The house Toomba which sits on Junction Road in Clayfield, is one of the oldest homes in Clayfield and indeed Brisbane for that matter. It was built in 1889 by the Goeldner family. For many years it was their residence, farm and estate. The home is significant not only because it has stood there for over 130 years, but because the original owners the Goeldner family are deeply connected to the Kalinga and Clayfield area. The original estate was some 24 hectares (60 acres) which encompassed the area from Junction Rd (which was called Sandgate Road at the time) all the way back to and including the area where Kalinga Park is situated now.
Ross the great-great-grandson of Daniel Goeldner said that according to his family legend the original parcel of land that his great-great-grandfather owned was much bigger. Originally a large farm called “Eagle Farm”. The parcel of land supposedly extended from Eagle Junction all the way out to Eagle Farm. Which is how we have those names today. Back then of course, before the train went past, Eagle Junction was simply the intersection of two dirt roads out the front of a homestead.
In the very early 1900s the Goeldners decided they would divide the land, and sell it off for people to purchase and build homes on. The dates are a little unclear but somewhere between 1908-1910 the Toombul Shire Council purchased a large area of land along the Kedron Brook from the Goeldners. This would later become Kalinga Park! The origins of the name itself are a little unclear also. It is said that the park was named by Judge Lutwyche (Alfred James Peter Lutwyche). Who lived in his official residence situated on Nelson Street. The name either came from the Turrbal phrase “Ngalin-nga” meaning “belonging to us”. Or the other possibility is that after thoroughly studying the history of Genghis Khan Judge Lutwyche came across the War of Kalinga. The victor of which was King Ashoka the Great, who had an army that was supposed to be three times the size of Genghis Khan!
The 24 hectares were divided into 182 lots and auctioned on April 24, 1909! The original home stayed in the family till 1940. When it was sold to Hazel Noakes while her husband Roy was in the Middle East fighting in World War II. Mrs. Noakes is fondly remembered by local residents for always being immaculately dressed and walking her poodle through the area. She lived in that home until 2017 when at the age of 102 she unfortunately passed.
Once Hazel’s children had started to move on from that house, she lived in the main house and she rented out one of the flats at the back. This is where Clark Real Estate enters the story. While she was alive, Clark managed the rented flat for her. After her passing Clark was selected by her Children to sell the property in 2018. The home had become quite run down and the new owner had plans to restore it, but circumstance got in the way and in 2021 it was sold again by Jordan Cleland of Clark Real Estate. In a derelict condition and walls missing, it was purchased by Jack Craddock. A long time Clayfield local that said “I had my eye on the property for some years.” Jack said that he missed the opportunity to buy it in 2018 and “when it came back on the market again, I was actually looking at houses for someone else but ended up buying Toomba because I had wanted it for so many years!”
This brings us to today, there has been a bit of speculation in the local area as to if it was going to be demolished because of the state of disrepair it was in when sold in 2021. Jack having now bought an absolutely amazing piece of Brisbane and Queensland history said “I plan to restore it to be better than its former glory.”
