An update on Dovercourt
Information checked 30 October 2026
When I first wrote about Dovercourt in 2020, I was worried about what might happen to this beautiful old home and its grounds. I later learnt that the new owners intended to restore it as a family home, which was such lovely news.
The story became a little more complicated. In April 2022, ABC News reported that owner Kirsty Faichen was restoring the house, with five townhouses planned on subdivided land to help fund the work. Dovercourt itself was to remain on approximately 4,000 square metres.
Read the ABC’s April 2022 restoration story.
The subdivision controversy
Not everyone was happy with the plans. Local residents were concerned about the loss of mature trees, the impact on the surrounding environment and how the new houses would sit alongside such an important historic property.
In May 2022, two residents took the matter to Queensland’s Planning and Environment Court, seeking to overturn the development approval. Their concerns included the site’s vegetation, its ecological significance and the scale and positioning of the proposed houses.
The redevelopment was ultimately approved. Brisbane City Council’s records show the original development application, A005718313, as approved, with a decision dated 20 February 2023.
I can understand why residents wanted to protect the grounds. Part of what makes Dovercourt so special is its setting. It’s not just the house itself, but the space around it that gives you a sense of what this part of Toowong once looked like.
At the same time, restoring a house of this age and size would be an enormous undertaking. I can also understand the decision to subdivide some of the land to help pay for the work.
Read about the residents’ appeal in Toowong News.
View the original development approval in Brisbane City Council’s records.
What’s happening with Dovercourt now?
There is now another chapter. Brisbane City Council records show a new building-work application submitted on 10 August 2026 for a dwelling-house extension and partial demolition.
Looking through the September 2026 amended plans gives a clearer picture of what is proposed. A contemporary extension at the rear would accommodate a kitchen, pantry, meals area and study, with garage accommodation below. The main house would remain, with changes to the rear sleepout and parts of the interior to connect everything together.
There would be some losses, including the rear stairs, selected walls and openings, and the existing timber garage. The heritage assessment acknowledges that some early building fabric would be removed. September revisions also show attention to retaining certain details, including a cast-iron verandah post and a downstairs lounge window.
I’m pleased to see the beautiful main house remaining central to the plans. There’s always a balance between preserving an old home and making it somewhere people can comfortably live, and I’d be interested to see how these changes feel alongside the original rooms.
The latest application, A007085935, was still marked as in progress when I checked in November 2026. These are proposed works, not confirmation of a completed restoration.
View the latest council application and supporting documents.
Below is my original article, with the photographs and my reactions from 2020.
Here’s something you probably (definitely?) wouldn’t know about me. I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan. It feels good to get that out there. So when I was looking at this house, I had this lyric in my head.
just think of the fun things we could do, ’cause I like you…
I’ve just decided that when I post this house to my stories, I’m going to have this song going in the background. BTW if you aren’t into Taylor, this song is called Delicate and is from her Reputation album.
SAVING OUR HISTORY
There’s a reason for this madness. This home. A 1860s colonial located in Toowong. I found out about her through the fabulous @colonialdreaming on instagram.
The house is heritage listed and was sold in May 2020, price unknown. It was sold as a development property, as the house sits on ~7000sqm in Toowong. I’m guessing that this home will be surrounded by units / townhouses in the near future. Similar to the Queenslander on the corner of Logan Road and Padstow Road in Eight Mile Plains. Hopefully the developers of this Toowong property will keep her on a decent sized block.
As part of the sale of the Eight Mile Plains Queenslander, my understanding was that they had to restore the home as part of the sale agreement. Another big hope from me is that a similar agreement was made in relation to this Toowong colonial.
COUNCIL INVOLVEMENT
When this home was listed for sale, there were requests from the local community that the Brisbane City Council step in to purchase the house and land and turn it into a community hub and parkland. Refer to this Brisbane Times article.
What’s interesting is that the Council did not have plans to purchase the property and made comment that they had investigated the parcel of land and found that there was no significant native vegetation and that the land did not form part of a larger ecological corridor link.
Which makes it sound like all of the vegetation can be removed and, under the current zoning, converted to multiple dwellings, retirement or rooming accommodation.
However, Council also added:
“However, the trees are protected under the Natural Area Local Law as significant landscape trees.”
Which doesn’t provide any clarity on what may be done on the site.
OH MY GOSH….I HAVE NEW INFORMATION (only a few hours after publishing this post) …..There’s a Couriermail article that someone directed me to which starts with:
“WHEN we discovered the trapdoor to the hidden cellar below the original kitchen, we knew had to have this home.”
That’s what the NEW OWNERS said….who are going to restore this home and live in it with their parents! I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!
More information in the article talks about how the home (called Dovercourt) was the ‘talk of the town’ at the time of its construction, due to its ‘new-age’ dumb waiter and enormous bi-fold doors dividing the lounge and dining room.
Here’s a birds eye view of the property. It has two street frontages and eight lots.
The house was designed in the 1860s by architect William Henry Ellerker. The home was held in the same family for over 80 years before being sold in May 2020.
In the listing, there weren’t any straight-on photos of the front of the house, so I stopped the video and took a screen shot so I could show you just how beautiful she is.
The verandah wraps around the front and sides of the home. There is a bedroom at the front left and the living room is at the front right hand side.
The front living room has, as expected, grand proportions. It is one of the loveliest rooms in the home. Picture it restored, with the fireplace operating in the winter while you are curled up on a lounge, reading a book.
Sadly, there aren’t many more photos of the interior and no photos of any of the bedrooms.
The kitchen and dining room sit off to the right hand side of the home. If you look at the second picture (above), you can see the kitchen and dining area that are connected to the main home.
There was no floor plan with the listing, so I grabbed another screen shot from the video.
WANT MORE, WATCH THIS
Here’s the video from the listing.
THE DETAILS
This Toowong colonial was sold in May 2020, price unknown. The listing is here.
A little more Queenslander inspiration
If, like me, you find yourself wanting to know more about these old homes, Queenslanders: Their Historic Timber Homes is one to explore. My husband bought me a copy for my birthday many years ago.
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Wow just amazing, that roofline! As soon as I saw it, I thought of the house on Padstow Rd…..I passed it many times as a child. So glad to see it retained as part of the development. I hope they do the same here, it would be a great loss to lose this house to development.