Stonehouse at Moore needs more work for 150th birthday

Built in 1874 by stonemasons and reportedly blown up with dynamite by a previous owner in the 1960s, Stonehouse at Moore in the Brisbane Valley has been slowly restored by John and Loretta Eastwood since buying it in 2019, but much more is needed.

"We want to rebuild the old inn into what it used to be, because the buildings have been such a major part of the history out here," Mr Eastwood said.

"It really deserves to be what it was so that people can appreciate the history of it. It's been very neglected over the years and rumour has it one of the previous owners actually blew it up, back in the day when you could buy dynamite."

'Stonehouse' is a group of three stone buildings on the D'Aguilar Highway, formerly part of the old coach road between Esk and Nanango.

It has associations with several generations of the Williams family, who emigrated from Gloucestershire to Queensland as an extended family group in the early 1870s.

Charles and Frank Williams constructed the building, with Frank later becoming a notable monumental mason.

Behind the inn is a detached kitchen and pantry. The store and butcher's shop is set further back on the site and about 25 metres away from the kitchen. One metre behind the store is a large modern metal shed in the position once occupied by the smithy and fowl yards.

Mr Eastwood said a full restoration was a long shot, but with the help of Brisbane Valley Heritage Trails and subgroup Friends of Stonehouse, it could be done.

"It's going to take a few years. Because it's heritage listed, it's pretty hard at the moment. We've got work pending, but the stonemasons are all that flat out catching up with work from COVID and the rain's obviously slowed them all down as well," he said.

"The blowing up of it has really done the damage. It's going to take quite a bit of money and time to get it to where it needs to be."

Mr Eastwood said one story was that the previous owner approached council for funding in the 1960s because the unstable building was an accident waiting to happen. When they refused, he blew it up.

Another story goes that when Stonehouse was being considered for heritage listing, he blew it up so he didn't have to deal with all the issues that would arise with such a listing.

"It's a very, very intriguing story. The more you read into it, the more questions it raises," Mr Eastwood said.

"Back then, Queensland was like the Wild West and nobody seems to give it that sort of appreciation to what it was really like."

One of the main ways they are raising funds is through their private tours and annual open days, which are on July 23 and 24.

This year's open days feature music, bush poetry, historical talks and markets, and the pair are hoping to beat previous crowds of 500.

"This is the third year we've done it and each year it seems to be growing and getting more and more popular."

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