Bathurst - continued

Beekeepers Inn, Vittoria

After leaving Abercrombie House last Thursday, we drove on in the bus to Vittoria, on the outskirts of Bathurst to have a delicious lunch at The Beekeepers Inn.   The Restaurant & Cafe is licenced to serve local wines, ciders and 1859 brand beer.  The meal consisted of contemporary Australian cuisine using seasonal produce and ingredients.  The Inn was originally a Cobb & Co. stopover.  It was built in 1859 and is now a tourist destination operated by the Lockwood family.  There is also a farm shop attached to the cafe with a range of local and regional quality foods.  There is also a unique range of Goldfields varietal honeys available for tasting and purchase in the farm shop.  Through a glass window we could watch the live bee display as the bees brought nectar back to the hive. 

The sign on this building said The Beekeepers Inn, but I think it may just be an old shed on the property that has been converted into a museum with a collection of Australiana from the days of Cobb & Co. and the gold rush days.  I didn't take a look inside as I was more interested in inspecting the large range of Irises on display in the adjoining Iris Farm.

There is an Iris Farm on the property called  Antonia's Irises.  Here they grow Bearded Irises on site and the early varieties were in full flower.  There were many different varieties and colours.  This one was called DeLovely.  The names of all the irises were displayed at the end of each bed.

Many geese, ducks and other waterfowl were wandering around the dam on the property.

After leaving The Beekeepers Inn, we drove back to Bathurst and did a lap on the Racing Circuit at Mount Panorama.  The Bathurst 1000 Motor Race is held here in October every year.

A view from the top of Mount Panorama on the racing circuit.  Our driver stopped the bus, so we could get out and take photographs from on top of the Mountain.

We then drove back into the township of Bathurst.

All Saints Anglican Cathedral in Bathurst.  We stopped for a little while here, but disappointingly, we could not see inside the Church, as it was locked. 

Opposite the Cathedral is a beautiful Park named Kings Parade containing the War Memorial Carillion which is a memorial to the soldiers who lost their lives in the two World Wars.

We left Bathurst about 3.30pm to head back to the Blue Mountains and home after a great day out.

Bathurst

Abercrombie House, Bathurst

Yesterday we travelled to Bathurst and visited Abercrombie House.  Abercrombie House is a country family mansion, in the Victorian Tudor style, built of granite stone with sandstone dressing to the quoins and window surrounds.  It sits high on a hill, with a panoramic view overlooking a broad landscape.  The house has a prominent, stepped and gabled slate roof with traceried windows and an octagonal spire and stone balustrade porch.  It was built by the Stewart family, who were Bathurst pioneers.  William Stewart was the Lieutenant Governor General of New South Wales and was granted the land in Bathurst as a reward for doing his job well.

 

Abercrombie House is of great historical significance and is listed on the National Trust Register, the New South Wales Heritage Register and the Australian Heritage Database.  There are two storeys and an attic floor.  The building's most striking feature is its array of curvilinear parapeted gables, topped by iron finials.

The 50 acre land and house is currently owned by the Rex Henry Morgan family.  Since 1969 the Morgan family has made major restorations to the house.  The house is currently occupied by Christopher Morgan and his family.  The young Christopher can remember when his family brought the house and growing up in this 50 room mansion.  Every room had to have a purpose and items of furniture were bought, at auction, to furnish the rooms.  There are many pianos throughout the house and even a pipe organ in the Gallery above the Dining Room.

This is the long wrap-around front verandah, where we sat at a table and enjoyed a lovely morning tea.  The floor is paved in a traditional design of  tessellated tiles.

 There are many unusual decorations on display throughout the house.  This Chinese Dragon was in the entrance hallway as we entered the house.  On the opposite wall was a wooden carved elephant.  It was a very hot day outside, but beautifully cool inside.

Part of the landscape from the front gate looking  towards Bathurst.  After we left Abercrombie House we set off to have lunch at the Beekeepers Inn