Beth-Eden

Beth-Eden is a heritage-listed residence at 85 Bank Road in Graceville featuring classical mouldings and decorative cast iron balustrading with a timber construction. The house overlooks Chelmer Reach and now contains administrative offices along with original weatherboard stables that have been converted into a garage.

Newspaper proprietor Charles Hardie Buzacott commissioned architect Richard Gailey to design this villa in 1888 and originally named it Verney. The property went through multiple name changes before becoming Beth-Eden in 1958.

The property served the community by housing recuperating soldiers from World War I when the Ferguson family donated its use to the Australian Red Cross in 1919. This role shows how local residents contributed to supporting those returning from the conflict.

The property sits on Bank Road in a quiet residential area overlooking the river and is easy to locate from the main street. Visitors should note that the building contains administrative offices and access to the interior may be restricted.

The house was previously known as Rakeevan, a name inspired by an Irish residence, reflecting how colonial owners honored their homelands through their choice of names. This connection to a distant place reveals the personal ties that linked early residents to their ancestral countries.