It is not known whether Walters or Bevan erected a house on the site, but physical evidence suggests that the original building comprised just 2 rooms with a surrounding verandah, and was enlarged subsequently to create the present form.

Bevan was resident on Stanton Hill by 16 June 1884, when his son Guy Felix was born, and in September 1886 took out a £400 mortgage on the property, which may have financed the renovations.

Title to the property was transferred in August 1888 to John Graham MacDonald, explorer, pastoralist, and police magistrate of Townsville from May 1888 to April 1899.

After the pastoral slump of the mid-1880s, Macdonald took up the important position of police magistrate in Townsville, and played a significant role in the life of the town.

After the consulate moved to Sydney in 1908 the house was occupied by prominent Townsville businessman, alderman, mayor and civic worker John Newport Parkes, at which time the name Kardinia is first listed in the Queensland Post Office Directory.

During their occupancy the house was visited often by the noted North Queensland journalist and author Edmund James Banfield ("Beachcomber") who was a lifelong friend of the family.

[1] Kardinia is a substantial, high-set timber residence occupying a commanding position on top of Stanton Hill overlooking the central business district of Townsville.

An elaborate wooden frieze extends the full length of the verandah and early timber venetian blinds provide shade and privacy.

The building also is important in illustrating the principal characteristics of the prestigious type of timber house built in Townsville in the latter part of the 19th century.