Is it mean to say it wasn't worth $15 entry per person? The volunteers present were very lovely, however the 'tour' lasted about two minutes - we were led into the house, shown two rooms then told to explore on our own. This was both good and bad - we felt that we didn't learn anything about the history of the house as there was no-one to ask. There were information boards in places, though still I didn't get the information I wanted. It was a beautiful day when we visited, and the drive through the countryside to the house was wonderful. The house was undergoing restoration when we visited though we weren't offered a discount for missing rooms. Almost half of the upstairs space is marked off as private.
Clarendon is well worth a visit and credit to the National Trust of Australia for the renovation of this grand property. The gentleman who along with his wife manages the place gave us a personal guided tour as we were the only ones there. He also plays the piano beautiful. The historic costumes displayed are just fabulous. Loved the feel of the rooms set out as though the family were living there.Pity the tea rooms closed early as we were looking forward to coffee and cake and as it was a lovely day weather wise would have been nice to sit out in the formal garden. It has a small but interesting gift shop and I would have liked to see that in a larger area as this would be more beneficial to generate income.Please keep up the good work.
We dropped in to Clarendon on our last day before flying out of Launceston. Clarendon is only about 15 minutes drive from the airport and is well worth a visit. The property is owned and run by the National Trust. We had a short wait for the next scheduled tour of the house - tour only took about 10 minutes and we were then free to explore the house on our own. Due to changes of ownership, there are only a few furnishings of the house that are original - a few pieces have been donated back by the original family. Furnishings of some rooms have been reconstructed with furniture of the era from inventories.The house is of major historic importance, having been one of the grandest houses in Australia for a long time. Restoration and maintenance on a house of this size and age are a major undertaking. The imposing portico was reconstructed from photos, the basement was restored after the foundations were fixed and there is recent damage in rooms from a roof leak at one end.The enclosed gardens are extremely pretty and well worth a look. (There was a small army of National Trust volunteers mowing and weeding when we were there.) The outbuildings, some of which accommodated the estate convicts, are also quite impressive.There is a museum of fly-fishing in one of the outbuildings that is included in the entry fee -we didn't have time for that.
I visited this house and enjoyed the short tour, it cost $12.00 a person and the tour guide was lovely but very brief you are taken into the first room and explained the history of the house then free to roam by yourself but there were no boards to explain the room you were viewing. I did enjoy the house but it needs a bit more information around if you are left to roam around yourself
We went to Clarendon on a trip to Launceston, its a short drive past the airport. Clarendon is simply magnificent and an outstanding example of a grand Georgian house with Italianate facade and outbuildings. The interior has been restored with the rooms set up in the style of the period. The outbuildings are worth exploring, and we loved the collection of carriages and carts. The Cox Estate was obviously very productive and prosperous to be able to afford to build this magnificent house in about 1838..
The gentleman who runs the place is full of information and was basically our personal tour guide. It was terrific to be able to go into all the rooms, and I am pleased they are still working on fixing up the last few. A real look at history.
$15 admission - its all downhill after admiring the pretty walled garden & vistas.There's only one piece of original furniture apparently - a piano. Much of the interior is in poor condition, & its all a bit thrown together. Really expensive for what it is. The staff are helpful & knowledgeable.the exterior of the building looks great, so its a disappointment to go inside. The decor feels contrived, some rooms are vague as to purpose with seemingly random objects in them.
This place was a real surprise as we were just filling in time before flying to of Launceston. A very informative guided tour of the homestead was a great introduction and many rooms have been restored and preserved very well. The National Trust has helped out with some of the major refurbishment works and the original living and working areas were all authentic.
We spent a half day in Evandale exploring this very quaint historic township, had an excellent lunch at the Clarendale Arms Hotel and then decided to spend about an hour at Clarendon House about a 20 minute drive from Evandale.As we were seniors we paid $10 each to view the historic house and the outbuildings on the property.We were greeted by a couple of very friendly volunteers and one of the ladies took us to the front dining room and gave us a brief history of the property and family. She then left us to explore the remainder of the house ourselves.The two front rooms (dining and sitting/lounge) have been fully restored and are just simply magnificent. Whilst we were able to view all the other rooms they are still in the process of being restored (which will take a lot of time and money). The property also has some beautiful clothes, shoes, childrens' toys, old books from the period and some very interesting family trees.I agree with one of the previous reviewers who said it was a credit to the National Trust of Australia for saving this historic magnificent property by restoring it back to its original glory.Whilst some may think it's a lot of money to pay, we believe that it's well worth it as a magnificent property such as this must be saved and restored for the enjoyment of future generations.For those of you who love fly fishing there is an excellent museum on the property and a very knowledgeable volunteer who will be happy to explain all about fly fishing, etc.There was a shearing shed (interesting information on the walls) and a place to house the old carriages - sadly the carriages are in need of repair and we hope that the Trust will be able to restore these back into mint condition.
We visited Clarendon House in January and we were amazed by both the house itself and the way in which tours are run. The house is possibly Australia's best Georgian House, with much still to do to restore it to its former glory. With benefactors and a great team of volunteers, it is well on the way. We went for a tour, and we were then left to wonder around and explore on our own. There was none of the 'don't do' attitude we experienced elsewhere; rather a level of trust. The volunteer guides were so lovely, recounting their many stories of restoring the house. We could even go and make ourselves a free cup of tea and take it onto the garden. In short, a brilliant attraction and well worth the time. Take time to experience Evandale as well - it's gorgeous. Allow a full half day for Clarendon. If you're a national trust member, entry is free.