Peta McNamara, Andrea Farrow open new events venue at Huxham, Westwood

Buildings at the property date back to 1919 and have been renovated into a unique events and wedding venue.

Sisters Andrea Farrow and Peta McNamara inside Huxham Hall.

Located just a 30 minute drive from Rockhampton near Westwood lies Huxham, a historic property with buildings dating back to 1919.

Peta McNamara and her family bought the property in 2018 and over the past few years, she and her sister Andrea Farrow, with the help of family and friends, have renovated the buildings to transform it into a unique events and wedding space for hire.

“Andrea and I had always been looking for something like this … it was perfect,” Peta said.

Set high on a hill, the site is also surrounded by stunning views of the ranges and countryside and there is even an olive grove in one of the nearby paddocks, creating many beautiful photo backdrops.

An aerial shot of the Huxham property.

The property is the former site of the Westwood Sanatorium, opened in 1919.

At the time, the site included an administrative building, four large wards, a dining block, nurses quarters and domestic quarters.

Historic photos of the opening of Huxham Sanitorium in 1919.

The cost of construction was reported to be £23,068 ($40,576.94 in today’s AUD).

It was named after John Huxham, the Queensland Home Secretary at the time.

The hall building in 2016 before the McNamara family bought the property.

The Huxham Hall is the centrepiece of the property, renovated with a classic and luxurious charm with glass chandeliers, timber floors, a brick fireplace at one end and a grassed courtyard out the side doors.

Inside the Huxham Hall at the property.

“It was a big project; our focus was to finish the hall and have the house ready … we could start with that because they were the main aspects of our entertaining and events,” the pair said.

“The whole interior walls were haddit … we refurbished them, (put in) airconditioning, the toilets out the back were old.

“It just needed updating and revamping.”

Sisters Andrea Farrow and Peta McNamara have started a new business venture with a new events venue, Huxham, a historic property at Westwood.

They have had a few successful events so far and have a wedding booking in September.

“We are open to all events, whether it be something small, from significant birthday parties, cocktail parties, weddings,” they said.

“A health retreat, an artist retreat and the client can use the scenery and landscape as inspiration.”

The sisters have big plans for the future and hope to renovate some more buildings to provide accommodation for events.

Historic buildings at Huxham.

HUXHAM

Historic property located near Westwood on the Capricorn Highway, 30 minutes drive from Rockhampton

Weddings, birthdays, cocktail parties and events

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