A COMMUNITY event next Friday will celebrate the transformation of Yanchep’s Mary Lindsay Homestead to a community arts and culture hub.
The City of Wanneroo will host the September 14 event to mark the completion of a $3.6 million redevelopment of the homestead.
Two Rocks Yanchep Culture and Arts Network will host demonstrations and an exhibition during the open day, when Mayor Tracey Roberts will officially open the historic building.
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READ NOW“The original timber-framed house was built in 1926 by the Bunnings Brothers for the Honourable Mary Lindsay, daughter of Australia’s first Baronet,” she said.
“It was the first permanent homestead constructed on that stretch of coastal land, with Mary Lindsay establishing the significant property – also known as Yanchep Estate – as a reserve.”
In 1955, the Wydgee Pastoral Company bought the land from Mary Lindsay, modified the homestead and passed it into the hands of overseer Cecil Cockman and his family.
In 1969 the farm was sold to Alan Bond Corporation, starting the Yanchep Sun City development project.
Remaining under leasehold and tenanted until 2004, the property was gazetted in 2006 as a reserve and vested in the City of Wanneroo for community purposes.
The building now has gallery space with moveable walls, wet and dry areas for art projects, kitchen and an ‘artist-in-residence room’, with some of the original jarrah roof beams retained as part of the redevelopment.
The surrounding public open space is picturesque and has already become a favourite park amongst locals, with plenty of space and barbeques for gatherings, as well as play and fitness equipment.
To celebrate the opening, a time capsule has been prepared, which will be kept in the gallery and opened in 50 years.
The time capsule is a titanium cylinder, with the majority of items being scanned and burned onto a stone M-Disk, designed to last one hundred years.
“Some of the thousands of items include biographies and stories from long-term Yanchep residents, historical images, newspaper clippings, current items from the people using the centre and some wonderful drawings from students at Yanchep Lagoon Primary School,” Mrs Roberts said.
The City received a $750,000 grant from Lotterywest for the project.
What: Mary Lindsay Homestead open day
When: Friday, September 14 from 10am to noon
Where: Capricorn Esplanade, Yanchep