With the second half of the School Holidays now under way, and many families on the move, Roy decided to suggest a place to visit if you were heading to Bathurst or the Central West. There are lots of very famous attractions in the Bathurst area, like Mount Panorama and the Fossil and Mineral Museum, but if you are in the area, Roy suggests Miss Traill's House and Garden is well worth a visit! Miss Traill's House is located at 321 Russell Street, Bathurst, NSW. Check the National Trust website for opening hours, and special events which are sometimes held at the property by clicking here.
Miss Traill's House is an historic house and surrounding garden, which is looked after by the National Trust. Ida Traill left the house to the National Trust in 1976, but the house was actually built in 1845! Miss Traill first moved in in 1931, and over time she filled the house with a fascinating collection which covers four generations of the Lee and Kite families. Even though Miss Traill was very much a lady, with excellent taste for fashion and furniture, she also had some surprising interests. She loved sports, like rugby and cricket, and cars. Apparently she knew as much about how her own car ran as her mechanic!
Another of her loves was animals and she kept a couple of sheep in her garden's paddock as pets! Her family was well known for their horses too, and there are lots of items in Miss Traill's home which are related to these horses. Although today, Bathurst is known for racing cars and Mount Panorama where the races are held, Miss Traill's family, the Lee's, bred some very successful race horses. Some of their horses even won the Melbourne Cup! If you would like to learn more about Miss Traill and her house, click here.
Ida Traill also loved her garden, and it is one of the most beautiful Roy and I have seen. It is full of beautiful plants and flowers, and has a wonderful collection of roses. There are also lots of places to sit and watch the world go by! Roy and I were particularly impressed by her pear tree which is over 150 years old and absolutely huge! To find out more about Miss Traill's garden, click here.
You know what one of the best things about Miss Traill's House is though? You can learn about Miss Traill and her history online, by playing the National Trust's Ida Traill's Quest. If you would like to play click here.