La Trobe's Cottage, Colonial residence in Melbourne, Australia
La Trobe's Cottage is a colonial residence in Melbourne built in the 1840s as the home of a senior British administrator. The structure preserves its original layout, furnishings, and construction methods that reflect how settlers created domestic spaces in the new colony.
The cottage was originally built in England in the early 1830s and was dismantled and shipped to Australia in 1839. It became the residence of Charles Joseph La Trobe, who served as the first Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria and later shaped the colony's early development.
The cottage reveals how wealthy British administrators lived and managed their households during the colony's early years. The objects and furnishings still in place show the daily routines of someone who held significant authority in a remote settlement far from home.
Visits are possible only on scheduled days, so it helps to check opening times ahead of arrival. The location within a park is easy to reach and the site is accessible for most visitors with good paths and level ground.
The garden surrounding the house still contains plants from the 1840s era, including species that La Trobe himself collected during his travels and botanical interests. These living plants are windows into what the early settlers valued and grew in their new home.
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