To spot Fernside, just look for a low and wide brick villa with a sweeping veranda and a hipped roof, sitting proudly above a curved carriage drive and framed by lush gardens, right at the end of the path in front of you.
Pause for a moment and imagine the crunch of carriage wheels rolling over the gravel driveway in the late 1800s. Fernside, standing here since around 1876, may look peaceful and stately now, but its walls have seen more action than a busy town square! This elegant house was built for John Alexander Boyce, who arrived from Brisbane and quickly became a fixture of Toowoomba life. Picture Boyce, perhaps whisking up his morning tea, while outside the dawn mist curled off the Great Dividing Range-a view still magnificent today.
Boyce wasn’t someone to sit still-having come as Clerk of Petty Sessions, he became a traveling man, bringing law and order to far-flung towns like Winton, Thargomindah, and even Townsville. You can almost hear the echo of his footsteps in the hall, suitcase in hand, each time he set off for a new adventure in Queensland. As Boyce roamed, Fernside stayed in the family-so much so that six generations of Boyces called it home, and the house saw everything from baby steps to birthday candles, right up to Lesley Anne, Colin, Rodney, and Michael, all children of his great-grandson, Peter.
One of Fernside’s most intriguing stories is that of Annie Griffiths-Boyce’s daughter-in-law, whose family built the impressive Toowoomba Foundry. Annie was a woman of stamina-she owned Fernside for decades and lived to be a hundred! After her marriage to Gerard Boyce, there were even some renovations-perhaps the air got a bit drafty, or maybe the family dining room needed space for more birthday cake. Through good times and bad, Fernside was transformed, including an extension in the 1990s-history isn’t built in a day, and neither was this lovely home.
The grandeur of Fernside was no secret. Even Sir Arthur Kennedy, the Governor of Queensland, made it his summer hangout between 1877 and 1883. Imagine the grand parties, with guests in their best attire, fanning away the summer heat while the scent of conifer trees drifted in through open windows. From here, the governor could look out across the landscape, feeling like the king of his own leafy castle. Fernside wasn’t alone in its noble lease-other Toowoomba mansions, like Harlaxton House and Gabbinbar, also served as summer retreats for Queensland’s top brass.
But there’s more to Fernside than fancy parties and family dinners. There’s the click of a lock as deeds changed hands-JA Boyce transferring the house to his daughter-in-law in 1902, Annie mortgaging it in 1915, the town’s main street even being renamed Fernside Street, as if the house itself commanded its own postal address! And after Annie’s century-long reign, the keys passed to her grandson before the house eventually left the Boyce family in 1978-ending over a century of family tradition.
Fernside sits on a perfectly leveled patch that rises gently from the street, then tumbles away into an escarpment, offering those legendary views east. Surrounded by a mix of native and exotic conifers, with a wide concrete staircase leading you to a front door shaded by a cozy timber porch, you can almost smell the fresh paint of the early days. The verandas are ideal for escaping the Queensland sun, and inside, pressed metal ceilings, grand fireplaces, and original cedar doorways tell a story of wealth, ambition, and family pride.
Even today, little has changed; as you stand here, take a moment to listen to the garden, maybe a magpie chattering or the breeze in the trees. You’re at the last stop of your tour, but the story of Fernside is still alive-a living piece of Toowoomba’s history, a home that was once a palace for governors and a sanctuary for a remarkable family. And who knows? Maybe you’ll feel inspired to start your own dynasty, though I recommend less traveling than Mr. Boyce-unless you like packing!
