A white building labeled 'Clubhouse' with a flagpole, Australian flags, tall trees, and a blue sky with clouds and the sun shining.

The Story of Quamby

Nearly 200 Years of Tasmanian History

Set across 150 acres in Tasmania’s beautiful Meander Valley, Quamby Estate is one of the region’s most significant historic country estates.

At its heart stands Quamby Homestead, completed in 1828 and once home to Sir Richard Dry — the first Tasmanian-born Premier and one of the most influential figures in Tasmania’s early political history.

Today, almost two centuries later, Quamby remains a place to gather, celebrate and stay, surrounded by magnificent old trees, sweeping lawns and the landscape that has defined the Estate for generations.

The Homestead

Quamby Homestead is distinguished by its beautiful Anglo-Indian influenced architecture, generous proportions and elegant entertaining rooms.

The Ballroom, Dining Room, Drawing Room and Library remain at the heart of the house, with period antiques, fireplaces and original architectural details sitting comfortably alongside the modern luxuries of today.

The Homestead now offers 10 individually appointed guest rooms, while the wider Estate includes its golf course, event Pavilion and extensive grounds.

Walk the original tree-lined drive, explore the Estate, play a round of golf or simply find a quiet corner of the Homestead and settle in.

The Dry Family & Quamby

Quamby was the ancestral home of Sir Richard Dry, son of a convict who went on to become one of Tasmania’s most significant early political figures.

Sir Richard became the first Tasmanian-born Premier, the first Australian-born Premier of any Australian state and the first native-born Australian to receive a knighthood.

He was also a member of the influential “Patriotic Six”, who campaigned for an end to convict transportation to Tasmania, and served on the select committee appointed to draft the Tasmanian Constitution.

During the height of his political career, Quamby became known as the “Government House of the North.”

Within its rooms, prominent figures of colonial Tasmania gathered to discuss some of the defining issues of the time — from ending transportation and developing Tasmania’s Constitution to planning the expansion of the State’s railway system.

Sir Richard’s portrait continues to hang in a prominent position within Tasmania’s Parliament House in Hobart.

A Grand Country Estate

The Quamby of Sir Richard Dry’s time was an extraordinary place.

Peacocks are said to have strutted across the front lawns, while deer wandered the parklands. Twelve gardeners tended the ornamental sunken garden and parts of the Estate were occupied by tenant farmers, following the traditions of the great English country estates.

An Estate office of classical Georgian design, complete with a front-gabled porch, was constructed as the residence of the Estate manager.

Much of what gives Quamby its character today can still be traced back to this era.

The magnificent mature English elms, poplars and other established trees throughout the grounds remain an enduring legacy of the Dry family and generations of custodians who followed.

A New Chapter

Sir Richard Dry had no heirs and began reducing the vast Quamby landholding shortly before his death in 1869. He was buried beneath the chancel of St Mary’s Church at Hagley, a church he founded, and Lady Dry subsequently sold Quamby before returning to England.

Over the generations that followed, Quamby changed hands and evolved, but the Homestead and its remarkable setting endured.

Today, Quamby is cared for by custodians with a deep love of Tasmania, its heritage and its landscapes, committed to preserving the character of this remarkable Estate while allowing it to continue to be enjoyed.

Quamby is not intended to be frozen in time.

It is still a country house filled with people. A place for long lunches and fireside drinks, weddings and celebrations, rounds of golf, weekends away and families and friends coming together.

Almost 200 years after the Homestead was completed, the story of Quamby continues.

A Little Quamby Legend

The Estate's golf course has its own connection to another famous Sir Richard.

Sir Richard Branson holds Quamby Golf’s No. 1 Membership.

A fitting modern footnote to an Estate whose story began with another Sir Richard almost two centuries ago.

A large white house with a porch and decorative trim, surrounded by a lush green lawn and trees, under a partly cloudy sky.
White house with a front porch, black window frames, and decorative trim, surrounded by a garden with greenery and pink flowers.
View of a decorative stone fountain outside, seen through an open door with a metal railing. The fountain has a tiered design with water dripping from the top, and is surrounded by greenery and trees.
Close-up view of green leaves on a tree branch with blurred background of grass and trees.
Scenic landscape with trees in the foreground, open fields, and distant mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
A brick wall with arched windows and a small brick structure with a tiled roof. Foreground has trees and blurred green leaves.
A garden scene with a stone fountain in the center, surrounded by lush green trees and bushes, with a pathway on the right side and a white house partly visible in the background.
A white clubhouse building with black window frames, titled 'Clubhouse', situated among trees with green foliage. In front, a grassy area with flagpoles, including one flying an Australian flag, and a smaller flag on a pole to the right. The sky is p
A scenic landscape with two large trees on a grassy field under a blue sky with scattered white clouds.
Living room with green walls, ornate ceiling, and gold chandelier. Features a black fireplace with painting of a woman, various sofas and armchairs, a coffee table with books, and decorative items including lamps and figurines.
Elegant dining room with white tablecloth-covered tables, beige upholstered chairs, a marble-topped sideboard with decorative swan sculptures, a fireplace with gold-framed mirrors, chandeliers, and framed artwork on brown walls.
Interior view of a living or dining room with large windows, a round wooden table with beige upholstered chairs, a white fireplace, built-in bookshelves, artwork on the walls, a chandelier, and decorative items.
Interior of a cozy room with a wooden bar, a leather armchair with a green pillow, windows with white frames, a fireplace with a black mantel, and a view of trees outside.
Interior of a bedroom with a wooden four-poster bed, pillows, a lamp, and a window with a view of trees and grass.
A bedroom with white walls, large windows, and a mix of antique and modern furniture. There are floral-patterned curtains, a white bed with pillows, a wooden side table with a lamp, a dresser, a mirror, and a patterned area rug.
A bedroom with two large windows overlooking a yard with trees. The room has a bed with a checked blanket, pillows, nightstands with lamps, upholstered chairs, and a large mirror.
A cozy bedroom with a sloped ceiling, featuring a large bed with decorative pillows, nightstands with lamps, a skylight window, a small framed picture on the wall, and two floral armchairs near a sliding glass door.
A bedroom with a large window showing trees outside, two beds with beige bedding and pillows, a bedside lamp, a mirror showing the reflection of one of the beds, and elegant light fixtures hanging from the ceiling.
View of a living room with a window, a large mirror, and chairs with patterned upholstery.
A neatly made bed with white sheets and dark green pillows, set against a floral wallpapered wall. A wooden nightstand with a brass handle-drawer is beside the bed, topped with a lit table lamp.
View from a bathroom window overlooking a lush green golf course with trees.
A cozy living room with a leather sofa, colorful patterned pillows, a wall hanging crest with lions and the words 'MémGlori Fide,' and a marble-topped side table with statues of cherubs holding lamps. In the background, there is a mirror, a chandelie
An interior image of a dining area with a brown wall, an ornate gold chandelier with three candle-shaped bulbs, an oval mirror, and a wooden cabinet. There is a table set with white tablecloths, glasses, and cutlery, and chairs around it.
Close-up of ornate gold-trimmed mirror and a gold chandelier with crystals in an elegant room ceiling
Dining room with a table set for lunch, large French doors with a view of a green field and trees, and walls decorated with a mirror, a chandelier, and a framed picture.
A cozy living room with a round wooden table and guest chairs, a fireplace with decorative items and a flower vase, a mantel clock, a lamp, and wall art, with warm lighting and elegant decor.
A daytime view of a dining room with a white tablecloth-covered table set with glasses and napkins, surrounded by cushioned chairs, with a tall white-paneled cabinet and a large window showing greenery outside, and a framed picture on the dark-colore
A breakfast table with croissants, yogurt with granola, cups of tea, glasses of orange juice, and utensils on a white tablecloth.
A bar shelf with various bottles of alcohol, unfilled glasses stacked upside down, and some whiskey bottles, with the focus on the glasses and bottles.