Christopher William Crawley [1841-1910] acquired land locally in January 1876 under provisions of the Robertson Act of 1861. Initially holding two parcels of land on conditional purchase, one of 400 acres, another 120 acres. After years of struggle farming and many privations of regional life in a primitive slab hut his fortunes changed when the Great Southern Railway Line opened in 1878, perhaps tipped off the year before he acquired a license and built the Railway Hotel opposite the soon to be bustling railway station.

At the time the colonial government routed the railway through the village it consisted of Mr. Crawley's hotel, the adjoining Railway Store run by George Dobbyns with a few scattered slab houses and bark huts. The township soon began benefiting tremendously from the influx of travelers and agricultural trade which resulted in the regions explosive growth, Crawley wealth soon increased dramatically as did his land holdings, acquiring almost the entire area of present day Junee at his landed peak.

Mr Crawley soon became a force to be reckoned with, more than a pillar of society he became a town founder. His natural generosity and sense of civic responsibility resulted in him being held in high regard by all segments of the community. A devout Roman Catholic he donated a parcel of land to the church and helped finance the construction of St Joseph's Church and other important civic projects, at a time when government funding wasn't really available.

His hard earned wealth and new found social status needed an omni present symbol, so Monte Cristo (literally Mount of Christ) came into being. Prior to the construction of the new house in 1884/85 the Crawley's lived in a small brick cottage now called the Original Homestead, it was built in 1876 and became the kitchen and servants quarters. Which itself was part of a trend as their original onsite home, a slab hut, had become servants quarters when finances improved and a grander brick replacement was constructed. The slab hut made way for Stables to house Mr Crawley's prized race horses, which coincided with the construction of the Dairy and preceded a wood Ballroom which stood directly behind the Old Homestead and was connected to a carbide gas supply illuminating the main house in 1902.

William Christopher Crawley died at Monte Cristo on 14th December 1910 at the age of 69 from heart failure, secondary to blood poisoning caused by a carbuncle on his neck becoming infected from rubbing up against a starched collar. His ghost and presence on occasion has been seen and felt to this day.

Mrs Crawley is remembered as being very like Queen Victoria and usually wore a black lace dress, lace cap with a stand-up beaded collar and lace cap. She ruled the house with a rod of iron and with her husband appeared to be the quintessential Victorian couple, but as was often the case perceptions were misleading. Staff would later recount stories of harsh mistreatment by their employers, which spawned many ominous legends persisting today.

It is believed his widow only left the house on two occasions in the remaining 23 years of her life, turning an upstairs Box (storage) Room into a chapel, she immersed herself in the Bible. Mrs Crawley herself died at Monte Cristo on 12th August 1933 at the age of 92 of heart failure, secondary to a ruptured appendix.

Mrs Crawley's Ghost has been seen and felt on many many occasions. She still rules the household with an Iron Fist and has scared more than her fair share of tourists away!.