A homestead is an isolated
dwelling
In law, a dwelling (also known as a residence or an abode) is a self-contained unit of accommodation used by one or more households as a home - such as a house, apartment, mobile home, houseboat, vehicle, or other "substantial" structure. The ...
, especially a
farmhouse, and adjacent outbuildings, typically on a large agricultural holding such as a
ranch or
station.
In
North America the word "homestead" historically referred to land claimed by a settler or squatter under the
Homestead Acts (USA) or
Dominion Lands Act (Canada). In
Old English the term was used to mean a
human settlement, and in
Southern Africa the term is used for a
cluster of several houses normally occupied by a single extended family.
In Australia it refers to the owner's house and the associated outbuildings of a pastoral property, known as a
station.
See also
*
Homestead principle
*
Homesteading
*
List of homesteads in Western Australia
This list includes all homesteads in Western Australia with a gazetted name.
Currency
This list is complete with respect to the 1996 Gazetteer of Australia.Gazetteer of Australia (1996). Belconnen, ACT: Australian Surveying and Land Information ...
*
List of historic homesteads in Australia
This is a list of historic houses or notable homestead (buildings), homesteads located in Australia. The list has been sourced from a variety of national, state and local historical sources including those listed on the Australian Heritage Databa ...
*
Settlement hierarchy
A settlement hierarchy is a way of arranging settlements into a hierarchy based upon their population or some other criteria. The term is used by landscape historians and in the National Curriculum for England. The term is also used in the p ...
Notes
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Farmhouses