Fire destroys Blackall homestead

The four-bedroom single story home had been unoccupied for eight months and Blackall police senior constable Scott Fayers said the blaze, which occurred between 5pm last Sunday and 4pm on Tuesday, was being investigated by Longreach CIB detectives as a non-suspicious fire of undetermined origin.

The contents of the home, including many of the belongings of the previous caretaker, have been destroyed.

Moonbria is owned by Graham and Susan McDonald of Albeni, Springsure, and Mr Fayers said they had been cleaning and renovating the steel-framed fibro-clad house on Sunday prior to employing a new manager/caretaker.

The fire went unnoticed until their son Sam McDonald returned to the property.

Mr McDonald said he'd been intent on turning on a pump and hadn't realised what had happened at first glance.

The building remains structurally intact and wasn't smouldering when Mr McDonald drove up on Tuesday afternoon.

Despite the building's size, the fire was contained within a comparatively small area, extending only two to three metres beyond the house perimeter in places. Some of the fibro cladding remains intact.

Mr McDonald said campers nearby on the Barcoo River weren't aware of the fire and hadn't reported seeing or smelling anything burning.

The 334 sq m open plan homestead was built in 1987 after the property's original timber house was itself destroyed in a blaze.

The new building, surrounded by 2m wide verandahs, was hailed as a modern design ideal for rural living when it was constructed.

Mr McDonald said it was too early to say whether they would rebuild.