‘Toonarbin’ is one of Brisbane’s oldest homes. Built in the 1860’s it was first a home to three generations of Captain Henry O’Reilly’s family until it was sold to the Catholic Church in the 1920’s. It became a Convent for the next 80 years, undergoing substantial modification including the red brick cladding that you see today around the original Georgian mansion.
The Convent was then sold by the Catholic Church. On the brink of being gutted and modernized, it was bought in 2007 by the present owners. Over the next five years they undertook a painstaking restoration of the interior of the building back to its original magnificent form. Today it is a grand family home, much like it was in Brisbane’s early days.
A further delight for visitors is the owners’ superb collection of Australian art, ranging from early Charles Conder, Arthur Streeton, through to Brett Whiteley and Margaret Olley, with many artists in between, framed beautifully in this historic home.