64-517: Yarralumla may refer to: Government House, Canberra , the residence of the Governor-General of Australia, sometimes referred to known as Yarralumla because of its location in that suburb Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory , a suburb of Canberra Yarralumla Primary School Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
128-404: A Quran. He was tall in stature (over 190 cm) with red hair, a swaggering walk and an imposing physical presence. Murray was also an outstanding horseman and bushman who, at the same time, liked to pursue the comfortable lifestyle of a prosperous "landed gentleman", drawing rents from the tenant farmers who occupied a large portion of Yarralumla after the abolition of assigned convict labour in
192-487: A descendant of Mowle, noted he then catalogued 12. Murray also named his property Winderradeen after the notable Wiradjuri warrior and resistance leader Windradyne , who had been active in the Lake George area. From 1860 to 1862, Murray served as an extremely effective and genuinely impartial speaker of the legislative assembly. Towards the end of 1862, he was appointed for life to the legislative council, which
256-536: A difficult situation because control of Yarralumla and a key part of Winderradeen now passed to the trustees of Mary's estate. Murray wanted to sell some of the land but he could not do so without the trustees' permission. The trustees included Murray's father-in-law, Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes (1787-1873) , who was a member of the colonial legislature and the Collector of Customs for NSW, and Murray's brother-in-law, Augustus Onslow Manby Gibbes (1828–1897), who
320-609: A homestead. In 1837 Terence Aubrey Murray and Thomas Walker acquired the property. Walker subsequently left the partnership and Murray increased the size of Yarralumla. He held large grazing lands in the Lake George area and became a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the 1840s. As a member of the Legislative Assembly, Murray served as a minister in the New South Wales Government , and
384-480: A memorial to Patrick Hore-Ruthven , the only surviving son of governor-general Lord and Lady Gowrie, who was killed in the Second World War. The design of this garden was influenced by the work of Edna Walling and Paul Sorenson . Other gardens have been laid out by successive governors-general and their spouses. The lakeside lawn and terraces, for instance, were developed at the time Lake Burley Griffin
448-554: A political career. He was elected unopposed to the New South Wales Legislative Council , representing the Counties of Murray, King and Georgiana . During the ensuing years, he played a prominent role in parliamentary debates and proceedings. In 1856, a fully representative Legislative Assembly was established with the introduction of responsible government. Murray was duly elected to it, representing
512-692: A posting to the Australian colony of New South Wales in 1817 and later, in 1825, to India . In 1827, Captain Murray, then a single father, decided to move permanently to New South Wales with Anna-Maria and Terence Aubrey, to take advantage of the free land grants being made to military officers by the colonial government. They arrived in Sydney in April 1827 on the Elizabeth and leased a house at Erskine Park as
576-408: A rented property, Richmond House , in the inner-Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst . He had endured his painful final illness with dignity and courage. Although baptised a Catholic, a faith that he never renounced, Murray had agreed shortly before his death to be interred in an Anglican churchyard when offered a burial plot at St Jude's, Randwick —in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Such an unorthodox arrangement
640-437: A temporary measure. Capt. Murray's eldest son, James Fitzgerald, joined them after he finished medical school. Around 1829, Murray acquired his first farming and grazing land near the village of Collector , south-west of Sydney. His main property was situated alongside Lake George . He called it Winderradeen . Murray added to his country estates in 1837 when he purchased another large sheep-grazing property, Yarralumla , on
704-514: A temporary residence for the governor-general of Australia . Consequently, another three-storey block was erected behind the existing one and a new entrance hall was constructed on the southern frontage. A stable block was constructed to the west of the structure and cottages built for staff. For a period of time, the house was used as the residence of John Goodwin , the officer-in-charge of the Federal Capital Territory. Since
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#1732775508122768-480: Is reached by Dunrossil Drive — named after the only Australian governor-general to die in office, Lord Dunrossil . At the entrance to the grounds are iron gates, decorated with the Royal and Commonwealth coats of arms, and a gatekeeper's cottage. The curving drive leads to the house through ornamental lawns and gardens. Government House consists of a central brick block, erected by Frederick Campbell in 1890–1891 on
832-611: Is the official residence of the governor-general of Australia . It is located in the suburb of Yarralumla in the Australian capital city of Canberra , in the Australian Capital Territory . The main residence is set amid 54 hectares (130 acres) of parkland. The house and its associated grounds were added to the Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004. At Government House, the governor-general of Australia presides over meetings of
896-570: The Federal Capital Commission . They are in keeping with the prevailing Inter-war Stripped Classical style, with more formal interiors provided for the official reception rooms, and a lighter scheme prevailing in the private residential rooms. A private sitting room was built in 1933 at the request of Lady Isaacs over the south entrance porch, which looks south across the gardens to the Brindabella Ranges and
960-609: The Federal Executive Council , and holds investitures to present honours within the Order of Australia and associated Australian military, bravery and civil decorations. The governor-general also receives visiting heads of state and other dignitaries and the credentials of ambassadors to Australia, and entertains people from all walks of life. American architect Walter Burley Griffin included provision for an impressive, purpose-built Government House in his plans for
1024-589: The Victoria Cross , and the civilian equivalent, the Cross of Valour , all nestled in plantings of mostly Australian and New Zealand plants. In 2014 a hedge of 'Gallipoli Centenary Rose' was planted. About 100 metres (330 ft) south of the house there is a slight depression in Yarralumla's "Vista Lawn". It marks the location of a filled-in brick and cement vault which once contained the bodies of two of
1088-630: The electoral district of Southern Boroughs , and from 1859 Argyle . In 1856–1858, he sat in the New South Wales cabinet as the Secretary for Lands and Works . At one point, Murray had the opportunity to form a ministry with himself heading up the government as premier. But the move failed when Murray was unable to enlist the support of sufficient Members of Parliament, a number of whom disliked him, finding him intellectually arrogant. Substantial discrimination against Irish Catholics existed in
1152-461: The 1920s, the building has been extended and refurbished several more times, but the basic structure of the 1891 house can still be seen clearly when viewed from the south. Lord Stonehaven was the first governor-general to live in the house, being in attendance at the opening of the new Provisional Parliament House (now Old Parliament House ) in Canberra in 1927. Australian-born Sir Isaac Isaacs
1216-486: The 1990s, a new chancery building, designed by Roger Pegrum in an Inter-war Stripped Classical design, was constructed to house the offices of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General and associated administrative staff. Government House is situated in the south-western part of Canberra , in the suburb of Yarralumla . It is located on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin on a north–south orientation and
1280-604: The Limestone Plains (in what is now the Australian Capital Territory ). Today, Yarralumla is the site of the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia . Murray also acquired the Coolamine outstation, where he could graze his sheep in cooler conditions during the hot summer months. With the establishment of a partially representative parliament in the colony in 1843, Murray resolved to pursue
1344-482: The birth of her last child to heart failure and a severe infection. Mary Gibbes' reputed grandfather was the Duke of York, who was chronically affected by a stigmatized genetic disorder, Porphyria . Two years after this tragedy, on 4 August 1860, Murray married his children's English nanny/governess, Agnes Ann Edwards (1835–1891), at Winderradeen homestead. He would have a further two children with Agnes, who, incidentally,
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#17327755081221408-478: The colony at that time, and robust Parliamentary debate involving aspersions cast against Murray's religion, can be found on the Hansard. Murray is attributed by biographer, Gwendoline Wilson, as the first colonial politician to campaign against 'transportation' and the death penalty. Murray is noted by biographer, Wilson, to have commissioned Stewart Mowle to preserve the local Aboriginal nations' languages. Wilson,
1472-455: The contents of Winderradeen's library to pay off debts. At one point, Murray's creditors had bailiffs dispatched to Winderradeen to seize valuable items from the homestead. In fact, Murray was only saved from bankruptcy (and automatic removal from his seat in parliament) by the generosity of a few of his colleagues, who loaned him money. He remained in a tight fiscal position for the rest of his life. The trustees of Winderradeen finally consented to
1536-450: The demands made of it. The 1899 Campbell extension was therefore demolished and a new, more substantial replacement erected. The drawing room was made larger, while more bedrooms were installed on the second storey, and a "state entrance" built on the northern side. Further alterations to the existing building were also made, adding a nursery on the third-storey and extending the dining room. All these changes to Yarralumla had been spurred by
1600-496: The early 1840s. On 27 May 1843, Murray married into the Anglo-colonial establishment when he wed Mary "Minnie" Gibbes (1817–1858) at St James' Anglican Church , Sydney. English-born Mary went to live with her new husband (whom she called "Aubrey") at Yarralumla homestead; but being a cultivated and gregarious young lady, she found it extremely hard to adjust to rural life in the lonely and uncouth Australian countryside. She
1664-560: The eastern side of the "Vista Lawn" to the south of the house in the 1990s at the suggestion of Dallas Hayden, wife of governor-general Bill Hayden . The Bravery Garden was established in the grounds of Government House, suggested by Sir William and Lady Deane and inspired by John Thurgar OAM , MBE and Hedonna Thurgar, founders of the Australian Bravery Association. The garden displays different Australian civilian and military decorations, including
1728-601: The economic hardship caused by the Great Depression of the late 1920s and 1930s. The grave crisis posed to Australia's security during the Second World War also halted further work. Due to the First World War and the adverse post-war economic conditions that prevailed in its immediate wake, the federal government did not move to Canberra from Melbourne until 1927. It was only at this time that
1792-421: The end of 1881. Following the entry of European explorers into the Limestone Plains area, pastoralists followed during the 1820s, and Johnston and Taylor were the first to graze stock in the Yarralumla area. A grant of the land was made to Henry Donnison in 1828, but he soon sold it to William Dawes who in turn sold it to Francis Mowatt in 1832. Mowatt established an agricultural and dairying property and built
1856-742: The foothills of the Australian Alps beyond. In 1939, Government House was again extensively renovated and expanded in the Inter-war Stripped Classical style typical of Canberra's early public buildings, to a design by E. H. Henderson, Chief Architect of the Works and Services Branch of the Department of the Interior. Lord Gowrie lived in the residence at this time, and it was not regarded as being large enough to meet
1920-549: The governor-general began to use Yarralumla as his official seat, albeit on a limited basis at first. However, the Federal Cabinet did meet at Government House (then known as Yarralumla House) on 30 January 1924, on that occasion chaired by the acting Prime Minister, Earle Page . This was still three years before the opening of Parliament House and Canberra becoming the National Capital. Between 1927 and 1930
1984-614: The governor-general continued to live principally at Melbourne's Government House, residing at Yarralumla only during those periods of the year when the Parliament of Australia was sitting. In 1930, Melbourne's Government House was finally returned to the Victorian State Government for use by the Governor of Victoria . In 1927, the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth ) stayed in
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2048-540: The house when they visited Canberra to open the Provisional Parliament House . Prior to their arrival, extensive improvements were made to ensure that the building would provide a standard of accommodation appropriate for members of the royal family. These improvements were overseen by the then Commonwealth Architect, John Smith Murdoch . The interiors of the refurbished house, along with much of their furniture, were designed by Ruth Lane Poole , of
2112-494: The house. They were first devised and put in place by the horticulturalist Charles Weston . Many of the trees in the gardens have been planted by visiting dignitaries. The grounds include extensive plantations of trees and sweeping lawns, which provide vistas towards Black Mountain in the north and the Brindabella Ranges in the south. The "Wild Garden" or "English Garden" was laid out by Lady Gowrie , and includes
2176-543: The impending appointment of Prince George, Duke of Kent as the next governor-general. He was due to succeed Lord Gowrie in early 1945. However, the Duke died in an aircraft crash in Scotland in 1942 while on active service in World War II , and his elder brother, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester , was appointed in his place. The changes were completed in time for the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. In
2240-460: The lake, are the governor-general's study, where the vice-regal incumbent works and receives visitors, and a sitting room with an attached vestibule which links with a number of offices and service rooms. The upper floors of Government House contain the governor-general's private residence and guest rooms. The furnishings and decoration of Government House represent a wide spectrum of Australian artists and craftspeople, ranging from colonial times to
2304-430: The main entry doors. Running along the centre of the house is the wood-panelled "State Entrance Hall", lined with Australian artworks and furniture, including a study by multiple Archibald Prize -winner Sir William Dargie for the " Wattle Portrait " of Queen Elizabeth II and a study for a portrait, again by Dargie, of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh . Official ceremonies, such as the swearing-in of Cabinet ministers,
2368-488: The modern city of Canberra. It was to be placed in a dedicated government precinct and provided with scenic views taking in Canberra's landscaped open spaces and central lake; but, as with so much of Burley Griffin's planning for the national capital, financial considerations intervened and the envisaged work never eventuated. The core part of the current vice-regal structure began life as a double-gabled Victorian-era house, erected in 1891 by grazier Frederick Campbell at what
2432-406: The neighbouring Duntroon sheep station for his uncle and aunt — purchased Yarralumla from his friend Gibbes for £40,000. Unlike Gibbes, Campbell was a married man with a growing family that needed to be accommodated. He partially demolished the old Yarralumla homestead in 1890 and, the following year, finished building a three-storey, red-brick house on the site. In 1899, Campbell razed what
2496-406: The one hand, and Colonel Gibbes and his wife Elizabeth on the other. Mrs Gibbes was particularly hostile towards Murray because she felt that he had contributed to her daughter Mary's early death by keeping her sequestered away on his country properties, far from Sydney and the better standard of medical care that was available there. The Gibbes trustees had also said it was their duty not to rush into
2560-433: The people of NSW. For a comprehensive account and assessment of Murray's administrative achievements, parliamentary activities and political attitudes, the best source remains Gwendoline Wilson's detailed 1968 biography, Murray of Yarralumla , published by Oxford University Press (Melbourne, London, Wellington and New York). His health declined due to cancer and he was forced to take leave from parliament. In 1873, he died at
2624-1156: The present day and expressing a rich variety of styles. It also houses a large collection of artworks by Australian indigenous artists. Cultural institutions including the National Gallery of Australia , the National Library of Australia and The Australiana Fund , have lent much of the furniture and art objects gracing the house. Artists with works displayed in Government House include E. Phillips Fox , Tom Roberts , Sir Arthur Streeton , Sir William Dargie , Margaret Preston , Rupert Bunny , Nicholas Chevalier , William Beckwith McInnes , Elioth Gruner , Sir Lionel Lindsay , Sir Bertram Mackennal , Sir Hans Heysen , Lloyd Rees , Fred Williams , Arthur Boyd , Sir Sidney Nolan , Leonard French , Justin O'Brien , Ray Crooke , John Dowie , Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula, Margaret Olley , Pro Hart , Yala Yala Gibbs Tjungarrayi, Charlie Tjararu Tjungarrayi and Paddy Japaljarri Sims. Extensive landscaped grounds surround
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2688-533: The presentation of honours and the holding of receptions, take place in the drawing room, which is hung with paintings by Australian artists and contains examples of early Australian furniture. The drawing room leads through to the private entrance, which is composed of a series of rooms leading from the south façade (with views of the Brindabella Ranges ) through to the "State Entrance Hall". Again, these rooms are hung with paintings by Australian artists and contain antique furniture and other items of interest. Beyond
2752-418: The private entrance are a morning room and a small dining room. This small dining room features a series of paintings by Australian indigenous artists. These rooms lead back to the "State Entrance Hall". On the lakefront side of the house is the "State Dining Room". It features a large bay window overlooking Lake Burley Griffin, which leads out on to a terrace. Also on the ground floor, and commanding views of
2816-456: The property and as well as running extensive flocks of sheep on the estate, he bred horses for the Indian market and collected land rents from tenant farmers. Gussie Gibbes' health declined during the early 1880s. He sold his rural holdings and travelled overseas for an extended period with his niece and housekeeper, Leila Murray. On 8 November 1881, Frederick Campbell — who had been managing
2880-544: The property's colonial-era inhabitants, Elizabeth Gibbes ( c. 1790 -1874) and her husband, Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes (1787-1873). Originally, the subterranean vault was surrounded by a stand of yews and hawthorns. In 1880, the coffins containing the remains of the Colonel and Mrs Gibbes were removed from the vault by their son "Gussie" Gibbes and reinterred at St John the Baptist Church, Reid . In
2944-1006: The realm. He had the double distinction of being, at separate times, both the Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and the President of the New South Wales Legislative Council . From 1837 to 1859 he owned the Yarralumla estate, which now serves as the official Canberra residence of the Governor-General of Australia . Murray was born in Limerick , Ireland, into a patriotic and politically aware Roman Catholic family. His mother, Ellen Murray (née Fitzgerald), died at Saint-Omer in France in 1812, when Terence
3008-425: The remnants of an 1830s homestead. The house was enlarged in 1899 and again during the 1920s. Further additions were made to it in the 1930s and 1940s. All of these structures were rendered with a layer of cement and painted cream. The roof tiles are green. The "State Entrance" to Government House is located on its eastern facade, and is protected by a porte-cochère , within which there is a set of steps leading up to
3072-446: The sale of Winderradeen. By obtaining the best possible price for the property, they could purportedly maximise the benefits accruing to Mary's three surviving children—Leila Alexandrina Murray, Evelyn 'Mary' Murray and James 'Aubrey' Gibbes Murray. Murray remarried in 1860, to governess Agnes Edwardes. They had two sons (see below). His financial position worsened during the mid-1860s when disease devastated his sheep flocks. He auctioned
3136-464: The sale of the property at the end of the 1860s, which perhaps reflected the changing situation for the Colonol and Mrs Gibbes, as well as Murray himself, who all died in the years following. Murray's financial travails did not hamper the effectiveness with which he discharged his public duties, and he had a knighthood conferred upon him by Queen Victoria in 1869 for his services to the parliament and
3200-484: The sale of which his late wife's trustees blocked repeatedly, much to Murray's growing annoyance. Regrettably, the dispute over the protracted non-sale of Winderradeen eventually spilled over into the NSW Supreme Court in 1868, when Murray tried without success to oust the trustees and replace them with people more sympathetic to his needs. This acrimonious legal action widened an existing rift between Murray on
3264-590: The same churchyard, just a few paces from the Gibbes' burial plot, lies the grave of Lord Dunrossil (1893-1961), Australia's 14th governor-general, who died during his Yarralumla tenure. The heritage-listed elm trees that line Dunrossil Drive inspired the symphonic poem Dunrossil Elms by Australian composer Alexander Voltz , which won the Symphonic Category of the 2024 George Enescu International Competition . [REDACTED] This Misplaced Pages article
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#17327755081223328-521: The title Yarralumla . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yarralumla&oldid=1152920586 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Government House, Canberra Government House , colloquially known as Yarralumla ,
3392-409: Was a cousin of W. S. Gilbert of the celebrated Gilbert and Sullivan musical partnership. These children would both earn a degree of world fame when they grew up. They were: Following the loss of her husband in 1873, Lady Agnes Murray made ends meet by conducting a girls' school at Sydney's Potts Point . (Her stepdaughter, Leila Alexandrina Murray, was a member of the school's staff for a time.) She
3456-472: Was also physically frail, and the six pregnancies that she experienced during the time of her marriage to Murray badly weakened her constitution, leaving her vulnerable to infection. At the time of Mary's wedding, Murray had settled a moiety of his landed property on her in case he should ever become bankrupt as a result of drought or economic depression. When 40-year-old Mary died suddenly at Winderradeen homestead on 2 January 1858, this arrangement put Murray in
3520-536: Was appointed President of the New South Wales Legislative Council in 1862. Murray planted the Himalayan or Deodar Cedar at Yarralumla around 1840, and decorative shrubs and trees among the native eucalypts that dotted the homestead's curtilage. Augustus Onslow Manby "Gussie" Gibbes purchased the Yarralumla sheep station and its homestead from his brother-in-law, Sir Terence Aubrey Murray, on 1 July 1859 for approximately £20,000. "Gussie" Gibbes made improvements to
3584-458: Was filled with water in the early 1960s, during the vice-regal tenure of Lord De L'Isle . Further developments to the terraces were undertaken during the term of Sir Ninian Stephen in the 1980s. A rhododendron grove was designed and planted in the 1970s by Otto Ruzicka, and is called the "Hasluck Garden" after governor-general Sir Paul and his vice-regal consort, Dame Alexandra Hasluck . In addition, large numbers of bulbs were planted along
3648-571: Was left of the original homestead, replacing it with a substantial brick extension to the main house. An impressive wooden shearing shed was also built by Campbell in the 1890s to service Yarralumla's flocks of sheep. The shearing shed is situated near the banks of the Molonglo River , below the Scrivener Dam . The Commonwealth Government bought the Yarralumla estate from Campbell in 1913. It decided to use Campbell's vacated home as
3712-556: Was originally based on Yarralumla and Surrounds, Dunrossil Dr, Yarralumla, ACT, Australia , entry number 105381 in the Australian Heritage Database published by the Commonwealth of Australia 2004 under CC-BY 4.0 licence , accessed on 20 May 2020. Terence Aubrey Murray Sir Terence Aubrey Murray (10 May 1810 – 22 June 1873) was an Irish-Australian pastoralist, parliamentarian and knight of
3776-550: Was still a child. His father, also named Terence, served as a paymaster in the British Army , enjoying the commissioned rank of captain. Young Terence had two older siblings, Dr James Fitzgerald Murray (who trained as a surgeon), and poet, Anna Maria Murray (who married farmer and grazier George Bunn, of Braidwood , New South Wales ). Paymaster Captain Terence Murray (1781–1835) had travelled with his regiment on
3840-467: Was the first governor-general to live at Government House for the entirety of his term. The house remained relatively small when compared to Government House in Melbourne , and successive governors-general and their wives complained about its inadequacies as a place for formal entertaining. Plans for a much grander — and permanent — vice-regal residence were never implemented as a consequence of
3904-468: Was the manager of Yarralumla. (A third trustee, the politician, landowner and founder of the University of Sydney Sir Charles Nicholson , would return to England to live in 1862 and cease to be involved in Murray's affairs.) In July 1859, Murray sold Yarralumla, all its buildings and its livestock to Augustus Onslow Manby Gibbes in order to raise cash. He continued, however, to reside at Winderradeen,
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#17327755081223968-615: Was the upper house of the New South Wales Parliament . He would serve as a distinguished president of the council until his death in 1873. Murray was a highly intelligent, extremely well-read country "squire". He owned an extensive library of books, a fine collection of furniture and other household possessions, and a comparatively liberal (if sometimes outspokenly opinionated) view of society and its institutions. His library included buddhist and other religious texts, philosophy, political science and sociology texts, and,
4032-404: Was then the hub of a working sheep station. Previously, the site taken up by the present-day Government House was occupied by an elegant, Georgian-style homestead with shady verandahs on two sides, a shingle-clad roof and rows of French windows replete with shutters. The original single-storey homestead had been continuously occupied by the interrelated Murray and Gibbes families from 1837 through to
4096-416: Was typical of Murray, who had consistently taken a non-sectarian approach to Christian worship. Murray was survived by three children from his first marriage to Mary Gibbes. They were: In addition, Murray's first marriage produced three daughters who died in infancy. Christened Ayleen, Constance and Geraldine, they were all buried at Yarralumla. Murray's first wife, Mary, had died in 1858, succumbing after
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