Shepparton Park

A BEAUTIFUL HOME... Built by Alfred Leahy, Shepparton Park was considered one of the nicest houses in the area around 1873. Photos: Lost Shepparton.

In 1873, government surveyor, Alfred Leahy, moved to Shepparton with his wife, Ellen Leahy. He built his home and continued working as a surveyor in the area. His brick house was known as the finest in the region at the time.

The main house consisted of five rooms with a large brick cellar and pantry. There was a separate kitchen and nursery (9m x 6m), a separate office and washhouse (9m x 4m), separate stable and men’s room (9m x 4m) and a large paved courtyard. They also had a brick well that was 34m deep and a 3,500-litre elliptical reservoir that was bricked and cemented.

Originally, Knight Street formed the northern boundary of Shepparton, so Alfred Leahy purchased 845 acres land directly north of this. This was known as ‘Shepparton Park’ and stretched from Knight Street up to Hawkins Street, as far east as Verney Road and west to Packham Street.

As some areas of Shepparton Park were subdivided into farms, the government got Leahy to survey a road from Wyndham Street, heading north to provide access to the farms. This road became the Northern Highway which is now the Goulburn Valley Highway (Numurkah Road).

Unfortunately, as Maude Street extended further north, Leahy realised his house was across the proposed extension of the street. To fix this, he moved the main part of the house to a new site between Maude Street and Wyndham Street and had to leave the courtyard and buildings which were then sold to Mr A. C. Mason.

Years later, the Shepparton Park home had to be moved again as the land on which it was built was split up into four blocks. The house was cut into halves, moved to face Wyndham Street and re-erected.

Leahy also named a lot of the streets in Shepparton such as Ashenden Street, Maude Street and Corio Street.

Snapshots of Greater Shepparton’s Past is made possible by Lost Shepparton. For more great snapshots of the region’s history, visit Lost Shepparton’s Facebook page. You can also support the incredible work they do at www.patreon.com/lostshepparton