‘Fairfield’, Commissioned by G.F. Morris (to replace the original 1860’s home which had burnt out) and designed by local architects Gordon & Gordon, the Italianate style mansion was built in 1889 using bricks quarried from the land behind the house which became a dam. Set approx. 260 meters back from the Murray Valley Highway it is a most imposing building with its lacework verandah and balcony above, orientated North South. Entrance is via the Eastern façade to an arched foyer that forms a gallery through the East West axis to a western doorway to the afternoon side of the verandah thus providing natural light all day. Off this gallery are the morning room, the central drawing room with bay windows and spectacular marble fireplace, the smoking room and opposite the billiard room. To the right of the entrance is the magnificent dining room with red marble fireplace. The huge ballroom, added in approx. 1897 for a governor’s state visit, fills in the east (maid’s rooms, bathroom and office) and west wing (kitchen with original ‘lux’ cast iron stove and separate scullery with original bakers’ oven, all with pine benches and built in original cupboards, and pantry/maids meals area next door. A fine staircase leads from the entrance foyer to a landing accessing the bedrooms of which there are a nursery (South-West facing), master bedroom (North-West facing), large guest bedroom over drawing room, SE corner bedroom, NE corner bedroom over the dining room. An upstairs bathroom and washroom lead to a secondary staircase down to the ballroom and service areas. External to the scullery is a storage shed and outside W.C. The surrounding cast-iron lacework enveloped balcony at the front of the home affords magnificent views over the property and surrounding countryside.
