Schwerkolt Cottage

Open House Melbourne is in it's 10th year of operation this year and is still going strong. There are now more buildings open to the public for the Open House weekend than ever. The crowds show no sign of abating instead, they are catching on to this wonderful initiative in bigger numbers than ever.

Open House has proved so popular that the organisers have introduced a ticket booking system with a small charge for certain buildings.

We were lucky to have participated in Open House since 2009 and have visited many, many buildings which are not usually open to the public, or are open to the public but for a fee. We have been able to learn the history of these buildings, admire their architecture, hear the stories of the people who work and upkeep these buildings, all for free. It made us feel very special indeed.

More buildings are open now than ever, especially outside of the CBD. For Open House Melbourne 2017, we visited Schwerkolt Cottage on Deep Creek Road, Mitcham. If not for Open House, we would not have known about this gem in our backyard.

Dining and Kitchen

Children's bedroom

Schwerkolt Cottage and Museum is open every weekend and public holidays except for Christmas and Good Friday. This property was built by German immigrants to Australia, August and Paulina Schwerkolt in 1861. They had 9 children together and when Paulina passed away in 1884, August remarried. His new wife added 3 daughters to his family and together they had another 3 children including a pair of twins.

The 63 acre property is just enough room for his large family. There is a stone cottage, wine cellar, smithy, smokehouse, barn, orchard shed which he and his family built from materials found on his land. Today, these buildings have been restored or reconstructed by the Whitehorse Council.

The stone cottage and surrounding 5.5 acres of the property was left to August Schwerkolt's youngest daughter Mary while the rest of the land was left to his eldest son Louis Schwerkolt. The family had many businesses including fruit growing, dairy, winery and Louis continued with the family business. Mary Schwerkolt migrated to the United States with her mother. Eventually, the property was purchased by the Council for public parkland.

There is something magical exploring and imagining the lifestyle of the Schwerkolts through the reconstructed cottage and buildings.

The complex is close to the Mullum Mullum trail. From there, we can see the big air extractor vent for the Mullum Mullum tunnel on the Eastlink. The old, and the modern... together side by side.