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417:. He was a banker who spent his holidays visiting his mother's family at Arthur's Seat Run before development changed the area forever. His work combines artistry and environmentalism. In addition the large fine art prints are of great historic interest, capturing long ago days on the peninsula. The works clearly show the strong ties that were formed between families that were early pioneers on Mornington Peninsula and their dependence on the bay for transport, fishing, and pleasure.
176:. John McClure was born on the Isle of Skye and had received an education in the classics and therefore the McCrae's sons received a fine education in conjunction with living a pioneer lifestyle. The Schoolhouse, one of the original huts on the property, was nicknamed "The University of Arthur's Seat", also referred to later by this same title by the Burrell family children. In the 1920s John Twycross made a pictorial photograph of the hut which at this stage was leaning somewhat.
204:(camped) on Arthur's Seat - the antipodes of that ilk. Our house is built of gum-tree slabs supported, horizontally, by grooved corner-posts, and the same artifice (used again) for windows and doors. The biggest room has been furnished with a table and chairs, but no pictures - long lines of actual landscape appearing in interstices between the planks, instead! In addition to the house proper, we have recently erected a suite of wattle and daub rooms, which only need plastering"
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a
Burrell descendant, who had stayed at the house often as a child was able to point out the previous functions of each room, seventy five years later, such as where his bed had stood in the present child's bedroom, where his aunt Kate had roasted scallops in the open fireplace of the kitchen, as well as the location in the dining room of the Broadwood piano that had been dropped into the sea during transportation to "The Seat" and had thereafter been difficult to tune.
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263:"While the boys were away at the beach, I heard somebody shout excitedly, five or six times, and, on going out of the house, I noticed Mr McLure ahead of me, running towards the saw-pit. I followed as fast as I could and was astonished to see our dray, tipped up, with the two shafter-bullocks hanging by the bows from the pole which had become caught in a native "cherry".
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published in Bury St
Edmunds. Being so close to the Bay, the drop slab house was drafty in the winter. George Gordon McCrae, who had spent idyllic childhood days at the homestead, continued to visit the Burrells, as evidenced in several letters and photographs. The Burrells were not able to keep the homestead and it then passed out of the family.
247:"July 22nd, 1845 Dead calm. The bay like a mirror. Lanty and Neale went out to fish. Tuck fastened the two halves of our door to the hinges, thus excluding the dogs and geese; also Master Tommy. Obliged to give up my last packet of sperm candles, otherwise the school-hut will have to close on account of darkness."
81:, a small sailing boat. The house is small but well thought out with a separate kitchen as was common at that time to prevent fires. A floorplan drawn up by Georgiana in 1850 exactly reflects the present layout of the homestead with a small addition being done on the side of the house in the 20th century.
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The judges found that "A rich and extensive family photographic album forms the extraordinary raw material for a 14-chapter social documentary which also draws on family stories to profile the development of one of
Melbourne’s historic and popular beachside holiday regions." Images are drawn from the
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portrait of the
Burrells is featured, that was taken in 1857, six years after they settled at Arthur's Seat. It shows the 8 family members that were still living at the homestead after the early years of births, deaths and re migration to England. Following the death of her first husband Samuel Henry
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Clan Gordon, to her studies of portrait painting in London as a young woman, her marriage to Andrew McCrae and their emigration to
Melbourne, her life there as part of Melbourne society, and her love of her "mountain home" where she lived the life of a pioneer while maintaining her life as a painter.
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Following the departure of the McCraes, who resided at the homestead from 1844 to 1851, the interior structure of the house remained unchanged during the
Burrell's seventy four year habitation, apart from the addition of two bay windows. They resided at the homestead from 1851 to 1925. John Twycross,
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in 1970. By then, the exterior surroundings of the house were greatly changed by time and the original vast land run purchased by Andrew McCrae had shrunk to a mere few blocks. The interior of the house was dilapidated. But amazingly, there the homestead still sat, now the oldest wooden structure to
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Kate
Burrell died in 1925 and the Williams family purchased the house in 1927. There was an auction under the name of "The Lighthouse Estate" and the remaining property was subdivided into blocks of land. The Williams carried out some renovations, (possibly covering the original walls) and converted
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The McCrae
Gallery is a recently restored space that uses original fine sketches and drawings by Georgiana McCrae, costumes and artefacts to illustrate Georgiana's extraordinary life. The exhibit shows the transitions that she made from her birth as the illegitimate daughter of a Scottish Lord from
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in
England and soon purchased Arthur's Seat Run from the McCrae family where they lived and farmed cattle and sheep until 1925, when Kate Burrell, the last of their children died. Evidence of their occupation is seen within the homestead in the newspapers lining one of the bedroom walls that were
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This is a gallery that was built adjacent to the original homestead to house the McCrae and
Burrell family collections of 19th century heirlooms Following a guided tour of the house, these galleries help the viewer to understand more of the history of the homestead and society in general at that
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In the 20th century the Burrells had covered the original wooden messmate shingles with a corrugated roof both for tank water and to protect against bushfires. When the homestead was restored by the National Trust, the shingles were revealed under the newer cladding roof, which had protected the
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in 1840 to the year 1865, including the years at Arthur's Seat from 1844 to 1851. Letters included in the diary that she received from Arthur's Seat from her children, George Gordon, Willie, Sandy, and Perry who were sent on ahead of their parents from Melbourne, with their tutor John McClure,
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the outside kitchen into a small flat. From 1938 to 1947 the homestead was used as a private nursing home until it was sold in 1952. From 1952 until 1955, the house was divided into two flats to be let as holiday accommodation, a new development on the peninsula following the second world war.
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are granted annually and presented to recognise "the importance of local and community history as a form of collective memory", and to recognise excellence in historical research. in 2010 the Best Audio-Visual / Multimedia award was given to Keith White & Will Twycross for
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who was a family friend show his perspective on the Bay and the beauty of the land and sea at "The Seat". "The Bay is covered with a haze as I look out... the smell of new hay comes in at the windows...a few hundred yards below the house is a belt of huge honeysuckle wattles,
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The interior rooms of the homestead that were completed soon after this reflect Georgiana's artistry and good taste in design and furnishings. It is furnished with original artefacts and furniture handed down by Georgiana McCrae to her descendants.
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cut from local timbers including stringybark from the top of the mountain. Tuck, who was employed by the McCraes and assisted by the older boys of the family, used wattle and daub, bark, messmate shingles and sods as well as slabs and squared logs.
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The McCraes were early settlers to the new colony of Victoria, Australia. Andrew arrived from England in 1839, and Georgiana also emigrated to Australia following her husband in 1841 with their four young sons. As did Georgiana, her eldest son,
123:, is today open to the public. The main building was built in 1874, of a rare green granite that was obtained from the original McCrae property in 1874. The shingle roofs of the McCrae homestead and the first building at
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One of Victoria's oldest homesteads, it illustrates how early pioneers used whatever they found locally to build houses and farms using primitive construction techniques. The walls of the house are made of horizontal
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In 1961 the house was repurchased in a visionary act by George Gordon McCrae, who was named after his grandfather and was thus Georgiana's great grandson. Following his death his son, Andrew, donated it to the
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The Burrell Twycross Gallery tells the story of the Burrell family who lived at the Arthurs Seat cottage for seventy four years. The Gallery contains video presentations, original artefacts and furnishings.
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drew on 19th century books and maps owned by the Twycross family and an article from the Victorian Historical Journal of 1940 that featured the natural history of the Arthur's Seat area as recalled by
374:, that was made in a child's size for one of her sons. Also there are some examples of her exquisite miniatures, including a self-portrait, and paintings of her children and of Eliza, a member of the
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Glass Plate Photograph, 1857. Back:Henry Burrell, Charlotte Baker, Katherine Burrell, Joseph John Burrell. Seated: Joseph Brookes Burrell, Charles Burrell (on knee), Charlotte Burrell, Brookes Burrell
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express their excitement as they helped build huts, fished from the beach below the homestead and explored what was then a pristine environment teeming with bush creatures. They also befriended the
172:, the indigenous people of the Port Phillip area who taught them their language and songs. The four boys learned how to fish with wooden spears. In 1847, George wrote a detailed description of a
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Both Georgiana's family and members of the Burrell family were deeply attached to Arthur's Seat Run as it was then called and maintain strong ties to the homestead. Ownership by the
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This magnificent view has now been obscured by development although it can still be viewed from Seawinds, at Arthurs Seat State Park further up the mountain above the homestead.
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Royal Historical Society of Victoria Archives. :Daley, Charles. Arthur's Seat in the 'forties : from letters of George Gordon McCrae' Vol. 18 Issue: 71 pp, 57–64. 1940.
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313:"Arthur's Seat, October 6th, 1851. Yet a deeper sorrow has now arrived when I must say good-bye to my mountain home, the house I have built, the garden I have formed.".
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McClear, Colin. A Dreamtime of Dromana. A History of Dromana through the eyes of a pioneering family. Published by Dromana Historical Society. March 2006 Pg 138,136
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Australians at home: A documentary history of Australian domestic interiors from 1788 to 1914, Terence Lane & Jessie Serle; introduction by Jessie Serle.
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She kept a diary that shrewdly analysed Victorian society. Many of her lively letters are held in the Latrobe Library archives, part of the
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715:"Up From Down Under, The Australian Origins of Frederick Matthias Alexander and the Alexander Technique" by Roslyn McLeod, pp. 95–106.
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experiences at Arthur's Seat both in diary form and as sketches and paintings. They were one of the first families to settle on the
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Information for the DVD was gathered from family papers, oral histories, The Dromana and District Historical Society Inc, and the
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Best Audio-Visual Multimedia Award. Keith White.Will Twycross. Visions of Port Phillip: The Burrells of Arthur's Seat 1851–1925
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entitled "Mr McClure's Hut." On 19 July 1846 Georgiana wrote one of many entries in her diary, this describing the homestead.
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255:"Since the flour sacks are full of holes, I have removed my dresses from the tinned chest and filled it with flour instead."
152:, overlooking Port Phillip. The McCraes also knew Arthur's Seat as Wango, the name given this large granite outcrop, by the
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Georgiana's Journal, Melbourne a Hundred Years Ago 1841-1865 " edited by Hugh McCrae, Angus and Robertson Ltd. 1934 pp 196
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McCrae, George Gordon,1833–1927 Album of 406 drawings (1839–1903):pen, ink and watercolour: National Library of Australia
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survive the ravages of time in Victoria. It still waited, hopefully facing the Bay, but with its view mostly obscured.
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597:"Georgiana's Journal, Melbourne a Hundred Years Ago 1841–1865 " edited by Hugh McCrae, Angus and Robertson Ltd. 1934
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inventor of the modern seismograph, and his sister Lilian Twycross, Melbourne opera singer and the first student of
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273:"Arthurs's Seat, June 6th, 1849. Mr Courtney measured our heights on the wall of the dining- room, as follows:
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190:"Georgiana's Journal, Melbourne 1841-1865" was published in the form of a book by Hugh McCrae in 1934.
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Virtual Sorrento, contact information, opening hours, photographs, directions to McCrae Homestead
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tribe. There is also a childhood drawing by George Gordon McCrae finely illustrating a local
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543:"Our Mountain Home." The McCraes of Arthur's Seat. Mary Ryllis Clark. Grania Poliness. 1996
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edging the beach... over the tops you see the bay as smooth as a pond and six miles off are
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and colour slides taken in the 1950s by his son John Twycross on the Mornington peninsula.
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integrity of the original messmate shingles that had remained in position since 1844.
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Harry Burrell of Arthurs Seat Run accompanies the search party led by Howitt
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exhibition displays the photographic works of their son, early-20th century
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Australian Newspapers: Articles from Cindy Hann on the Burrells (1848–1925)
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Clutterbuck, Charlotte Burrell married John Twycross, a wool merchant from
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has preserved the homestead and its stories as part of Victoria's history.
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The Argus, Melbourne. Monday 5 February 1912. Dromana Residences Lost
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Visions of Port Phillip: The Burrells of Arthur's Seat 1851–1925
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Of interest is her paint box and brushes and a Scottish kilt of
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Edward La Trobe Bateman: An Interesting Old-time Personality –
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All early buildings in the area incorporated local materials.
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Buildings and structures in the Shire of Mornington Peninsula
669:"Victorian Community History Awards 2010 (Victoria Online)"
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Perry- Ten years, seven months, 4 feet 3 3/4 inches
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and they built their new home near the future location of
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Georgiana designed the house and each detail such as the
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Of further interest are original papers and quotes from
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George Gordon McCrae, Painter, Poet and Public Servant
424:"The Dollond telescope is on display at the homestead.
276:Fanny-Two years old, less 14 days, 2 feet 8 inches
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In 1851 the Burrell family arrived in Melbourne from
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A watercolour painting was done in the late 1850s by
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Burke and Wills: The Victorian Exploring Party, 1862
279:Poppety-Five years, less 19 days, 3 feet 4 inches.
45:in 1844 by Andrew McCrae, a lawyer, and his wife
159:In 1934, one of Georgiana's grandsons, the poet
694:The Dromana and District Historical Society Inc
303:Mr. Courtney, and Mr. McCrae- 5 feet 10 inches"
291:Sandy-Twelve and a half, 4 feet, 11 1/2 inches
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288:Willie-Fourteen and a half, 4 feet 7 inches
394:A rare surviving example of a large format
294:George -Sixteen years, 5 feet 2 1/2 inches
817:Historic house museums in Victoria (state)
440:pictorial black and white photographs of
37:, Australia. It was built at the foot of
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282:Lucia- Seven years and a half, 4 feet
403:, England, at the homestead in 1870.
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127:were made of local messmate timber.
494:and a blue broken ridge of hills."
29:is an historic property located in
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297:I, myself, me-5 feet 3 1/2 inches
119:, a grand home which stands above
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466:, anthropologist, Easter Island,
832:1844 establishments in Australia
459:in the latter part of his life.
349:McCrae Homestead Visitors Centre
522:Mc.Crae Homestead, Beverly Road
511:National Trust McCrae Homestead
656:The Argus, Melbourne, Victoria
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242:The life of a pioneer woman
220:Shortlands Bluff lighthouse
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100:National Trust of Victoria
85:Provenance and restoration
631:"Arthurs Seat State Park"
368:State Library of Victoria
837:Houses completed in 1844
386:Burrell Twycross Gallery
111:Connection to Heronswood
408:Visions of Port Phillip
181:Edward La Trobe Bateman
67:Count Rumford fireplace
47:Georgiana Huntly McCrae
822:Homesteads in Victoria
783:38.34972°S 144.93139°E
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641:4 September
161:Hugh McCrae
801:Categories
771:38°20′59″S
721:0646195689
576:0975712764
549:0730687945
468:John Milne
380:corroboree
268:Her family
232:Cape Otway
174:Corroboree
125:Heronswood
117:Heronswood
492:the heads
401:Wokingham
396:Ambrotype
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488:she oaks
484:tea tree
376:Bunurong
228:Lonsdale
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202:Quambied
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35:Victoria
608:The Age
77:on the
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