Old Government House is a historic building located in Belair National Park,

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, and was South Australia's first official vice-regal summer residence of the

Governor of South Australia The governor of South Australia is the representative in South Australia of the monarch, currently King Charles III. The governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the governor-general of Aust ...

from 1860 to 1880, and was used by governors

Richard Graves MacDonnell Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell (; 3 September 1814 – 5 February 1881) was an Anglo-Irish lawyer, judge and colonial governor. His posts as governor included Governor of the British Settlements in West Africa, Governor of Saint Vincent, Gov ...

(1855–62),

Dominick Daly Sir Dominick Daly (11 August 1798 – 19 February 1868) was a British colonial public servant and administrator during the 19th century, who held positions in British North America, History_of_Tobago, Tobago and South Australia. Born in I ...

(1862-68) and

William Jervois Lieutenant General Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois (10 September 1821 – 17 August 1897) was a British military engineer and diplomat. After joining the British Army in 1839, he saw service, as a second captain, in South Africa. In 18 ...

(1877–80). It was constructed from local sandstone, with the red-brick for the

quoins Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th-century encyclopedia, ...

sourced from the Blackwood brickworks, and a native timber shingle roof. The residence's indoor plunge-pool was reportedly the first in the colony.

History

Government Farm

Within a few years of the settlement of South Australia, the colonial government decided to establish a "Government Farm" for the purpose of agisting horses and bullocks, and providing hay and fodder. The area chosen was the upper reaches of the Sturt River; In addition to its suitability as farmland, governor

George Gawler Colonel George Gawler (21 July 1795 – 7 May 1869) was the second Governor of South Australia, at the same time serving as Resident Commissioner, from 17 October 1838 until 15 May 1841. Biography Early life Gawler, born on 21 July 1795, was t ...

thought the area would be ideal for the establishment of a summer residence. In July 1840, in a highly irregular transaction, thirteen surveyed sections of , plus of rough country to the east were purchased. The sale was dubious in that it was paid by private promissory note, rather than through official government channels. Additionally, the sale document did not mention three of the 80 acre sections, nor the large section of rough country. When Gawler was replaced by

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

in May 1841, the colony's finances were in considerable debt. As a fundraising measure, the newly established farm was offered for public sale. However, realising that their title to the land was dubious, the government cancelled the sale. Ironically, the government's questionable title to the land ensured it remained in public ownership. The five most westerly sections of the farm (part of the original ten sections) were disposed as land grants in 1844. They were developed as orchards, vineyards and market gardens, eventually becoming the suburbs of Glenalta and Monalta in the housing boom of the mid 20th century. This sale left the Government Farm at approximately the same extent that it remains, as Belair National Park, to the present day.

Government Farm Cottage

South Australia's economy recovered in the 1850s due to the

Victorian gold rush The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia, approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony and an influx of population growth and financial capi ...

. Governor MacDonnell, having already extended

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

in the city, commissioned the construction of a vice-regal retreat on the Government Farm in 1858. It was designed by the Colonial Architect Edward Hamilton, with assistance from R.A. Hyndman and G.K. Soward. Charles Farr was chosen as the chief builder. When completed in 1860, the building contained two main rooms (a dining room and a bedroom), a small office, bathroom, dressing room and cellar. A large five-sided bay window in the dining room had French-doors which opened onto a wide, tiled terrace. The stone used in construction of the walls was sourced from a local quarry, most likely the one that remains visible today to the east of the building. The roof was built with shingles of

stringybark A stringybark can be any of the many ''Eucalyptus'' species which have thick, fibrous bark. Like all eucalypts, stringybarks belong to the family Myrtaceae. In exceptionally fertile locations some stringybark species (in particular messmate strin ...

(''Eucalyptus obliqua'') cut from the ridges of the farm. The total cost of the building was in the vicinity of £1600, a substantial sum for the time. Following a fiery debate in Parliament regarding the expenditure, the government conveniently "lost" the final receipts.

Heritage listings

The house was listed on the now-defunct

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heri ...

on 21 March 1978 and on the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...

on 24 July 1980 as the "Governor’s Former Summer Residence."

Current use

The house was superseded by a larger summer residence at Marble Hill, completed in 1880. It was then used by the curator of the Department of Woods and Forests Nursery (also located in Belair National Park) until it was transferred to the National Parks and Wildlife Reserves in 1961. Minor renovation work was carried out and the building was opened as a museum. More extensive renovations in the 1970s and again in 2002-03 restored the building to its original grandeur. Old Government House is now cared for by the Friends of Old Government House, a member group of Friends of Parks Inc. It is now a tourist attraction and is open to the public on the first and third Sunday and public holidays. Closed in July, Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

References

External links

* Retrieved 18 September 2017.
Tourist brochureFriends of Old Government House
{{coord, display=title, -35.008215, 138.648185, type:landmark_region:AU Museums in Adelaide Government of South Australia Government Houses of Australia Houses in Adelaide History of Adelaide Historic house museums in South Australia 1860 establishments in Australia South Australian Heritage Register South Australian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate