’s land. 

The Carseldine family history records that Jim Young, a local building contractor, built four adjoining houses of differing designs. This included his own home ‘Dresden’ as well as this house for Arthur Carseldine. ‘Canberra’ was built in the style of the time with separation between the verandah and main house roofs and a brick chimney that was connected to the lounge room fireplace, the kitchen’s wood stove and the laundry’s copper boiler. The house at 2167 Gympie Road was completed by 1903, with Arthur W. Carseldine listed at his Bald Hills address in the 1903 edition of the Queensland Post Office Directories. Ethel and Arthur’s new home at 2167 Gympie Road remained the family home for the birth of at least four, of their eight, children. Later, Arthur is said to have had a larger home built on a neighbouring block, much of which is now the pre-school, and moved into it in 1921. Various members of the Carseldine family owned the land that was amalgamated into the school reserve in 1975 and a large house can be seen on the block in the 1946 aerial photos.

As a child, Arthur W. Carseldine was awarded a prestigious Grammar School scholarship, after successfully competing in the scholarship exams held on 15 and 16 December 1891. He served part-time in a Queensland Light Horse regiment and was invited to participate in the Honour Guard provided for the opening of the first Australian Parliament. He sat astride his own horse, named ‘Lucky’, at the opening ceremony that was held at the Melbourne Exhibition Building on 9 May 1901. This was obviously an important event for him and he named his house ‘Canberra’ in honour of the site selected for the new Commonwealth’s capital.

In 1904, Arthur Carseldine established a business as a fruit and produce merchant and was one of the prime movers in establishing the Brisbane Markets. He became a judge in the fruit sections of agricultural shows, and was president of the Pine Rivers Show Society for a number of years. He was a local campaigner for improved railway services and ran charity drives, including an ‘eggs for hospitals’ drive. He served in the Australian Light Horse in World War I and was a mainstay of the local Methodist Church. At the Bald Hills Centenary celebrations in 1957, he had the distinction of being the district’s oldest surviving resident.

Arthur’s Uncle James had been instrumental in donating the land and then building the Methodist Church at Bald Hills. Arthur continued the family tradition of service to the local Methodism – he was a lay preacher and Circuit Steward and Sunday School Superintendent for many years. An article about the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Bald Hills Methodist Church stated:

“Even a short sketch of the history of the church would not be complete if mention was not made of the name of Mr. Arthur Carseldine, who, as secretary of trustees, superintendant of Sunday School, and local preacher, has rendered yeoman service.”1

In 1943, the house and land was transferred to Arthur and Ethel’s son, Maurice Arthur Carseldine. In 1950, the property’s ownership changed from the Carseldines to the Kundes, also a district farming family.  

As close local descendants of the pioneering Carseldine family, Arthur and Ethel Carseldine were given prominence in the 1957 Bald Hills Centenary celebrations. The Carseldine family celebrated the centenary of its contribution to Bald Hills in 1958. Arthur and Ethel Carseldine hosted the 610 family members who gathered together at Bald Hills to commemorate the arrival of William Carseldine in the district and the subsequent history of the family. Arthur Carseldine was feted as a local identity by The Telegraph newspaper in 1965, when he was identified and interviewed as Bald Hills’ oldest resident. Arthur was 85 at the time of his newspaper interview but passed away in September 1965.

The Kunde family sold ‘Canberra” to Joan and Clifford Hartley in 1969. The Harleys subdivided the property into Lots 1 and 2 in 1971 and retained a 35.2 perch block that included ‘Canberra’. They further subdivided the property, selling a new Lot 2 to Leonard Thompson in 1974. This left them with Lot 5, an 868 square metre property that contained ‘Canberra’. The property has since had a number of owners.

The building presents a symmetrical elevation to the street, with a central staircase and entrance. The verandah has timber posts with decorative brackets and the balustrades have metal lacework, not unlike the original. Internally most internal walls remain although the rooms, particularly the kitchen have been modernised.

1. “Bald Hills Church”, The Brisbane Courier, 9 June 1923, p.18

2. Brisbane City Council. Property Records

3. Brisbane City Council, 1946 & 2009 aerial photographs

4. Shaw, B. (comp.), Bald Hills Heritage Tour (Brisbane: Brisbane History Group, 1993)

5. Department of Natural Resources, Queensland Certificates of Title and other records

6. Queensland Post Office Directories, 1868-1949

7. "Family Notices”, The Brisbane Courier, 5 July 1902

8. "A.W. Carseldine”, Queensland Country Life, 1 June 1910

9. "Bald Hills Church”, The Brisbane Courier, 9 June 1923

10. "The Bribie Drowning Tragedies”, The Brisbane Courier, 10 April 1920

11. "General News – Grammar School Scholarships”, The Queenslander, 23 January 1892

12. "Cobb’s coaches gave Bald Hills its first lift”, The Telegraph, 12 June 1965