In July, members of the Jamison Probus Club visited historic Lanyon Homestead, situated on the Murrumbidgee River at the base of the Brindabella Ranges, approximately 35 kilometres south of central Canberra.
Lanyon was established in 1835 as a sheep and cattle station and was originally developed by James Wright and John Lanyon, who relied on assigned convict labour.
In 1848, Scottish settler Andrew Cunningham purchased Lanyon Station and transformed it into a highly successful rural holding, running up to 60,000 sheep and employing 50 people.
The station became a self-sufficient community, featuring its own school, post office, workers’ cottages and various outbuildings. The homestead, constructed from local fieldstone, was completed in 1860.
Two majestic native Bunya trees, planted between 1870 and 1880, now tower over the historic homestead.
Today, Lanyon is managed by ACT Historic Places and remains a popular attraction, drawing thousands of locals and tourists each year.
