Schwerkolt Cottage, Stone pioneer cottage in Mitcham, Australia
Schwerkolt Cottage is a stone building with three separate rooms connected only through small openings in the walls and located on 2.25 hectares of land. The property sits near Mullum Mullum Creek and is operated today along with a museum building and surrounding gardens.
August Schwerkolt, who emigrated from Prussia in 1849, built this stone house in 1886 on his 88-acre property as his third residence. The cottage was constructed during an era when European settlers in Victoria were building homes using locally available materials.
The cottage operates as a museum displaying furniture and objects from the era of early European settlement in Victoria during the late 1800s. Visitors can see how the first European families lived and furnished their homes in this region.
The property is open on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, except on Good Friday and Christmas Day when it remains closed. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes as the grounds with its gardens and pathways invite exploration.
Each room opens directly to the verandah without internal connecting doors between spaces, showing an unusual household arrangement from that era. This design reflects early practices when room separation and privacy were organized differently than in modern homes.
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