Schwerkolt Cottage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Schwerkolt Cottage |
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Schwerkolt Cottage
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| General information | |
| Location | 10 Deep Creek Rd Mitcham, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 37°48′41″S 145°12′40″E / 37.811314°S 145.211142°E |
| Construction started | 1865 |
| Owner | Whitehorse Historical Society |
Schwerkolt Cottage is a special old house built around 1880 in Mitcham, Victoria. It's a pioneer cottage, which means it was built by early settlers.
This historic place includes the original stone house and other buildings that have been rebuilt to look like the old ones. There's also a local history museum here. The whole area is surrounded by 2.25 hectares (about 5.5 acres) of gardens and natural bushland. It's right next to the Yarran Dheran bushland park.
The stone cottage has been carefully fixed up to look just like it did long ago. Inside, you'll find furniture and items from that time period. The Whitehorse Historical Society looks after these items. The cottage has a unique design: its three rooms all open onto a verandah, each with its own outside door. There are no doors connecting the rooms inside, but there are small openings between them. People think this style might have come from where the Schwerkolt family originally lived.
Contents
The Schwerkolt Family Story
Coming to Australia
August Schwerkolt (born 1822) and his wife Paulina (born 1823) came to Australia from a town called Świebodzin in Prussia. They arrived in Melbourne on December 20, 1849.
They first settled in Northcote, where many other German families had already made their homes.
Building a New Life
On December 14, 1861, the Schwerkolts bought 88 acres of land in Mitcham. This land was next to the Mullum Mullum Creek, also known as Deep Creek. For a while, they worked both their Northcote property, which was a market garden, and their new Mitcham land. In Mitcham, they burned wood to make charcoal while clearing the land for farming.
August Schwerkolt built the first house in Mitcham in 1864. He used stone that he dug up near the creek. Over time, he added many other buildings. These included a stone smokehouse, a second wooden cottage, stables, a blacksmith's workshop, and a wine cellar.
The Stone Cottage
Around 1886, August built a third cottage made of stone. This is the cottage you can see today. It had three rooms. August married a second time to Wilhelmina in 1885. Sadly, the cottage was not fully finished when he passed away in January 1886.
Saving the Cottage
From Condemned to Celebrated
After August Schwerkolt died, the cottage was rented out to different people for some years. In 1960, the Department of Housing said the cottage was unsafe and planned to knock it down. But the local community loved the cottage and fought to save it!
The former City of Nunawading bought the site in 1964. A group of volunteers who cared about local history worked hard to restore the building. The restored cottage was officially opened by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Rohan Delacombe, on November 17, 1965.
Rebuilding and Expanding
More original buildings were rebuilt, like the blacksmith's workshop, the barn, the stone smokehouse, and the underground wine cellars. The smokehouse was rebuilt using old family photos, but it's not in its exact original spot. However, the cellar was rebuilt in its original place after archaeologists found where it used to be.
New buildings were also put up to hold the collection of the Whitehorse Historical Society. This local history museum opened in 1977 and has grown with several additions over the years. An orchard shed was also built in the mid-2000s.
What You Can See and Do
The Collection
The Whitehorse Historical Society has a large collection of items. These include old photographs, newspapers, objects, and textiles. They all tell the story of people who lived and worked in areas like Blackburn, Forest Hill, Nunawading, Mitcham, and Vermont. They also have recorded interviews with local people and many books about the area's history. You can see some of their collection online on the Victorian Collection web page for Schwerkolt Cottage.
Visiting the Cottage
Schwerkolt Cottage is open on weekends and public holidays from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. If you want to visit with a group, you can arrange a tour on weekdays.
There is also an annual open day where you can see traditional crafts. You might see people making lace, spinning wool, or even watch a blacksmith at work! The cottage is also part of Melbourne's Open House program and the National Trust's Heritage Week.
