Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog

2026 06 26 A Search for Maloneys Hut site. A collaborative effort by Terrylea, Mark and moi to find this elusive site.

Summary

From Garmin Connect (recorded on Garmin H1i+ handheld) – Distance: 15.47km | Climb: 385vm | Time: 4:02 moving + 1:52 of stops = 5:54 | Grading: M/M,X; M(9).

Photographs

View photographs here. There are a few more in the album than are embedded in this trip report.

gpx file

Download the gpx file here.

Track Map

Here’s where we went:

Here’s the detail of our search area:

Trip Report

I was last searching for Maloneys Hut site on 27 Jul 25. Our search area was based on a 6-figure grid reference given to me by Darren R. No joy that trip.

But Terrylea had memories of a trip with Mark on which they’d come across perhaps some evidence. I hounded her for a year to take me there.

Not a person to do anything by half measures, she visited the ACT Heritage Library and received some truly excellent help. Sleuthed documents included:

 

The bottom section, Freshford Hut Site (CAS 41) is relevant. The top description, “Stone house – Federal Highway” (No CAS number) refers to 1874 William Ginn Ruin.

Material supplied also included:

And a photo of the site:

Based on the topography of the ACT Planning Series map, I was able to plot a few guiding locations:

TL had done similar.

Thus armed, we set out at a respectable 8.45am and walked in the vehicle track along the true left of the Murrumbidgee River. Hitting the fence corners, we got ourselves oriented.

A suspicious looking mound near Fence corner 1. But we were probably just anxious to find something, anything.

We had quite a wander around the Rubbish dump site area, but found nothing.

Our track from there looks like we were in our cups. We headed towards SH606 and stopped for smoko.

Then down through a waypoint TL thought might turn something up, and so to the knoll identified as 586 on the ACT Planning Series Map.

From here, Mark spotted a flattish area on a rise to the south. We went over for a look-see and bingo!

It had all the right evidence – near Freshford Creek, flat, pieces of tin, timber posts (as per the old photo), piles of granite from a fireplace.

Much selebration.

Although there was no beer left from 1950.

Sated, we headed to the Murrumbidgee for lunch. Terrible entry – plenty of Bursaria and little cliff-ettes. Easy, more direct exit. I forgot to take a photo of this great spot, so here’s one from the previous trip.

A tromp back.

Great work team. A satisfying find.

Party

3 walkers – Mark P, Terrylea R, me.

Postscript

Jen H proposed that we may have found Unity Cunninghams House site, as listed in unity-cunninghams-house-and-garden-background-information.pdf. 

Here’s our track (a little but wonky as we lunched right on the river) laid out on the Parish plan:

And here’s some info about the Maloney family from calvary-homestead-ruin-background-information.pdf:

“The Maloneys and Calvary Homestead Ruin1 In 1877 Michael and Susan Maloney travelled from America as assisted immigrants, arriving in September of that year and coming almost immediately to the Queanbeyan district. Subsequently Michael was employed by Leopold Fane de Salis at Cuppacumbalong. Michael and Susan held freehold land on Portion 50, Parish of Booroomba at ‘the Pines’ (Pleasant Valley), from 1883. The Maloneys ran 4 horses, 8 cattle and 3 pigs on the 300 acre Portion, but lost the flocks and land due to an ill-fated transaction involving their mortgage with the McKeanhies of Booroomba Station.  Part of Andrew Cunningham’s pastoral holdings, including the above mentioned former Congwarrah and Tidbinbilly Runs, became available for selection after 1884, and in November 1890 Michael Maloney applied for Portions 97 and 98 in the Parish of Congwarra.2 Conditional purchase of portions 97 and 98 (see Image 2), confirmed in June 1891, required survey by the District Surveyor before acceptance. Upon selection, neither portion had any improvements except for six wire and brush fences over the summit of the Freshford Hills (Bullen Range), built by Cunningham  In 1893 Maloney applied to select portions 124, 127, and 128 in the Parish of Congwarra. He selected portions 125 and 126 to the north in his eldest son William’s name. The Maloney family holdings now stretched from the summit of the Bullen Range (Freshford Hills) to the Murrumbidgee River. By 1894 William Maloney was living at ‘Red Rocks,’ on his selection. His parents stayed on at the Pines for some time after losing Portion 50, but by 1896 Michael and wife Susan were living with William at Red Rocks.”

Is Maloneys Hut site up on blocks 127, 128? I don’t know 🙁.

POSTSCRIPT 2

Thanks to Jenny Horsfield, local author and historian, we have the final word. Did we visit Maloneys Hut site – YES! (But it was never Maloneys block.)

“Jack Cregan, soldier settler after WW1, was granted a lease in 1920 on Black 13A at Lower Freshford – which included the area covered by CAS 41. This was poor country, dry and rabbit infested in the 1920s, and Cregan struggled to make a living as the price of wool dropped and he had to pay quarterly rent to the government for the block. His young family were still living out in a slab cottage in the Naas Valley. In 1922 Cregan sought permission to move to the block an old house of slab timber with a galvanised roof that stood on Block 30 in the Paddys River district and had belonged to the Maloney family. Cregan was finding it too difficult to work the property from the family’s house at Naas. Permission was given to move the house and in 1926 the Cregans set up house in the old slab cottage. By 1927 sheep yards and a shearing shed had been erected, a garden and orchard established, the paddocks were fenced and there was £60 worth of new material in the residence.

In April 1929 after years of struggle and personal turmoil Cregan asked for the lease to be terminated and he moved back with his family to Naas. That year, Unity Cunningham, Jim Cunninham’s youngest daughter, applied for the lease. The transfer went ahead, and Unity made improvements to the block, re-erecting the existing buildings nearer the river frontage, adding new rooms and erecting a windmill. 

Lower Freshford is now a private grazing property. The remains of Miss Unity’s property lie within the Murrumbidgee River Corridor. An archeological study has revealed the remains of the old well, the brick base of the cottage, terraced gardens and numerous old fruit trees.”

We will go back in August to have another look around.