Clarendon, Tasmania

A grand Georgian house revisited.

Clarendon is a wonderfully grand Georgian house that can be found about 20 minutes from Launceston. It had originally been part of a large pastoral estate and the owner built himself a house to reflect his wealth. I love the fact that there's this incredible house well off the beaten track! The property is now owned and run by the Tasmanian National Trust, if you're a National Trust member entry to the house is free. If not it's $20 for adults and that includes tea and biscuits in the main hall.

I had visited Clarendon the previous year but I arrived late in the afternoon as it was raining so the visit was rather rushed and I didn't get to explore the grounds. This visit, the weather was fine and I arrived somewhat earlier in the day. 

Clarendon is an impressive property and it illustrates the wealth of the northern Tasmanian pastoralists in the 19th century. The house was built in 1838, on a land-grant given to James Cox in 1817. He received 6,000 acres, as well as having convicts assigned to work on his property. By all accounts he treated his convicts well and later campaigned against transportation. Non convict labour was also employed on the property. James Cox was given prime agricultural land and he was able to prosper at a time when northern Tasmania was a major food producer for colonial Australia. He built a house to reflect his status, his second wife Eliza created the park around the house. 

By the turn of the 20th century the property had been broken up and was sold, in the late 1940s it was bought by a Tasmanian horse breeder and the outbuildings were converted to stables. Something that I found out from the guides this time was that the final owners of Clarendon never actually lived in the house, the property was just for their horses. The house itself was guttered, and it was in this rundown state that it was gifted to the National Trust in 1962. It took the National Trust 12 years to repair and renovate the house so that it was finally opened to the public in 1974. There is still renovation work happening, the re-roofing of the house had been completed last time I was there and this time interior painting was going on with some rooms complete.

The dining room

When the National Trust received the house nothing remained of the original owners, so it was refurnished in the style of the time. Visitors ring the bell to enter the house, a guide gives you a brief explanation of the history of the house and then you're free to wander around. On my first visit one thing that surprised me was that they do encourage you to interact with the displays, you can sit on the couches, play the piano, open the cupboards, this is very different from visiting most historic homes. There's no 'please don't touch, sit' etc signs.

The study

Since my last visit some of the upstairs rooms had been repainted, scrapings had been made of the walls to bring them back to their original colours. One of the bedrooms had some terrible water damage from when the old roof leaked, that room I noticed was restored and repainted. Painting work was being done on the house during the time that I visited, I noticed the ladders and drop cloths tucked away. I hope to visit again on another trip to Tasmania to admire the next lot of restoration work.

The other room that had been repainted and redone was the room with historic dresses. The house has a nice collection of 19th and 20th century dresses.

As it wasn't raining this time I was able to explore the garden area around the house. Just next to the house is the walled garden, all maintained by the Trust volunteers.

The South Esk river

The house faces the South Esk river, the side of the house with the columns is actually the back of the house. Visitors to the estate would travel down the river from Launceston, the river was the main transport route in early colonial times.

The front entrance as seen from the river.

The stables

The driveway entry to the park, leading to the back of the house (and current main entrance) and the parking area.

Road marker next to the house showing the road distance to Launceston and Hobart (town).

The Clarendon Estate is normally opened Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, although last entry to the house is at 3.15pm. Entry to the park and gardens are free. The estate is closed in July and August (way too cold to visit!!)Christmas and Boxing Day, Australia Day and Good Friday. The entry fee (for non National Trust members) is $20 for adults and $15 concessions and with that you get tea or coffee with Tasmanian shortbread biscuits. (It was a nice way to round off a visit to the house)