The Hill

DESCRIPTION

NameThe HillAlternative NameHope VillaTypeFarmResidenceDescription'The Hill' has been the home of the Dunster family since c. 1865.

Joseph Dunster Jnr married Jane Stratford in 1856 and the couple settled at Tongarra/Tullimbar, where Joseph operated a store. To improve Joseph’s health, they moved to higher ground at ‘The Hill’.

According to Frank McCaffrey in his book ‘The History of Illawarra and its Pioneers’, 1922, Enoch Fowler, of pottery fame, lived at ‘The Hill’, and the Dunster’s waited until he removed to Sydney, before moving to the property.

'The Hill' was originally named 'Hope Villa', and consisted of a typical slab cottage of two rooms, an attic, and a three-bay verandah with timber posts which was built c.1840.

The North wing of 'The Hill' was built in 1901. The attic was extended over an additional room, a kitchen was attached, and the verandah extended.

In the days before the telegraph, settlers in surrounding areas were signalled when ships berthed at Shellharbour, by the hoisting of a large wicker ball atop a Moreton Bay Fig at 'The Hill'.

The property has remained in the same family since its construction and is a record of one of Shellharbour’s leading pioneering families.

'The Hill' has strong connections with the dairying industry in the area, and is a major Illawarra landmark within and between two intersecting valleys and Shellharbour Township.

External LinkDunster-Tate 1913The Late WC Dunster 1919AIS Cattle on 'Apple Isle' Forging Ahead 1934History of Illawarra and its Pioneers - McCaffrey 1922Open Column 1932Dispersal Sale 1940