"Old House That Watches Out to Sea" Victoria House -Woody Point.
- fuji321
- Oct 10
- 2 min read
Updated: 19 hours ago
Jessie Hiller ( born Gloustershire) and his wife Emma (nee Gregory) were some of Redcliffe's early settlers after arriving in Humpybong with their children Isaac and Ellen Louise and squatting on portions 125 and 126. Their daughter Rosina was born on 26th August 1865, 18 months before Jessie purchased the land at a government land sale office on 2nd January 1867. The family lived on the land with Jessie cutting timber on their property and sailing the logs across to Sandgate for use in building.
The dirt road to the south of the property was originally called Hillier St ( now Clifford St) Jessie Hillier sold the land to Jacob Pearen in the 1890s'
Jacob Pearen was a farmer former Devonshire farmer who was one of the first settlers to arrive in Gympie with 1/6 in his pocket and made his fortune finding a gold nugget which paved his transition back into farming in Gympie. In 1880 he built house on Geordies Hill in Gympie on the road to Gericke's Crossing. It was an imposing three-story structure built for entertaining on a lavish scale. However the great flood of 1893 swept it down the river and it was snagged on a giant Gum tree near Tiaro. It was then hauled back to dry land and dismantled and eventually transported by bullock wagon to Humpybong (Redcliffe).
Fountain Pikett helped rebuild the four storey timber house on the hill at 44 Victoria Ave, Woody Point, for Jacob Pearen in 1881. With views looking across Moreton Bay covering the entrance of the Brisbane River, its name was Victoria House, but is was also known locally as the "Lighthouse" or the "Wedding Cake House". The house was on the corner of Hillier St,(renamed Dixon St in the 1930's), and now named Clifford St.
Jacob is best known for the house he built on the corner of Victoria Ave and Clifford St, on the Redcliffe Peninsula, looking across Moreton Bay and covering the entrance to the Brisbane River. Its correct name was Victoria House but it was known locally as The Lighthouse, or the BayView. The house is described in Gympie Gold as, ‘a wooden house, four storeys high . The third storey consisted of a garret, and perched on top of it was Pearen’s own cabin with a balcony from which he could look out to sea and a light which he burned continually as a guide to mariners. It was not an official light, but it became so well known that sailors used to watch for it, and whenever a ship anchored off the point a boat or two would soon row ashore.’
A 30 page book featuring original photos and information on Victoria House and the original owners the Hiller family and the building of the house by Jacob Pearen, along with his life story.
Available for purchase at the following LINK
This book will be available as a softcover printed book and a downloadable pdf ebook
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