Brooklyn House is a heritage-listed home built in the 1890s in the historical township of Howard 
, Queensland. It was built for the Rankin family as the headquarters for Queensland Collieries’, a major coal mining operation in the coal industry that started the Howard township.
William Rankin was born in Scotland, coming to Australia to manage Queensland Collieries at Howard, having the homestead built for his family to live in.
The land was originally 5000 acres and has since been reduced to only 4 acres. The grounds have kept a lush and beautiful garden, obscuring the beautiful home from the road.
Enter the property from the front entrance and you see the grand fountain at the front and the twin stairways up to the verandah that dominates the front and wraps around the side.
The building of the historical house was by a Howard local, Stephen Ward. It was a social hub and showpiece of the region. The grandeur continued from the verandah inside with 14-foot high ceilings, two marble fireplaces and two more made with cedar. Cedar and Beech were used for the construction of the home.
Dame Annabelle Rankin 
lived there as a child, daughter of Colin Rankin, William Rankin’s eldest son. Dame Annabelle was the first Queensland woman elected to the Australian Parliament.
The house is not the only wonderment to take in. The furnishings have been set beautifully to depict how the house would have been presented.
* September 2021 – Brooklyn House was up for sale late 2020 and is possibly closed for tours and teas. The website no longer operates.
To get there
From the centre of the Howard township , continue north-east on William St crossing over the railway line. Brooklyn House is 400m on the left after crossing the railway line.
