Bent St renovation uncovers McKittrick treasures

The Bent St house JT McKittrick built in the 1800s.

LOOKING AHEAD: Larry and Cheryl O’Mara and grandson Nick (left) are the proud owners of the newly established Heritage River Motor Inn. Picture: Georja Ryan

CHERYL and Larry O'Mara have been digging up treasures in their Bent St backyard since the day they bought the place.

Antique crockery, stained glass and pieces of smashed china are regular finds for this South Grafton couple and they are well aware of the history behind their discoveries.

"JT McKittrick owned ferries and was an importer," Mr O'Mara said.

"This was the first home he built in the area in 1865 and it was one of the original houses in South Grafton."

He suspects Mr McKittrick used the house at 60 Bent St to store some of his imports, and since the O'Maras bought the property in 2003, they've made a number of discoveries.

"As we started renovating (in 2006) there were weird medicines and store ware that popped up," Mr O'Mara said.

"There was all this blue glass and smashed china which had been dumped in a gully that stretched out the back of the property and we're still finding things now.

"Apparently there used to be a maids quarters and underground wine cellar out the back when McKittrick had it.

"It's a total time warp; the history is in the ground."

Mr McKittrick went on to build a house in Through St, then another federation home where he stayed until he died in about 1937.

Mr O'Mara said he believed the lady who lived at 60 Bent St before they bought it had been there since the 1920s.

In 2008, the O'Maras purchased the neighbouring home.

"We bought it with intentions to build a free-standing motel," Mr O'Mara said.

In May 2013, in came the cranes and the house was cut into six pieces and relocated to the back of the block.

Mr O'Mara, a builder by trade, completely renovated the house and turned it into eight accommodation rooms now known as the Heritage River Motor Inn.

The motel opened last month and as former owners of the Key Lodge Motel, Mr and Mrs O'Mara are pleased to be back in the game.

Mr O'Mara said since selling the Key Lodge Motel in 2006, they had identified a need for a new accommodation facility.

"There hasn't been a new motel in this town for at least 15 years but I think the town needs to be redeveloped," he said.

"There seems to be too many people afraid of moving into the future but it's not about bringing in a bulldozer and starting again, it's about redeveloping what we already have."

He said the town would benefit from other property owners doing a similar thing to what they did; take a derelict house and make it beautiful.

"If even just a few people who own these old homes did them up we'd have a mini boom in this town," he said.

Stage two of the Heritage River Motor Inn is set to start later this year with an additional 12 rooms to be built.

Originally published as Bent St renovation uncovers McKittrick treasures