©
2004 Price Morris Cottage.
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History... Price Morris was an emancipist/farmer who took up the 50 acre grant of the property in 1837. In the 1830’s the area became the home of prominent Welsh Methodist settlers and the Price Morris cottage the centre for Methodist meetings and worship. A Methodist church was built, used and still remains in St. Albans but as the generations changed and parishioners grew older the use of the cottage as a meeting place re-occurred until the late 1960’s. In one of the generations there were seven Preachers one of whom was the grandfather of the late Sir Allen Walker, founder of the Central Methodist Mission.
Our vision is to preserve, but use, our newly restored timber 1837 model farming homestead for friendly stays. The well sighted original cottage took 8 years to build and 2 years to restore to make it comfortable and a home once again. Lovingly ‘helped back to health’ the vertical slab, wattle and daub cottage with its calico ceilings under a shingle roof has been brought back to life and given its rightful and prominent place in Australia’s history within the Macdonald Valley and its community.
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~ Enjoy, Protect, Conserve & Appreciate your Heritage ~ |
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From 1837 – 1967 the farm produced fruit and
vegetables for the burgeoning Sydney markets as well as pigs and
calves for the meat market. Since that time cattle have grazed the
property and farming restricted to growing improved pasture or
winter feed. Despite the ravages of time, floods and drought
occupancy of the farm has remained continuously in the Morris family
for 167 years.
The
cottage is self-contained and has a long northern verandah
overlooking the farm. Catching the early morning winter sunlight
and cooling afternoon
Selected antiques and furnishings highlighting the Morris
generations residing on the farm, grace the parlour and bedrooms
including ‘shearers’ single beds, an iron double 4-poster and
queen-size brass bed. Rooms are twin-share i.e.2 x 2 shearers 3’
beds, a family room with a double bed and adjoining room with 2 x
2 deluxe shearers 3’ beds and a bedroom containing a queen size
bed. (8 persons in total)) A separate building, (the
washroom), contains shower, vanity and toilet.
Conversion of the dairy and construction of a small additional
adjoining building created the
washroom and the “loo with a view” as we call it, a far cry from
early Australian ‘conveniences’.
The ideal would be to book the whole house with
friends or relatives, relax and share the uniqueness of this NSW
heritage listed cottage and the surrounding and beautiful Hawkesbury sandstone escarpment with its green eucalypt enhancement. At
night, gaze in awe at the enormous sky splashing a majestic Milky
Way white cloud of a million points of light that seem to have no
beginning and no end and the moon a perfect silver sixpence against
a backdrop of endless darkness, uninterrupted by external light
The kangaroos too share this part of the world, yet so close to the
CBD- only 2-2 ½ hours from Sydney, Newcastle or Gosford. 