1865, The Queensland Land Alienation Act. The name struck dread into the hearts of some, but sparked opportunity and dreams for many more. Squatters, who had selected vast Station Runs in the 1840s, were now compelled to give up half their land to make way for the settlers, and thereby ensure the development of the whole.
The squatters kept the prime land for themselves, but the flood of settlers who made their way to the district forged farms and cottages from a raw landscape. The Logan River was a natural highway for the settlers, many taking up land at Waterford, others travelling to Logan Village by boat and then coming on by dray.
The Milbanks family came to the Kerry district about 1874. They faced the age-old dilemma, what do you do first – build a house for your family; clear the land to plant crops for food; build fences for stock, a source of both food and income. Patrick Milbanks built a cottage, no doubt also building a farm. The cottage was a simple building divided into two rooms. A kitchen at one end of the front room housed an open range. This provided a cooking surface, somewhere to heat water, and a source of warmth in winter. In summer it made life unbearable, but was still needed to provide the food and hot water. The slabs for the walls were felled by his own hand and worked so that no splinters remained. Shingles were shaped by hand, and carefully set in place to provide a watertight roof.
Completed in 1875, the cottage now stands in the grounds of the Beaudesert Museum, a proud memorial to human endeavour and ingenuity.
