This article about Maybole Cottage appeared in the Carrick Gazette in October 2002 and was written by Claire Wallace who has kindly given us permission to use her article. Photos are from the website for Maybole Cottage.

THE Gazette can exclusively reveal that Maybole does exist - in Alexandra! Bob and Louise Flowers own the 'Maybole Cottage' estate, named after the Carrick town and yet situated in Johnson's Creek Valley.  Maybole Cottage itself was the original homestead on the property and parts of it date back to the 1880s. When the Flowers bought the property in 1994, the cottage had been earmarked for demolition.  Louise Flowers explained: "We were quickly convinced of its obvious potential and place in the history of the area. Renovation began from the stumps up, with every attempt being made to keep the charm of the building by using original materials and sympathetic decor. I must admit, though, the comforts inside are very modern!"

The 'Cottage' is now rented out to holidaymakers and boasts amongst its numerous charms a stream for fishing as well as its very own 'Falls.' There are also farm animals, a horse paddock and feeding shed. A quote from the Maybole Cottage brochure reads: "Ski, canoe, fish or bushwalk all within a short drive of Maybole!" Louise added: "Our property is definitely named after your town in Scotland.  The previous owners had a member of the family who came from Maybole earlier this century. The owner's name was Stevenson, but it was the wife of the owner in about 1910 who had come from Maybole. "Mrs Stevenson's maiden name was Margaret Cathcart Murdoch. Her father was a doctor who ended up working at Long Gully near Bendigo in Victoria.  "In 1976 Margaret's son and his wife, Jim and Dorothy Stevenson, came to your district and visited relatives at a property with horses somewhere out of Maybole which had a long drive bordered by rhododendrons!" Louise concluded: "There are actually quite a lot of Scots in Alexandra, which is our closest town. We are very keen to pursue the Maybole connection and have always thought that if we came to Scotland we would visit Maybole."

There is another Maybole in Australia. This one is in New South Wales.