Built about 1860, this little stone cottage pre-dates the National Capital. It was originally surrounded by paddocks, sitting alongside the Molonglo River for more than 100 years. Over time, the National Capital has grown around the Cottage, replacing the paddocks with government buildings and suburbs. Today the banks of Lake Burley Griffin can be seen from the cottage doorstep, along with National Institutions
such as the High Court of Australia and the National Gallery of Australia.
Originally part of the Campbell family’s 32,000 acre ‘Duntroon’ estate, the Cottage was home to families of farm workers, two of whom were tenants of the Campbells. The Ginns lived there until 1874, after which newlyweds George and Flora Blundell moved in and occupied the Cottage for nearly 60 years. This is why the Cottage still bears their name. In 1913 the Duntroon estate was acquired by the Commonwealth to form part of the new Federal Capital Territory, although the Blundells continued to live there. The Oldfields were the third family to live in the Cottage, from 1933 to 1958.
Blundells Cottage is significant, being one of the few stone buildings of its type to have survived intact in the Australian Capital Territory. It is important for the way it reflects a way of life on a nineteenth century agricultural estate. The Cottage is now a fascinating hands-on museum and a memorial to the pioneers of the limestone plains.
