Booloominbah (1888 - 1933)

Built for Frederick Robert White and his family in 1888, Booloominbah is situated on the outskirts of Armidale in northern New South Wales. It was not a station in its own right, but served as the administrative headquarters for White’s pastoral enterprises at Harben Vale, Murrurundi, and Rockwood, near Uralla. The homestead was designed by the eminent nineteenth-century architect, John Horbury Hunt, whose plans for Booloominbah included all the trappings of what was then known as ‘a gentleman’s house’; an imposing façade, drawing, smoking and billiards rooms, a nursery, conservatory and servants’ quarters. FR White died at Booloominbah in 1903, but his widow, Sarah, lived on there for another thirty years. When she too died in 1933, the contents were sold and Booloominbah left empty. Fearing that the great house might deteriorate if it remained unoccupied, TR Forster, who had married the Whites’ eldest daughter, Kate, in 1890, purchased the property and donated it to the University of Sydney to establish the New England University College (1938). Booloominbah is now the administrative hub of the University of New England.

Full Note:

Related Bodies:
New England University College
University of New England

Related People:
(John) Horbury Hunt
White Family

References:
Bruce Mitchell, House on the Hill. Booloominbah: Home and University, 1888–1988 (Armidale: University of New England, 1988).