ACT Historic Places

13/07/2026

Very exciting to see progress on the much-needed conservation works to Canberra’s beloved 1850s Mugga-Mugga Cottage.

An Arborist has cut back branches from the huge, overhanging pine trees that had grown close to the house becoming a fire hazard and dropping pine needles causing decay of the building fabric and clogging gutters, downpipes, and drains.
It is likely that the original inhabitants of the cottage, the Curley family had planted the trees to act as a low, thick hedge or a windbreak rather than allow them to grow to their current size.

The back sheds and charming chicken coup have been cleared of materials; the leaning sections pushed back into place, braced, and decayed structural timbers replaced with recycled hardwood. The external timbers were individually assessed with some able to be retained and others replaced with matched recycled timber.

Pictured the before, during and after images of the sheds and chicken coup.

There’s still work to do but Mugga-Mugga Cottage is set reopen later this year with a carefully considered, heritage-sensitive refresh.

09/07/2026

Turn Back Time returns to Lanyon Homestead this August.

Across two Saturdays, step into the past through live music, traditional crafts and hands on experiences that bring history to life.

On Saturday 22 August, hear the sublime voices of the National Opera perform music from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Lanyon’s Victorian drawing room.

On Saturday 29 August, learn pine needle basketry, hand dip a natural beeswax candle, try traditional leatherworking or give children a taste of life on a colonial farm.

Visitors attending programs on 29 August can also add a warming bowl of pumpkin soup from the Lanyon Cafe to their booking.

📅 Saturdays 22 and 29 August
📍 Lanyon Homestead
🎫 Bookings essential

Explore the full program and book your place | https://www.historicplaces.com.au/events/turn-back-time-2026

08/07/2026

Lanyon Homestead will be closed this Saturday, 11 July due to a hazard reduction burn in the area.

06/07/2026

Lanyon Homestead’s gardens reflect centuries of change.

In our latest blog, heritage researcher Sam Thompson explores how the landscape has been shaped across different periods, from First Nations land management and settler early food production, to formal gardens, ornamental plantings and ongoing conservation.

Drawing on archival records, oral histories and the landscape itself, the blog examines the clues and contradictions that reveal how Lanyon has changed over time.

Read Rediscovering Lanyon’s Gardens and Grounds | https://www.historicplaces.com.au/blog/rediscovering-lanyon-s-gardens-and-grounds

11/06/2026

🌟 Dinner with the Stars returns to Lanyon Homestead for 2026! 🔭

One of our most popular events is back, combining gastronomy and astronomy beneath the spectacular winter night skies of Lanyon Homestead.

Enjoy a delicious two-course dinner before joining astronomers from Mt Stromlo Observatory to explore planets, stars and distant galaxies through powerful telescopes.

With just three dates available and previous events selling out, early booking is recommended.

📅 10 July, 14 August & 25 September
⏰ 6pm–9pm
📍 Lanyon Homestead
🎫 Adults $95 | Children (under 12) $55 (+ booking fees)

Book now: https://www.historicplaces.com.au/events/dinner-with-the-stars-at-lanyon-homestead-2026

📸 Photo by James Harcombe

06/05/2026

“Oh, I loved seeing my mother get ready to go out.”

In this beautiful audio tour excerpt, Dawn Waterhouse remembers watching her mother, Della Calthorpe, prepare for the afternoon. The bath, the corsets, the compact, the lipstick, the string of pearls and the careful ritual of getting dressed.

This Mother’s Day weekend, step inside Calthorpes House and discover the memories that bring this remarkable 1927 home to life.

Explore the rooms where the Calthorpe family lived, dressed, entertained and spent their days, with stories from our audio tour and insights from our friendly guides. Afterwards, take a quiet stroll through the gardens in the late autumn sunshine.

Tours available this Saturday, and on future Saturdays.

Book a tour: https://events.humanitix.com/calthorpes-house-tours-2026

Calthorpes House, Mugga Way, Red Hill.

Image: Main bedroom where Mrs Dell Calthorpe would get ready for her day ahead, Calthorpes House.
Audio: “Mother getting dressed” by Dawn Waterhouse (nee Calthorpe), ACT Historic Places.

03/05/2026

A Sunday night at Calthorpes House might have found the Calthorpes family cozying up in the living room. The cat would be stretched out by the fireplace and Mr and Mrs Calthorpe on the settee. As the family settled in, sisters Del and Dawn would select rolls to play in the pianola.

Sundays were filled with music; all would enjoy listening and singing along to the pianola. The family loved ‘Moonlight Sonata’, ‘Choplin Waltz’, ‘I’m Knee Deep in Daisies’, ‘Shine on Harvest Moon’, ‘Bird Songs at Eventide’ and ‘Destiny Waltz’. They could all sing to the ‘Rose Marie’ pianola roll by heart.

In the merriment of music and singing, Mr Calthorpe would say: ‘A song is a blessing and should be exercised with the same zest as the magpies do’.

The photos pictured are the pianola and some of the much-loved pianola rolls used by the Calthorpe’s family.

(source: ‘Chortles, Chores and Chilblains’ by Dawn Waterhouse, page 36.)

01/05/2026

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Michael Sollis, an extraordinary creative leader whose influence on Canberra’s arts community will be felt for many years to come.

Michael served on the Cultural Facilities Corporation Board from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025. During his time with CFC, he was a thoughtful and passionate advocate, ensuring that artistic excellence and meaningful community engagement remained central to the organisation’s strategic priorities.

His contribution to the broader cultural life of Canberra was profound. As an inaugural member of the Minister’s Creative Council (2018–2022), Artistic Director of The Griffyn Ensemble, Director of Education at Musica Viva Australia and Co-Artistic Director of the National Folk Festival, Michael championed the transformative power of the arts to connect people, nurture creativity, and build vibrant communities.

Through his work across education, performance and cultural leadership, Michael supported artists and inspired audiences locally and nationally. His commitment to fostering creative thinking and expanding access to the arts has left a lasting legacy.

We extend our sincere condolences to Michael’s family, friends and colleagues. He will be greatly missed.

Canberra musician, music advocate and composer Michael Sollis died at Clare Holland House early on Friday after a five-year battle with bowel cancer. He was 40.

25/04/2026

In 1911, the Royal Military College opened at Duntroon and the Cunningham family began hosting regular social gatherings at Lanyon. At one of these gatherings, Mary Paule met William (Billy) Dunlop, a cadet from the first intake at the Royal Military College.

At the start of World War I, William was appointed a lieutenant with the 4th Light Horse Regiment’s Machine Gun section. Mary Paule and her sister Tommy joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment and travelled to Britain to serve as nurses, allowing Mary Paule to be closer to William. In 1916, Mary Paule married William while he was on leave in London. Her older brother, Andrew, later enlisted and also joined the Light Horse Regiment.

Back home, Lanyon Homestead supported the home front effort. Mary Paule’s mother, Mary Emily, was an active fundraiser and pro-conscription advocate, and in 1915 hosted a Red Cross fundraising ball at the property.

Mary Paule, her brother and her husband William returned to Australia in 1919. The couple had two children, but the marriage did not last. William inherited Lanyon after his father’s death in 1921. The property was subdivided and sold as six blocks in 1926, marking the end of the Cunningham era.

24/04/2026

On this day we remember all those who have served: Lieutenant General Robert Harold Nimmo, CBE (1893-1966)

Robert Harold ‘Putt’ Nimmo entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Federal Capital Territory in 1912. He joined the 5th Light Horse Regiment, Australian Imperial Force, in Egypt in February 1915 and landed on Gallipoli as a troop commander on 20 May 1915, where he was promoted to major.
Nimmo returned to Australia in 1919 and resumed service in the permanent Military Forces and from 1920 instructed at Duntroon.
On 25 June 1921, he married Joan Margaret ‘Peggy’ Cunningham from Lanyon. Peggy was one of James and Mary Cunningham’s eight children.
The Nimmos had two children; James and Ann. James was killed while serving at the Royal Australian Air Force in 1944.
Peggy died in 1940 and was buried at Lanyon Cemetery. Nimmo married Mary Dundas Page in 1942 and they had two children.
During the outbreak of World War II, Nimmo remained in Australia where he was promoted to brigadier in 1942. In 1943-45 he was brigadier, general staff, successively of 3rd Australian Corps, 2nd Australian Army and Northern Territory Force, before commanding 4th Australian Base Area in New Guinea and serving at Headquarters, 1st Australian Army, at Lae, New Guinea.
At the war's end, Nimmo assumed command of the 34th Infantry Brigade on Morotai, Indonesia, the first formation of the incipient Australian Regular Army.
Nimmo retired from the army in 1950, but the same year became chief military observer of the U.N. Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan. In 1954, Nimmo was promoted to honorary lieutenant general. Nimmo died in Pakistan in 1966.

Photographs in order -
1. Robert Harold Nimmo
2. James Nimmo
3. Lt Gen Nimmo
4. Nimmo family