History
Cuppacumbalong, set on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River at Tharwa near the ACT, has a rich history , ask anyone in the valley and they will tell you story after story. Wonderful anecdotes about Karen O'Cleary's wonderful craft centre. William Farrer, the De Salis and the Snow families. The Aboriginal inhabitants, the Wolgal, the Ngarigu and others.
History…..Cuppacumbalong, set on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River at Tharwa near the ACT, has a rich history , ask anyone in the valley and they will tell you story after story, proudly and with great enthusiasm
Wonderful anecdotes about William Farrer, the father of Australian wheat production, that lead a fledgling colony to the dinner tables of the world, how Queen Elizabeth visited Cuppacumbalong and wanted to buy the Homestead. How hard working Pioneers such as the De Salis and the Snow families put Cuppacumbalong on the Australian map with wool and beef production.
The input of Tharwa and Cuppacumbalong to Australia's rich farming and Pioneering History is exceptional.
In more recent times Cuppacumbalong became famous as an Artist's retreat producing some World class artworks.
The whole story begins over 25,000 years ago when Aboriginal inhabitants, the Wolgal, the Ngarigu and near neighbours coined the local name Cuppacumbalong, the meeting of the Gudgenby and Murrumbidgee (Big Waters) Rivers. Tharwa and Cuppacumbalong are at the edge of a very sacred place to the local Aboriginals, Nammitch (Namadgi). Cuppacumbalong is at the lower end of the Snow line and offered a retreat from the harsh and unpredictable Mountain weather.
European history begins after 1815 when explorers such as Major Currie and others opened up the Limestone Plains (Canberra) and the Maneroo (beyond Michelago) for Sheep and Cattle Pastoral Estates. The first to take Cuppacumbalong as a stock run was James Wright in 1839 who sold the property to the De Salis family in 1856.
William Andrew Fane de Salis, a barrister, and his brother Leopold Fane de Salis began leasing livestock runs in the Murrumbidgee around the late 1840s, after arriving in the Australian colonies after 1844.
William was the Chairman of the London Chartered Bank of Australia, which later became part of the ANZ Bank and he had travelled widely in China and India, publishing an account of his journey in 1848.
Leopold, who had been educated at Eton, had studied sheep farming at Jedburgh in southern Scotland prior to coming to Australia.
The Fane de Salis family were originally Swiss, Jerome de Salis, Count of the Holy Roman Empire had been an ambassador in England. The family members who remained in England were permitted to keep their title and even in Australia Leopold de Salis was often referred to as Count.
After purchasing Cuppacumbalong Leopold made improvements and planted Lombardy poplars along the river at Tharwa. He also introduced irrigation, pioneered the use of dams and made a lifelong study of meteorology.
Leopold had been born in Florence in the Tuscan countryside where rows of poplars are a common site.
A number of the Fane de Salis family members, including Leopold, are buried at a small cemetery at Cuppacumbalong. Leopold's daughter, Nina, wife of William Farrer, erected a cairn at their Lambrigg property, part of the original Cuppacumbalong holding, in memory of her father who died in 1898.
None of the nineteenth century buildings survive at Cuppacumbalong, however some of the plantings can still be seen and there are archaeological remains of the sequence of homesteads.
With greater access needed to Tharwa and following the drought of 1892 through 1903, Cuppacumbalong was sold to a number ofshort-term owners, such as the McKeachnie, Circuit and Thomson families
In 1923 the Snow family purchased the property and its new, near-complete Californian bungalow-style homestead. The Snows bred fine wool and became well known for their prize-winning Hereford bulls.
Queen Elizabeth II visited Cuppacumbalong for tea, on Sunday the 14th, 1954 during her coronation tour.
Cuppacumbalong was chosen as it was thought to be the finest example of a working property in the ACT.
Around 1964 the Government decided to buy all freehold land in the ACT, and Cuppacumbalong was acquired from the Snow family.
After acquisition in 1971, the Government decided to transform the property into an Australian Art and Craft Centre.
The Centre was opened in 1975 under the stewardship of Karen O'Cleary, aiming to provide a nurturing environment for artists and crafts persons to work, and visitors to gain an understanding and appreciation of the handmade object.
There have been many great contributions by some very accomplished artists and one such person was Doug Alexander who, after 1976 became mentor, teacher and collected potter, until his early passing at Cuppacumbalong in June 1981.
The Centre showcased resident potters and furniture makers, and the homestead, which in those days was transformed into a gallery, sold ceramics, glassware, hand-woven clothing, leather products, silver and stone jewellery, furniture and woodcraft. Cuppacumbalong Craft Centre quickly became a leader in its field, hosting many domestic and international tourists.
During the 1990's Cuppacumbalong struggled to keep it's prominence in Art and Craft circles as many notable craftsperson's moved away or started their own Galleries.
The changing market, several bridge closures and the 2003 fires has seen Cuppacumbalong's recent incarnation became unviable.
With the help of the heritage minded, art and craft loving, touring and holidaying public Cuppacumbalong will start a new Journey !
