Raised areas, such as Menzies Island, were some of the first land to be pre-empted when the area was opened for settlers in the 1860s and 1870s. It was property with access to higher ground that was most sought after in the early years of settlement. This “half-and-half ” land (part highland, part lowland) allowed homes, barns, and outbuildings to be built beyond the reach of the flood, while providing grazing land for livestock for most of the year. The W.H. Menzies family settled in the Number 2 Dyking District. They first went in by rowboat and the lumber for the buildings on their farm was also brought in by boat. This house was constructed for William Henry (1855-1947) and his first wife, Mary (1849-1924) Menzies. After Mary’s death of influenza in 1924, William was remarried to Anna Brott (1862-1949). William Menzies worked as a farmer and carpenter, and lived in the house until the 1940s.
The Menzies Residence has a dual pitched roof, which extends over the front verandah, and a shed roof dormer with multi-assembly windows. It is located on a large property, set well back from McNeil Road, which reflects its original use as a farmhouse.