Everyone has special places, whether they’re big or small, entailed with huge significance or not. This creative question implies that we as bloggers have to take a more personal approach to our writing, attaching our significant places with memories that enlighten us with the reasons why we’d hate to see them destroyed.
Growing up as a student in primary school, I didn’t pay attention to much – this includes all the excursions I went on. Though, in saying this, there was one excursion that I attended in year 5 that I still carry with such significance. Vaucluse House is a heritage listed site thats perched high in the valley of Vaucluse. It’s existence has been around since the 1820’s, and is encompassed by Australia’s compelling flora and fauna. One would describe the site as etherial – it’s almost as if the property and the geological surroundings are encased in another time frame with none of it’s original architecture disorientated. But, I didn’t fall in love with the site due to it’s historical context or mansion-like features – it holds great significance to me because of the memories I had with my best friends there. We’d laugh and point at the silliest of things, like how the property had a farm attached to it with chickens running about, or finding a secret doorway and breaking off from the group to play hide and seek. We as a class went their with the intention of gaining some knowledge about the early landscape of Australia and it’s British occupants, only to come home with stories that can be told years later, and we’d all still laugh with the same vibrancy as our 10 year old selves.
“Sir Henry built a pretty little cottage … upon which the house of Mr. William Charles Wentworth now stands. There is not a lovelier site in the known world … Travel where you will the eye will not rest upon any spot more favoured by Nature than that exquisite valley which was called Vaucluse. ” – John Lang (Novelist), 1859 pp489-90.”
Fast forward to 2019, 9 whole years since that expedition, and I’m still close friends with the same group of girls. We meet up often to do simple catch ups like lunch or the movies, but to my surprise, one of my friends mentioned we take a road trip to Vaucluse House, and that’s exactly what I did last holidays. There was something nostalgic about driving my friends in my car and blasting Hot Chelle Rae’s ‘Tonight Tonight’ and other 2000’s music we’d bob to at school disco’s. The whole day was like seeing a series of vignettes from the past. When we arrived at the site, I can’t even begin to explain how memories came flooding back – only this time was different. We were all grown up now and realised that this place had more depth to it than we paid attention to. It’s ironic that in Australian Literature that we study writers of the 1800’s and their social contexts, because that’s exactly what my friends and I did that day in relation to Vaucluse House.
The site was purchased by explorer, barrister and writer William Wentworth, to whom was the son of both a convict mother and father. With this stigma following him around like a rain cloud above his head, he met his wife Sarah Cox, to which was also the offspring of convicts. The two would then start a family which consisted of 10 children, and so the Vaucluse House was birthed. The site is infamous for its absurd architecture, as it was built and designed to cater for 10 children, numerous amounts of servants, farmers and nurses. The property also includes 515 acres of parkland, orchards, vineyards and features a small (but brilliant) water fall that trickles water into the back of the venue. It’s definitely a place that I would recommend everyone to visit.
With out trip coming to a close again, it was nice to look back on all the memories we had as kids and to see ourselves evolve into curious and studious young adults. I’d be disheartened to hear if this site was ever demolished, but since it’s Heritage listed, I have a feeling I’ll get another trip or two out of it before it goes anywhere.
Creative, Critical & Everything In between 