Keelogues Kembla Central Estate

Rare Wollongong subdivision real estate poster for the historic Keelogues Kembla Central Estate, Tuesday 9th December 1919.

A promise of a land grant was made on 5 March 1830 to Gregory Blaxland, pastoralist and famous 1813 explorer of the Blue Mountains region. These 1,280 acres of land, west of Wollongong and near Mount Keira, were later bought by John Hubert Plunkett on 12 March (possibly April) 1837 for Đ1300. The land was called “Keelogue’s” (or Keelogues) or “Gundarin” (or Gundarun). It has been suggested that the “former is obviously an Irish name and the latter a native name”. J.H. Plunkett was Solicitor General of the Colony in 1832, and became Attorney General in 1833. Plunkett subsequently subdivided this land and had sold Keelogues Estate for Đ13,000 by 1840.