This modest timber-framed cottage was purchased in 1951 by Xavier Herbert, an Australian writer whose work has achieved international recognition.
It was intended as a home for his wife, Sadie Norden, but was also to remain Herbert's principal place of residence for over 30 years.
At the Redlynch cottage, Herbert worked on all of his major works except Capricornia.

The cottage is situated in the village of Redlynch at the base of the coastal ranges northwest of Cairns.
The area was logged for its cedar from the mid-late 1870s.
Selections were taken up in the mid-1880s following the 1886 decision to construct a railway from Cairns to the Atherton Tableland through the area, and the Eight-mile Railway Station was opened in October 1887 as the terminus for the first stage of the Cairns-Mareeba railway.
Eight-mile was renamed Redlynch almost immediately, and a small village grew around the station.
In the 1920s and 1930s Redlynch developed as the centre of an important sugar-growing district.
The cottage which the Herberts later acquired, along with several adjacent similar cottages, may have been constructed in the 1920s, although the present land subdivision was not surveyed until 1938.

Alfred Francis Xavier Herbert (1901-1984) was born in Western Australia and educated at Fremantle, where he trained as a pharmacist.
In 1925 he moved to Melbourne where he studied medicine for a year.
His first published short story appeared in The Australian Journal (Melbourne) at this time and Herbert decided to quit university studies to pursue a writing career.
In 1926 he moved to Sydney and joined the staff of Smith's Weekly.
In the late 1920s he travelled (mostly walking) around northern Australia and the South Pacific doing various odd jobs, and spent two years in England 1930-32.
While in England he completed the initial draft of Capricornia, with the support of Sadie Norden, whom he later married.
Late in 1932 he returned to Australia and wrote short stories for journals and newspapers to help bring Sadie to Australia in 1933.
After some difficulty, Capricornia was published in Australia in 1938.
It won Australia's sesquicentenary novel competition that year and became a best seller.


Herbert served in the Second World War and after demobilisation he and Sadie travelled north from Sydney and took up the lease on a dairy farm in the Daintree River area for a few years.
In June 1951 they bought the cottage at Redlynch, Xavier accepting a fellowship with the Australian Literary Fund and applying for a War Service Loan in order to make the purchase.
The house was intended for Sadie's benefit, Xavier not believing in "comforts", but it is possible neither of them anticipated the length of time they were to own the property.
In August 1951, Xavier wrote of Sadie:
... she's not settling down, just getting a little house in [which?]
to put all those things of hers
However, the house was to remain their principal place of residence for the remainder of their lives.

After the move to Redlynch, Herbert alternated casual occupations with writing, and published irregularly.
Through his short stories and novels, he explored the search for security and an Australian identity, the mistreatment of Aborigines and the destruction of the environment.
Most of his work is set in the Australian bush and in small country towns.
Seven Emus appeared in 1959; Soldiers' Women in 1961; Larger than Life and Disturbing Element in 1963.
After nearly a decade of preparation, Poor Fellow My Country was published in 1975, winning the Miles Franklin Award that year.
A work of about 850,000 words, it is the longest novel ever published in Australia.


It is clear from interviews given by Herbert that Sadie Norden provided the emotional centre to his life, and the house at Redlynch, which he always called "Sadie's house", became equally important.
Xavier continued to write his first drafts away from home, establishing camps in the ranges between Cairns and Cooktown for weeks or months at a time, and often taking jobs away from Redlynch, but always returned to Sadie and
This modest timber-framed cottage was purchased in 1951 by Xavier Herbert, an Australian writer whose work has achieved international recognition. It was intended as a home for his wife, Sadie Norden, but was also to remain Herbert's principal place of residence for over 30 years. At the Redlynch cottage, Herbert worked on all of his major works except Capricornia.
The cottage is situated in the village of Redlynch at the base of the coastal ranges northwest of Cairns. The area was logged for its cedar from the mid-late 1870s. Selections were taken up in the mid-1880s following the 1886 decision to construct a railway from Cairns to the Atherton Tableland through the area, and the Eight-mile Railway Station was opened in October 1887 as the terminus for the first stage of the Cairns-Mareeba railway. Eight-mile was renamed Redlynch almost immediately, and a small village grew around the station. In the 1920s and 1930s Redlynch developed as the centre of an important sugar-growing district. The cottage which the Herberts later acquired, along with several adjacent similar cottages, may have been constructed in the 1920s, although the present land subdivision was not surveyed until 1938.
Alfred Francis Xavier Herbert (1901-1984) was born in Western Australia and educated at Fremantle, where he trained as a pharmacist. In 1925 he moved to Melbourne where he studied medicine for a year. His first published short story appeared in The Australian Journal (Melbourne) at this time and Herbert decided to quit university studies to pursue a writing career. In 1926 he moved to Sydney and joined the staff of Smith's Weekly. In the late 1920s he travelled (mostly walking) around northern Australia and the South Pacific doing various odd jobs, and spent two years in England 1930-32. While in England he completed the initial draft of Capricornia, with the support of Sadie Norden, whom he later married. Late in 1932 he returned to Australia and wrote short stories for journals and newspapers to help bring Sadie to Australia in 1933. After some difficulty, Capricornia was published in Australia in 1938. It won Australia's sesquicentenary novel competition that year and became a best seller.

Herbert served in the Second World War and after demobilisation he and Sadie travelled north from Sydney and took up the lease on a dairy farm in the Daintree River area for a few years. In June 1951 they bought the cottage at Redlynch, Xavier accepting a fellowship with the Australian Literary Fund and applying for a War Service Loan in order to make the purchase. The house was intended for Sadie's benefit, Xavier not believing in "comforts", but it is possible neither of them anticipated the length of time they were to own the property. In August 1951, Xavier wrote of Sadie:
... she's not settling down, just getting a little house in [which?] to put all those things of hers
However, the house was to remain their principal place of residence for the remainder of their lives.
After the move to Redlynch, Herbert alternated casual occupations with writing, and published irregularly. Through his short stories and novels, he explored the search for security and an Australian identity, the mistreatment of Aborigines and the destruction of the environment. Most of his work is set in the Australian bush and in small country towns. Seven Emus appeared in 1959; Soldiers' Women in 1961; Larger than Life and Disturbing Element in 1963. After nearly a decade of preparation, Poor Fellow My Country was published in 1975, winning the Miles Franklin Award that year. A work of about 850,000 words, it is the longest novel ever published in Australia.

It is clear from interviews given by Herbert that Sadie Norden provided the emotional centre to his life, and the house at Redlynch, which he always called "Sadie's house", became equally important. Xavier continued to write his first drafts away from home, establishing camps in the ranges between Cairns and Cooktown for weeks or months at a time, and often taking jobs away from Redlynch, but always returned to Sadie and 
Xavier and Sadie Herbert's Cottage