My great grandfather, Ben Barrett, disembarked from the "Hannah More" at the Rockhampton wharf in June 1865. He had sailed direct from England with his parents and five siblings. 20 years later, he and his wife Mary selected land in the Mt. Hedlow district where they dairied and raised pigs. One of their ten children, my grandfather Harry, selected three blocks of Barmoya scrub country when the Government surveyed the scrub areas in 1908. These blocks were covered by a dense vine scrub with some areas of belah.


After clearing, (the scrub was cut by axe and then burnt) lucerne was planted and sold as chaff in Rockhampton. Harry developed and expanded his holding and by the 1930's a dairy and free range piggery were operating and crops of maize, sweet potatoes and pumpkins were grown. During World War 2 a lot of this produce was used to feed American soldiers stationed in nearby areas.


In 1931 country along Hedlow Creek was purchased from a member of the Henderson family and this was where my mother and father made their family home. After Harry and his wife, Nell, retired in the late 1940's the holding was named "Henderson Park".
Henderson Park is a family owned working cattle property with 1200 head of cattle just 30 minutes drive north of Rockhampton, Central Queensland. Stay in one of two luxurious self contained cabins or Hedlow Lodge, which offers 4 immaculate and spacious ensuited rooms. Set on the banks of beautiful Hedlow Creek, Henderson Park Farm Retreat is your haven waiting to be discovered.

We welcome you to a little piece of paradise.