[1] Whilst residing at Kangaroo Point in the second half of 1849, McConnel employed builder Andrew Petrie to construct the house at Toogoolawah, the first masonry Tudor-style homestead in the Brisbane region.

[2] McConnel and his wife Mary moved to Toogoolawah in December 1849, living in the detached service wing until the main house was completed.

[1] Situated on a rise in the centre of the property, Bulimba House overlooked the entire estate and boasted sweeping panoramic views from every window.

It functioned as the centrepiece of a model manorial farm which, besides the cash cropping, operated self-sufficiently with a dairy herd, numerous livestock and poultry, kitchen garden and extensive orchard.

[1] By 1853 the farm comprised 220 acres (89 ha) and included a variety of outbuildings: kitchen, laundry, store, stable, coachhouse, workrooms, dairies, barns and workers' cottages.

In the early years eighty to one hundred men were employed on the estate, although some of these were probably seasonal, and various wives and daughters served in the house, kitchen, laundry and dairy.

[1] In manorial tradition, McConnel encouraged his workers to establish their own farms, selling them small portions of the Bulimba property for which they made regular repayments from their wages, and were given time off to clear and cultivate.

[1] Bulimba House is a fine two-storeyed sandstone and brick residence which sits on the rise of gently sloping hill, and is set in a garden containing mature trees.

[1] The exterior is modestly detailed, comprising tooled square-coursed sandstone to the north, west and eastern facades, and English bond brickwork south.

The Dining Room has a deep plaster cornice, and a fireplace with a finely carved mantelpiece, and tiled and cast iron surrounds.

[1] The gardens contain a circular drive, a timber flagpole and several of the mature trees on the property, which include mangoes, camphor laurels and jacarandas.

The house is a fine, modestly-detailed building, containing some finely-detailed internal elements, and in its setting makes a picturesque contribution to the Bulimba townscape.

The house is a fine, modestly-detailed building, containing some finely-detailed internal elements, and in its setting makes a picturesque contribution to the Bulimba townscape.