ACT Historic Places

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

24/04/2026

Crispy or chewy? How do you like your Anzac Biscuits?

During World War I, Australian troops received parcels from home containing biscuits as treats. Eggless biscuits have longer shelf life, so Oatmeal Biscuits or Rolled Oat Biscuits recipes from cookbooks like The Goulburn Cookery Book (first published in 1904), were the preferred choice.

Recipes with the Anzac reference started to appear in 1919, with a reader of the Weekly Times in Melbourne asking for the ‘recipe of Anzac Crispies, which is evidently a new kind of biscuit’. One of the earliest published recipes was in The Argus newspaper in 1920. At Calthorpes House, Del Calthorpe (Harry and Della’s eldest daughter), had a handwritten Oat Biscuit version tucked into her recipe notebook – without coconut.

From the 1930s, Anzac Biscuit recipes started to include coconut (substituting half of the oats).

Anzac Biscuits continue to be an Aussie favourite. Chewy or crunchy – enjoy your version this Anzac Day.

www.historicplaces.com.au

13/04/2026

Thanks to Urban Sketchers Canberra for these beautiful sketches, created on their recent trip to Lanyon Homestead.

Sketches in order -
1. Girish Toraskar
2. Camelia Smith
3. Mandy Cox
4. Elaine OL

09/04/2026

Want to learn to quilt like this? We all have to start somewhere.

Join Canberra Quilters at Lanyon Homestead on Saturday, 18 April for a piecing and hand sewing workshop. This workshop is suitable for those new to sewing and those who enjoy the shared stitching experience.

Tickets | https://events.humanitix.com/workshop-piecing-and-hand-sewing-with-canberra-quilters

📅 Saturday 18 April
⏰ 10am - 1pm
🎫 $15 General Admission - $12 Concession (+booking fees)
📍 Lanyon Homestead

08/04/2026

The Cafe at Lanyon Homestead is undergoing period of change, with improvements to elevate your dining experience. While these changes are underway, we’ve partnered with one of Canberra’s best coffee vans, Silver Linings, to ensure delicious beverages and snacks are available during your visit.

🍞Full Menu☕
Quiche
Sausage roll
Spinach and ricotta roll
Chunky beef and onion pie
Toasted sandwiches
House-made sweet treats

☕Tea and coffee☕
Cappuccino
Chai latte
Dirty chai
Double espresso
Flat white
Hot chocolate
Latte
Long black
Macchiato
Mocha
Piccolo
Assorted tea

Starting today, grab a coffee and enjoy with fresh, house baked treats including croissants, pies and sausage rolls and toasties whilst you soak in the stunning views of the Brindabella Ranges at one of Canberra’s premier historic sites.

07/04/2026

Right now at Mugga-Mugga Cottage, our Collections team is carefully preparing the site for its conservation, decanting the moveable collection piece by piece into safe storage.

It’s delicate work. Heavy antique furniture has to be carefully eased through Mugga’s famously narrow, low doorways and passages, with expert art handlers guiding every step. As the rooms slowly empty, details usually hidden from view are beginning to emerge, including the sweet 1930s koala pattern on the oilcloth covering the kitchen mantel shelf.

One of the final objects to come off display was the piano, moved with help from Ivory Wheelers.

Now, Mugga-Mugga Cottage is empty and sleeping. Fragile floor coverings and items that can’t be removed have been carefully protected under layers of coreflute and Tyvek, tucked in while this important conservation work gets underway.

We’ll be sharing more as the project progresses, so keep an eye out for updates from behind the scenes at beautiful Mugga-Mugga Cottage.