Randwick, Mulmur Real Estate | Dufferin County Homes

A Village Born from the Pine Forests

Randwick's story is unlike any other community in Mulmur. Founded in 1865 as a workers' village for the Parkhill and Smith sawmill operations, the settlement was literally a moving camp — following the cutting line north through the vast pine forests until the timber was exhausted. At its peak, the village counted 32 houses, a small hotel, and a boarding house run by Mrs. Dickinson, with free fuel for every family from the surrounding timber. The lumber operation was named "Randwick" by its founder, W.J. Parkhill, who went on to become Reeve of Mulmur Township and served on council at the historic moment when Dufferin County was officially created.

The Post Office opened in January 1874 at the request of Parkhill himself, who served as its first Postmaster. A succession of postmasters followed — William Henry, Mrs. Park, John Bridal, John G. Jones, J.A. Creech, John Walker, and finally Mrs. Lavina Smalley — until the office closed in October 1915. The schoolhouse, built in 1865, burnt down and was replaced in 1890. In 1899, it was physically moved to a more central location by Jonathan Doner using rollers drawn by horses. Both the schoolhouse and the original Post Office building still exist today.

Pioneer Families & The Dufferin County Forest Legacy

Among Randwick's most enduring stories is that of the Pengelly family. John Pengelly received a crown deed for Lot 29, Concession 6 in March 1835 — when the land was still part of Simcoe County. The log house he built for his family still stands today and remains in the ownership of his descendants, making it one of the oldest continuously family-held properties in Mulmur Township.

Another pioneer, John Fraser, arrived in 1865 from Toronto. A Scottish gentleman, he secured 100 acres and moved his wife and four children by sleigh from Toronto in December. Ten days after arriving, their fifth child David was born. His wife, missing the sound of the Gaelic language among her mostly Irish and English neighbours, walked 12 miles regularly to the East Nottawasaga Church just to hear it spoken. She lived to be 84 — a testament to the resilience of Randwick's founding families.

When the pines were gone, wind and water erosion began their work. By 1931, Dufferin County was purchasing the abandoned land at tax sales and planting what would become the Dufferin County Forest. The Randwick Tract — a 2.2-mile loop trail through second-growth forest — is the living legacy of that era, offering hiking, birding, and wildlife viewing on the very land that once echoed with the sound of Parkhill's sawmill.