View over Lake Wivenhoe from Caboonbah Homestead

Esk (and Coominya)
A pretty historic town within easy reach of Brisbane.
Located 110 km north-west of Brisbane and 70 km from Ipswich, Esk is one of those pleasant, green, leafy and historic towns which, although gracious and stylish, appears to be little more than a main street and a few houses. It nestles under Glen Rock and Mt Esk on the Brisbane Valley Highway.

In fact Esk is the gateway to a region full of hidden delights. The town has a number of interesting historic buildings in an area which boasts the remarkable and elegant Bellevue and Caboonbah Homesteads.

The area was settled by European pastoralists in the 1840s after the New South Wales Government had opened up the land around the penal colony at Moreton Bay. One of the first settlers established the huge Wivenhoe run in the 1840s. It was here that the remarkable Bellevue Homestead was built in 1893 after the original pise residence had been destroyed by floods.

Free settlers moved in during the 1850s and 1860s.

Things to see:  

212 Ipswich Street, Esk - a superb example of early architecture in the area

Buildings in Esk
Esk boasts a number of interesting National Trust buildings. The Club Hotel (225 Ipswich Street), with its cast-iron balustrades and gracious verandahs, is considered a typical example of a Queensland country hotel.

Nearby is a delightful timber house (212 Ipswich Street) which stands out against the other buildings on the street. Constructed by the brothers who owned the Esk sawmill it has a superb corrugated iron hipped roof with a verandah that is a showpiece for the joinery skills of the time.

Further down the road (160 Ipswich Street) is the old Esk Record building. With its distinctive gabled roof and overhanging verandah it is listed as a fine example of small commercial premises in a Queensland country town. It is now a real estate office and second-hand shop.

At the southern end of the main street are the unusually named St Mel's Roman Catholic Church (surely one of the most unusually named saints ever), the beautiful old Staging Post Inn, which is both a guest house and a restaurant, St Agnes' Church of England (1920), and the Anglican Rectory (1884) which has been recently restored.

Caboonbah Homestead
North of Esk, at MS 336 Somerset Dam Road (i.e., the Esk-Kilcoy Road), in Toogoolawah, is Caboonbah Homestead, once owned by the politician Henry Plantagenet Somerset. The homestead was built in 1890, operated as a guest house from 1935-1962, was a private residence from 1962 until 1973 when it was resumed by the Queensland Premier's Department as part of the Wivenhoe Dam project. It was later transferred to the Brisbane and Area Water Board and is now the headquarters of the Brisbane Valley Historical Society. Situated on top of a hill it enjoys superb views which, since the building of the Wivenhoe Dam, have included the lake created by the flooded valley below.

The Historical Society are developing the area around the homestead, and have established an important local folk museum collection, including the recently acquired McGrath Cottage. The museum is open every day except Thursday. For details tel: (07) 5423 1553.

Bellevue Homestead
One of the area's first settlers established the huge Wivenhoe run in the 1840s. It was here that the remarkable Bellevue Homestead was built in 1893 after the original pise residence had been destroyed by floods. Originally located on the banks of the Brisbane River it was moved some kilometres to Coominya in 1975 when the site was flooded by the Wivenhoe Dam. The building was once occupied by George Taylor and his wife in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Important members of Queensland society, the Taylors hosted numerous parties at the home. Their guests included King Edward VIII (when he was the Prince of Wales) and General Birdwood. The large rooms, unusual pressed metal ceilings, and beautiful cedar panelling all combine to make Bellevue a particularly interesting example of Queensland vernacular architecture. It is in fact two houses connected by verandahs. Located opposite the Coominya railway station, in Railway St, it is now owned and run by the National Trust of Queensland who open it from 10 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., Thursday to Monday. For further details contact (07) 5586 4209.

	Tourist Information
	Esk Visitor Infrmation Centre 82 Ipswich St Esk QLD 4321 Telephone: (07) 5424 2923
	Motels
	Esk Motel 93 Ipswich St Esk QLD 4321 Telephone: (07) 5424 1289 Rating: **
	Glenn Rocks Motel 81 Brisbane Valley Hwy Esk QLD 4321 Telephone: (07) 5424 1304 Rating: ***
	New Wivenhoe Motel 2 Highland Rd Esk QLD 4321 Telephone: (07) 5424 1677 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	The Grand Hotel 121 Ipswich St Esk QLD 4321 Telephone: (07) 5424 1141
	Cottages & Cabins
	The Lake House on Somerset Stanley Pocket Rd, Lake Somerset via Esk QLD 4321 Telephone: (07) 5426 0130 Facsimile: (07) 5426 0120 Email: thelakehouse@gil.com.au Rating: ****1/2
	Caravan Parks
	Esk Caravan Park 26 Hassell St Esk QLD 4321 Telephone: (07) 5424 1466 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Esk Cottage Restaurant 179 Ipswich St Esk QLD 4321 Telephone: (07) 5424 2100
	Monika's Restaurant Biarra Rd Esk QLD 4321 Telephone: (07) 5424 1154
	Staging Post Inn 112 Ipswich St Esk QLD 4321 Telephone: (07) 5424 1319
	Wivenhoe Dam Restaurant Wivenhoe Dam Esk QLD 4321 Telephone: (07) 5426 7305