SAVE GLENLEE

Glenlee is a 2.5-hectare historic property fronting the Georges River on the Lugarno peninsula.  

 

Listed by the National Trust for its significant Early Settler History and Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, it contains well-preserved evidence of Aboriginal life on the site and is also listed on the Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System.

 

Glenlee was settled by the Matthei family in 1908 and was owned by the family until April 2024. In 1910 Otto Matthei built the now historic Genlee homestead, which still stands today.

 

Over its 111-year history, Glenlee has remained home to a wide range of native wildlife including the Swamp Wallaby, Echidna, Powerful Owl and Eastern Osprey. A significant number of endangered species forage and nest amongst the 80- to 100-year-old trees and their understorey.

  

As a place with significant heritage value, Glenlee is irreplaceable and the importance of its biodiversity cannot be overestimated. It contributes significantly to the environment of the Lugarno peninsula and the health of the surrounding area and river system.

 

The Friends of Glenlee Association raised enormous support to fight a development application for the site in 2021, and the development was ultimately defeated. Despite a considerable outcry from the community for the local or state government to preserve and protect the site by purchasing the property for community use, both levels of government declined. However, Georges River Council did heritage list the property. In April 2024, Glenlee was sold to a private purchaser.

 

Friends of Glenlee is now fighting to make sure that the heritage listing is honoured by the new owners and that the Aboriginal sites are preserved. The Council’s report on the heritage value of the property by GML Heritage advised further investigation into the Aboriginal cultural heritage of the site and the Association continues to urge both levels of government to ensure that this investigation is undertaken.