Yester Grange, Historic estate museum in Wentworth Falls, Blue Mountains, Australia
Yester Grange is a house of New Zealand kauri wood on an eight-hectare estate directly above the main waterfall at Wentworth Falls, overlooking the Jamison Valley. The land passed to Sydney importer and builder John Charles Smith in 1888, and the residence was most likely built before 1891. It has a state heritage listing.
The land passed to Sydney importer and builder John Charles Smith in 1888, and the kauri-wood house was most likely built before 1891. NSW Premier Sir John See bought the estate in 1902, added a ballroom and held large formal gatherings there. After See died in 1907 his family kept it as a holiday house until 1938, when it was abandoned; it stood vacant until 1944.
The name Yester Grange echoes the Scottish estate of the Marquess of Tweeddale; the house was built of kauri pine imported from New Zealand. Sir John See added a ballroom in 1902 and held large formal gatherings there. From 1975 the Clarkes ran it as a Victorian-period museum, the estate's first opening to tourists.
The property sits approximately 95 kilometers west of Sydney and currently operates primarily as a venue for private events such as weddings and conferences. Visitors should inquire ahead since the estate is only open to the public at certain times for tours and viewing.
The Clarkes, who had run a Sydney gallery, turned the house into a Victorian-period museum and opened the estate to tourists for the first time; it drew visitors until 1999, when the Crockett Group bought it and closed it for restoration. The 2012 events-centre use followed that restoration, not a 2012 conversion.
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