The home was commissioned to be built in 1890 by the Rankin family, wealthy Scots immigrants who were involved in the first collieries in the area. Dame Annabel Rankin became Queensland's first female senator and Australia's first female cabinet minister. A federal electorate in Brisbane is named after the pioneering woman politician. The Rankins kept a high profile in the area for about 70 years, moving out with the closing of the mines.
