Homewood - Childhood Home of 'Slim Dusty'

Item details


Name of item:	Homewood - Childhood Home of 'Slim Dusty'
Other name/s:	Melody Farm
Type of item:	Complex / Group
Group/Collection:	Farming and Grazing
Category:	Dairy
Location:	Lat: -30.7319562527 Long: 152.5009667380
Primary address:	1279 Nulla Nulla Creek Road, Bellbrook, NSW 2440
Parish:	Gordon
County:	Dudley
Local govt. area:	Kempsey
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Thunggutti

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
PART LOT	31		DP	1022692

Boundary:

The northern boundary follows the gully to the north of the existing cowbails, from Nulla Nulla Creek to Nulla Nulla Creek Road. The eastern boundary follows the western Nulla Nulla Creek Road road reserve to a point opposite a distinctive Rough Bark Apple (Angophora Floribunda) tree. The southern boundary follows the shortest line between the tree and Nulla Nulla Creek. (see Heritage Council Plan 2516).

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
1279 Nulla Nulla Creek Road	Bellbrook	Kempsey	Gordon	Dudley	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Joy McKean Kirkpatrick	Private

Statement of significance:


	Homewood is of State heritage significance for its associations with the formative years of country and western singer Slim Dusty (David Gordon Kirkpatrick) 1927 - 2003. It demonstrates the frugal and simple nature of his boyhood and evokes the cultural and musical influences of the Nulla Nulla community and its bush environment that were the inspiration for his songs. Homewood reflects for a broad audience, both Australian and international, Slim Dusty's character and role as a significant musical and cultural creative figure.
	Date significance updated: 13 Sep 11
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	David Kirkpatrick (Slim Dusty's father)
Builder/Maker:	David Kirkpatrick and Thomas Ryan
Construction years:	1915-1916
Physical description:	Homewood has a verandah to the front (facing east). The house is made of timber with an iron roof. The verandah (together with the roof) had some renovations done during 1980-82. There are two front windows facing out to the verandah. As you walk in the front door (to the hallway) there are two bedrooms, one on each side. Both bedrooms have side and front windows. Proceeding through the hallway leads to the dining room on the left and third bedroom on the right . A doorway from the dining room leads to the kitchen with adjoining bathroom. The open fire and stove are on the back wall of the kitchen with shelving to the left. There was no bathroom at first. The current bathroom was added in 1945 and located in a space occupied by the pantry.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Despite its simple structure and basic foundation material there has been surprisingly little significant alteration to Homewood in its 90-odd years of existence. Homewood remains intact and is rich in its compelling assocations with the boyhood and growing up of Slim Dusty.
	Date condition updated:08 Sep 11
Modifications and dates:	Fences: The current fence was erected around the house 1980/82. Tankstands and Iron Tank: The three tankstands pictured in the photographs dated 1978 were removed by the Rossiters when they purchased the property. The tankstands and iron tanks were replaced by a concrete tank in 1990. Septic System A septic system was installed in 1990. Garden: The original garden has disappeared and replaced by new plantings. Some surviving trees, bushes and fruit trees are marked on the curtilage drawing. Cowbails: All that remains of the original cowbails is a cement slab where the eighteen-year-old Slim Dusty sat and wrote the song 'The Rain Tumbles Down in July,' in 1945. The replacement cowbails are still intact.


Current use:	Vacant
Former use:	Dairy farm

History

Historical notes:

Homewood was built in 1915-16 by David Kirkpatrick, with the help of a neighbour, Thomas Ryan. From 1927, it was home to David Gordon Kirkpatrick, the youngest child and only surviving son of David Kirkpatrick and Mary Partridge.

The Nulla Nulla Valley, with its close-knit community, had strong musical traditions among the hardworking families dotted along the meandering banks of the creek. A large number of its residents, both men and women, could play an instrument or sing. Dances and house parties were held 'about every week', with the news of these events spreading up and down the valley via the 'bush telegraph.' Young Gordon Kirkpatrick was exposed to all of this music and composed his early songs on the property. By the mid-50s, as 'Slim Dusty', he left 'the Nulla' to pursue a phenomenally successful showbusiness career.

In 1954, the property was sold to Eric Midgeley. A succession of Midgeley relatives and, subsequently, tenants occupied the place until 2003. In 2001 the Kirkpatrick family bought it back to serve as a lasting memorial to slim Dusty's formative years. Since 2003, Homewood has been vacant.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Vernacular structures and building techniques-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Creating an icon-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Slim Dusty-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Homewood and its setting are significant in the course of the cultural history of NSW for their ability to demonstrate the frugal and simple nature of Slim Dusty's childhood and formative years - a lifestyle and a landscape reflected in his character, compositions and performances throughout a long and successful career of iconic national significance .
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	Homewood is of state significance for its association with the life and work of Gordon Kirkpatrick ('Slim Dusty') a musician, composer and performer of national stature.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Homewood is locally significant as an example of a small wood and iron house which was the main residence of small dairy farmers and of which Homewood is the only original remaining significant example along and by the Nulla Nula Creek.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	Homewood is socially significant at a state level in its ability to evoke for a broad audience both Australian and international, Slim Dusty's character and role as a significant musical and cultural creative figure. The place is held in high esteem by Australians who revere Slim Dusty and his music.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	Homewood does not appear to meet this criterion of state significance.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	Homewood does not appear to meet this criterion of state significance.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	Homewood is locally significant as a representative example of working class housing built by small dairy farmers on the Upper Macleay from the 1890s through to 1950. It used local timber plus mass-produced materials such as corrugated iron. It is a modest timber dwelling with its original tankstand and clothesline out the back still intact. Homewood is similar to the early buildings on outlying stations which were often replaced by more substantial houses once families became more prosperous. The nearby village of Bellbrook (a National Trust Heritage Village) has surviving houses and buildings of similar construction.
Integrity/Intactness:	Homewood retains its origninal materials and features with little modification.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		01870	27 Jan 12	9	107

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written	Crawford, Billie	2005	Kempsey Shire Community Based Heritage Study, Thematic History
Written	Dr Noeline Kyle & Joy McKean Kirkpatrick	2009	Fabric Investigation Homewood - Nulla Nulla Creek
Written	Dusty, Slim & Lapsley, John	1979	Slim Dusty: Walk a Country Mile
Written	Dusty, Slim & McKean, Joy	2003	Slim Dusty: Another Day, Another Town
Written	Kyle, Dr Noeline & Willis, Rob	2007	The Songs My Father Sang to me: Irish influences on the life and times of Slim Dusty
Written	Kyle, Kathleen,nee Kirkpatrick	500	Various interviews re Homewood and its history/heritage
Written	Lewis, Miles	1989	Physical Investigation of a Building: Technical Bulletin 9.1: An Approach to the Archaeology of Standing Structures
Written	Neill, Marie	1972	Valley of the Macleay: The History of Kempsey and the Macleay River District
Written	Oliver, Barry	2007	Slim pickings for country star
Written	Sabazio, Celestina ed	1992	The National Trust Research Manual: Investigating Buildings, Gardens and Cultural Landscapes
Written	Seal, Graham & Willis, Rob, eds	2003	Verandah Music: Roots of Australian Tradition
Written	Slim Dusty website	2009	Biography

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5061455
File number:	10/21365

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