If you’ve ever wanted to step into a living, breathing time machine, here’s your chance. For the first time since 1890 this historic home at 3 Mark Street, New Farm is on the market.
The historic Queenslander, named “Whroonga” has spent 135 years in the hands of one family.
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No flips, no quick sales, just one continuous story stretching back to colonial Brisbane.
“Whroonga” was the childhood home of Lady Florence Bjelke-Petersen, who later became a federal senator from 1981 to 1993, and married Queensland’s longest serving premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
On 20 December 2017, Lady Florence Bjelke-Petersen died at the age of 97.
Known affectionately as “Lady Flo”, she was as famous for her pumpkin scones as her political career.
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald in 1980, Florence famously said: “It is very easy to open a packet of old Saos and put a bit of cheese on them, but I go to a little trouble.”
She spent her youth in the house alongside her sister, Margaret Gilmour, forming the suburb’s very own ‘Gilmore Girls’ duo.
A photo of the two sisters on Florence’s wedding day in 1952 taken on the front steps of the house, still survives.
Margaret was a local historian, New Farm personality, and proud resident of the home, ensuring the house remained in the family until she was 101 years old.
The house itself is like a slice of preserved history. Original pressed-metal ceilings? Check. Beautiful old timber joinery? Still there.
Every room whispers stories from a century ago, with its high ceilings and a wrap-around verandah reflecting its Queenslander design origins.
There’s been no renovation flips, no modern grey-and-white makeovers. Just pure, untouched character.
A beautiful red Poinciana (known as a flame tree), that has shaded generations under its canopy, frames the front of the property,
Set on an 810sqm parcel with an exceptional 20-metre frontage, just one street back from the river, it’s one of those rare homes that truly feels like it belongs to another era.
What’s most remarkable isn’t just the architecture, it’s the sense of continuity. This home has seen everything from Brisbane’s post-settlement days to political power plays.
It’s been passed from one generation to the next, each adding their own chapter to its story, but never rewriting the whole book.
For the first time in a century, a new owner will decide the next chapter for this historic home..
This once-in-a-lifetime property is being listed by Heath Williams at Place New Farm.