Country Homes: Mountive Homestead at Ramsay evolves into bed and breakfast and wedding venue

A winding driveway about 10 minutes from the small Darling Downs town greets visitors as they turn off the bitumen road.

Lush green grass, a lightning-fast hare and chickens roaming freely in the front yard sum up the peaceful surroundings.

As well as a picturesque setting, the historic property offers views across the district as as well as clean air and the sight of cattle grazing happily.

However, the classic-style weatherboard house was nearly lost before it had a chance to become entrenched in Darling Downs history.

After being purchased by the Bebbington family on January 26, 1896, the family home was consumed by fire just six months later.

Under the same circumstances today, rebuilding may take many months or years, however as the then-owner William Bebbington commented in his diary, dealing with the insurance company was easy and the homestead, as it is today, was rebuilt just six months later.

Since then, four generations of the Bebbington family have called Mountview home, including current owners Ian and Katrina Bebbington.

"I remember my great aunt told a story about the night it burned down, she remembered it vividly because it was the middle of winter and they were stuck outside in the freezing cold," Mr Bebbington said.

"You can just imagine how cold it must have been because even now the winters are pretty chilly, but within a few hours the community rallied around them and donated what they could to keep them going, which is something I can still picture happening today.

"At the time, there was no other house on the block, so they had nothing to live in, but by the end of 1896, they were back living in this house.

"My great grandfather, who was the Member for Drayton for a while until the seat was disbanded, mentioned how good the insurance company was to deal with, which I find fascinating because I wouldn't have thought insurance companies would have even existed by that point."

Read Also:

The walls of the four-bedroom, one-bathroom homestead not only encapsulate the style of the late 1890s but recall the history of the Bebbington family throughout the four generations that have lived on the 650 acre property.

Many photographs adorn the walls of the home detailing various family milestones, including Sunday school picnics under tents, a ride in one of the family's first cars, and relatives returning from war.

"I think one of the most iconic photos has to be of my great-uncle Fred, who my father was named after and who was a partner with my grandfather in the farm," Mr Bebbington said.

"He served in the Light Horse during WWI and returned to work the land alongside my grandfather.

"However, he was tragically killed in a car accident near Jondaryan in the mid-1960s.

"I still remember him even now because he was quite a character in that every time he would come around he would always pinch my cheeks and things like that."

All four bedrooms open onto a sweeping large timber verandah, which wraps around the home.

The classic Queenslander-style verandah allows visitors to take in the beautiful views of the eastern escarpment of the Great Dividing Range.

Also high on the list of attractions the homestead offers is a formal lounge room complete with the Bebbington family's original dining room chairs.

Being the fourth generation to live on the property is something Mr Bebbington holds dearly as he aspires to put his own stamp on Mountview's legacy.

"I didn't actually grow up in this house because my dad, before I was born, had drawn a solder's settlement block near Warwick before eventually making his way to Emerald where I was born," he said.

"However, when I was about 14 years old, my dad came back to help my grandfather and I've pretty much been here ever since."

Download QCL's new app today!

In more recent times, the property, which is home to the Mountview Charolais stud as well as the Bebbington's commercial cattle herd, has had its story shaped by one of the worst droughts on record.

Faced with increasingly dry conditions, Ian and Katrina decided to think outside the box to find an alternative source of income.

"After Ian's father Fred passed away about six years ago we set about renovating the homestead and moving in," Ms Bebbington said.

"Unfortunately the drought hit and it blew that idea right out of the water, but the renovations were probably about half done and we thought it was silly to leave it that way, so we set about finishing it off and getting some income out of it.

"Then we came up with the idea of using it as a BnB and we thought if we could get some guests every so often it would really help us along.

"However, we were shocked at the demand for people wanting to stay here and the idea of moving in was pretty much shelved in favour of keeping it as a BnB."

Ms Bebbington reflected on one of the worst droughts the region has ever seen, saying keeping the stud cattle herd intact was a top priority.

"The drought was really biting hard and I don't think there was anyone that wasn't feeling the pinch in some form or another," she said.

"We were able to source some hay throughout, but it became harder and harder as well as more expensive.

"But we wanted to make sure we hung on to our stud Charolais herd and see them through, so we had to start thinking outside the box the little bit."

About 15 minutes by car from Toowoomba, Mountview Homestead is situated perfectly for many city folk looking to escape to the country as it a convenient two-hour drive down the New England Highway from Brisbane.

Since making that call in 2019, the property has been a hot spot for travellers from across the state as well couples looking to tie the knot.

This has been thanks in large part to the Bebbington's decision to renovate the property's existing barn into The Ironbark Barn, which has already played host to a number of memorable parties.

"When we first started using it as a BnB, quite a few people had mentioned to us that we should use the barn as function venue, especially for weddings," Ms Bebbington said.

"The interest was certainly there, especially from couples from more metropolitan areas like Ipswich, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

"We did up the barn to extend the covered area, created a built-in bar and made sure it was easy for each party to configure the space however they wanted to.

"As well as the barn, a lot of wedding parties have also booked out the homestead for the wedding party to stay in, which has been a really popular aspect of the property."

Currently, the Bebbingtons are back living in the homestead but are soon hoping to once again welcome visitors.

"We actually sold the old cottage that used to be here and are now building a new house in its place," Mr Bebbington said.

"For the time being, we are living in the homestead until the new house is built.

"We're hoping that it should be finished some time in the new year and we are looking forward to welcoming people back.

"From there, it will go back to being a BnB as well as wedding accommodation.

"Since we started, our aim has been to provide a peaceful and relaxing stay with a real taste of rustic authentic farm life.

"We're really looking forward to keeping that going once all of the renovations are done to our new place and we are able to welcome people back."

While the scenery may not have changed much on the rolling hills of Ramsay since the 1890s, it would be fair to say Mountview has evolved into a place to experience and for couples to celebrate the best day of their lives.

Much like in those early days, lush green grass, a lightning-fast hare, grazing cattle and freely roaming chickens greet visitors who make the journey to the Darling Downs to experience Mountview.