November 26-29, 2024
Belvidere had its beginnings as a farm:
“In 1838, Mr Thomas Little purchased 741.4 hectares on the Leschenault Peninsula on behalf of Charles Prinsep, and named the homestead Belvidere (also known as Belvedere) in honour of the Prinsep mansion in Calcutta, India. Little managed the property to raise horses and cattle for the Indian Army.”
Interestingly Prinsep’s son Henry Charles married a member of the Bussell family, Charlotte, the family who were early settlers at Augusta adn who Busselton was ultimately named after.
The original homestead had a chequered history until 1970 when it became a commune growing to 14 houses and a school; it was closed down by the government in 1984 for “Health reasons” and the whole peninsula was purchased by the State. A condensed history can be found on this webpage https://www.harveyhistoryonline.com/?p=207
Some detail is provided in the information panels at the centre of the site:
Photo gallery of our walk around the settlement area heritage trail, click any of the 3 images:
