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Set on a high bank overlooking the fertile flats
of the Murray River, Old Blythewood stands
as a testament to the industry, ingenuity and
flexibility of the pioneering McLarty family.
John and Mary Anne McLarty were amongst the
first Europeans to settle in the Murray District
around 1842. John was a tenant farmer and Mary
Anne the local postmistress. As their economic
situation improved, the McLartys were able to
purchase their own property of some 6,100 acres.
Not content to simply farm the new land,
in 1860 John applied for, and was granted,
a publicanís licence. Blythewood was built to
accommodate not just the family but the family
businesses. Patrons of the hotel and post office
entered the small rooms off the verandah while
access to the family bedrooms was from the
dining room and parlour. A detached kitchen block
was built at the rear.
John extended his business interests to bridgebuilding
and road maintenance. Together with
his sons he expanded the family cattle business
well beyond Blythewood up into the Kimberley
District.