Another remarkable squatter's love story has come to light with the auction of an historic country church being held on Saturday in the south-west of Victoria
The Anglican church at Spring Creek - between Hamilton and Portland - goes under the hammer at 11am.
This well preserved timber building traces its construction back to March 1894, making it 129 years old.
One of the early squatters Cecil Pybus Cooke built the church in honour of his wife Arbella, who predeceased him by two years.
Mr Cooke was also involved in the building of the St Thomas Anglican church at nearby Condah as well.
He was just 26 when he was lured to Australia from England, and particularly the Western District, after reading the famed explorer Major Mitchell's glowing reports of the "Australia Felix" or lush country he discovered on his third expedition to Victoria.
Mr Cooke sailed to Tasmania with several servants and a ready-to-erect bark hut and arrived in 1839.
On that same voyage, he met George Winter who was on his way to join his brother Samuel busy establishing the Murndal (Tahara) pastoral run near Hamilton.
Travelling with Mr Winter was his sister Arbella who quickly formed a relationship with Mr Cooke, so much so they were married in Launceston just a month after disembarking.
Soon after they left Tasmania for Portland, where the Henty's had established Victoria's first farms and Mr Cooke set up that much travelled bark hut.
He took up a sheep run at Crawford River and then later Pine Hills Estate near Harrow and on to Lake Condah Station.
He and Arbella first had a daughter who died as an infant and then had a further five sons.
Irish-born Arbella famously took a keen interest in the development of farming and helped with mustering and cattle branding as well as running the house, and schooling her children.
An Aboriginal mission was established under the Anglican name at Lake Condah in 1867.
Interestingly, Mr Cooke's son Samuel later inherited the 10,000 acre Murndal near Hamilton from his uncle Samuel and built St Peter's Anglican church at Tahara.
Arbella died in May 1892.
It is the Spring Creek church being auctioned on Saturday Mr Cooke had built in her honour, after their 53-year marriage.
The church's foundation stone was laid in March 1894.
Mr Cooke died at Lake Condah Station in September the following year, aged 82.
His son Samuel continued to support the Anglican cause and later became a Member of the Victorian Parliament, representing Western Province in the Upper House, and after that became the federal MP for Wannon.
As with many of these now unused country churches coming onto the market and aimed at the lifestyle market, that long history does come with challenges for conversion to a home.
Other than navigating possible council planning issues, the St Philips church does not have water, power and sewerage.
But it does have that incredible history and is located on an acre block.
St Philips consists of a foyer and auditorium with timber floor and high ceiling.
It is surrounded by an established open garden.
It has frontage to the Myamyn-Macarthur and Lake Condah roads and is around midway between Hamilton (42km) and Portland (49km).
This sale does not include the furniture pictured.
More information contact Leeson White from Charles Stewart and Co. on 0448 226579.
The old church will be open for inspection from 10am.
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Chris McLennan
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
