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Brisbane pioneer’s 1912 Queenslander given new lease of life

By Amy Collins-Walker •

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Once home to Thomas Mathewson, a pioneering Brisbane photographer, councillor and historian, this beautiful abode has been given a new lease of life by developer Michelle Cao from Mii and Co. “It’s a lovely old Queenslander and was an absolute labour of love for me. To be honest, I didn’t find out it was Thomas Mathewson’s house untll after I’d bought it – I was simply looking for a great development site. But once I learned about the property, the goal was to pay complete respect to him and the place he once called home,” says Michelle of the Auchenflower home.

Thomas Mathewson was born in Scotland in 1842 before emigrating to Australia with his family as a young boy; the family settled in the Ipswich area after travelling the Queensland outback for several years. As an adult, he served as a councillor in what would later become the Brisbane City Council before going into the photography business where he was known as the father of photography in Brisbane.

Kitchen
Kitchen

A passion project for Michelle, the three-bedroom, two-bathroom renovation took eight months to complete and was restored by Crowley Construction. The outside of the home required a lot of restoration given the previous owner had enclosed the veranda while using the home as student accommodation in the 70’s and 80’s. “I just love the striking blue façade and white wraparound veranda. I think Thomas would be thrilled with how it looks now,” says Michelle who also restored the home’s city views in the process.

Lounge room
Lounge room
Dining
Dining room

And in a lovely turn of events, when Thomas’ surviving family heard the home was being restored, a group of them paid it a visit. “They’d heard I was restoring the property and wanted to see for themselves how it was taking shape and, it’s fair to say, they weren’t disappointed. It was such a joy to share the finished product with them,” says Michelle. During the visit, the family re-enacted a family photo from a Christmas Day in the 1920’s and told Michelle stories of how Thomas would go fishing in the Brisbane River.

Bathroom
Bathroom

“It brings me a lot of satisfaction that Thomas’ own family is pleased with the result. It’s more than a home to them, it’s memories. This home could’ve quite easily been demolished with something big and new built in its place but I’m so proud to have restored it.”

Thomas Mathewson
Thomas Mathewson passed away in 1934

Michelle sold the home for $1.48 million after subdividing it and is now building a five-unit apartment complex on the other half of the block, valued at $6.35 million.

For more on Mii and Co.

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September 15, 2022

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Amy Collins-Walker

About Amy Collins-Walker

Amy is our regular feature writer, an experienced journalist and interior stylist living in Perth, Western Australia. Find out more about her styling work at http://www.amycollinswalker.com/

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenny says

    September 18, 2022 at 9:13 pm

    Loved the reno on this beautiful Queenslander. Would you know what colour paint they used on the exterior?

    • Jen BishopJen Bishop says

      September 19, 2022 at 10:12 am

      I don’t but there’s a link to the developer at the end and she may be happy to tell you! Jen

  2. Jenny says

    September 19, 2022 at 10:46 am

    Thanks Jen – love your website by the way. I’ve only just subscribed but finding so much helpful information. We’re about to reno a house in Bayview which is a bit daunting but lots of fabulous ideas here. Thank you

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