Lanyon Homestead offers a unique glimpse into Canberra’s past.

The restored 1850s property is open for the community to enjoy, with some special events ahead to allow Canberrans to embrace all it has to offer.

A rich, multifaceted history

You can’t speak about Canberra’s history without appreciating the thousands of years of Aboriginal history preceding our 190 years of European settlement.

And you can’t speak about the last 190 years of Canberra’s history without mentioning historic places like Lanyon Homestead.

Each of the homestead’s residents left their distinctive mark over the years, and each area is meticulously honoured as part of the heritage site’s preservation.

New life for a historic walnut tree

Attention to detail in the property’s restoration and maintenance filters down to individual plants and trees.

Recently, Lanyon Homestead and Yarralumla Nursery partnered to preserve a historically significant walnut tree, first planted between 1835 and 1840.

Along with his team, the head gardener at ACT Historic Places, Neil Wright, tried to propagate the tree for eight years with limited success.

“We just couldn’t get it, so we called Yarralumla Nursery in,” Neil said.

“They’ve got better facilities than us. They’ve got 200 cuttings and of those, only 11 were successful.”

The trees were grown under the careful watch of the team at Yarralumla Nursery.

Eventually, seven were planted along the river corridor to replace the stumps where the original trees once stood.

While Neil has a deep appreciation of the garden, he says Lanyon Homestead has something to offer everyone.

“You come and do a tour of the house but then you realise it’s nice to just sit here, to have a cup of coffee at the cafe. The kids can run around, you can have a picnic, and then you come back again and appreciate something new.”

The team at Lanyon Homestead meticulously manage the house according to seasonal needs. In summer, the muslin curtains billow in the breeze, while in winter the fires are lit and candles glow.

Outside, the gardening team work to update the garden in line with the seasons.

“I try and do something different in the garden every year to bring people back. This year we’ve got a big pumpkin display, and the Harvest Day Out is coming up,” Neil said.

Harvest Day Out: Saturday, 2 March

Harvest Day Out is a celebration of Lanyon Homestead’s autumn kitchen garden. There’s a focus on sustainable food and growing practices under the theme of “grow – preserve – sustain”.

The event will include workshops, demonstrations, and tours. Guests can learn about practices like preserving, pickling, seed saving and gardening practices as valuable today as they were in the homesteads early days.

From 10am to 2pm there will be face painting on offer, and from 10am to 4pm there will be market stalls selling coffee, food, wine, jewellery, arts and more.

Find out more about Harvest Day Out.

Dinner and stargazing events: various Fridays

See Lanyon Homestead in another light and attend a Dinner with the Stars – dinner and stargazing event.

Enjoy a two-course meal at Barrack’s Café, featuring produce grown in the gardens.

Find out what to look for in the night sky, before venturing out to stargaze with telescopes.

Find out more about Dinner with the Stars.

Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:

Subscribe to Our CBR