Glenfern

History

In January 1880, Alexander McPherson obtained a country publican's licence to operate the Glenfern Hotel. The Glenfern Hotel was located east of Kilcoy on the road to Woodford (now the D'Aguilar Highway). In 1884, McPherson died from a fall from his horse; his wife Eliza (née Webb) continued to operate the hotel, being described in 1886 as "by no means a pretentious-looking place, but it was scrupulously clean". In 1889, Eliza McPherson married John Young who became the licensee. In 1890, the annual Kilcoy horse races were held in the hotel grounds. The hotel operated until at least 1913 but by 1923 was in use as the private home of Amelia Raleigh (one of the McPherson daughters). The hotel no longer exists, but is likely to be the origin of the locality name. In 1913, the Kilcoy railway line was constructed with Glenfern railway station () serving the area. The railway line and the station closed in 1964.

Geography

The D'Aguilar Highway marks a section of the northern boundary. The southern boundary is roughly aligned with the Stanley River, however when the Somerset Dam is full, the dam's waters cover Glenfern's southern extent. Sandy Creek flows from the north into the dam in this area () and forms the north-eastern boundary of the locality. The land is used for farming.

Most-observed species

• Lewin's Honeyeater

  Meliphaga lewinii (Swainson, 1837) · Aves
  1,459
• Torresian Crow

  Corvus orru Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  1,351
• Rainbow Lorikeet

  Trichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) · Aves
  1,128
• Eastern Whipbird

  Psophodes olivaceus (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  1,098
• Laughing Kookaburra

  Dacelo novaeguineae (Hermann, 1783) · Aves
  1,042
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  1,027
• Pied Currawong

  Strepera graculina (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  1,022
• Eastern Yellow Robin

  Eopsaltria australis (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  1,010

Most recent

• M 4.9 — 2025-08-15
  12 km ESE of Cherbourg, Australia