Uncovering the Stories of Marybank
The Stories Hidden Within Marybank’s Walls
There is something about an old home that makes you curious. The more time you spend in one, the more you realise the walls, gardens and rooms hold stories that are just waiting to be uncovered. Welcome to Beyond the Garden Gate — a place where we’ll share the stories, discoveries and little pieces of history that continue to shape Marybank. When I first moved back to Marybank in 2013, one of the first things I did was start researching its history.
I spent weeks online reading about the Shepherd family, the original owners of Marybank, and then discovered the wonderful world of Trove — a treasure trove of old newspaper articles that opened up another whole chapter of the estate’s story through the Fox family years. It was fascinating. And also a complete rabbit hole.
One article would lead to another, then another, and before I knew it, hours had disappeared while I was piecing together little snippets of information from the past. At that stage, Mum and Dad were still living in the homestead, so I didn’t really feel like I could go through everything inside the house and explore the archives as much as I wanted to. I’m sure Mum had already spent many hours doing exactly that when she moved to Marybank in 1996. But when Billy and I moved into the homestead in 2021, I finally had the chance to start uncovering those stories for myself. And that’s when the real adventure began.
Days were spent going through boxes, papers and old documents — reading, sorting and discovering pieces of Marybank’s history that had been carefully kept by previous generations. Because that’s something I’ve noticed about everyone who has lived here. There is a little spark in all of us to save these things. To keep the pieces of the past that might otherwise be lost. Among the archives are journals, recipe books, photographs, land titles, share portfolios, letters, love letters, war stories, marriage certificates and even invitations from royalty. Every piece tells a little story. Some are big moments in history, and others are just ordinary everyday glimpses into the lives of the people who called Marybank home. And that’s what makes them so special.
One of the first discoveries I made back in 2013 was that the Fox family purchased Marybank in early February 1853 — something that had always been believed to have happened in 1852. After following the newspaper trail, I discovered that the Shepherd family had not actually left Marybank and returned to London until February 16th 1853, with an advertisement for the property still appearing for sale in the Adelaide newspapers that same month. It was such a small detail, but it changed the timeline and reminded me how much there still is to uncover.
Recently, I’ve found myself down another Marybank rabbit hole. This time, I’ve been trying to uncover the original purpose of each room in the homestead.
What was this room originally used for?
Who would have sat here?
What would life have looked like when the house was first built?
It’s winter here at Marybank, and on those cold, wet days when I probably should be cleaning the house, I find myself much more interested in reading old documents and piecing together stories from the past. And honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. There is so much information tucked away in this estate that sometimes it feels overwhelming. There are names, dates, stories and discoveries all swirling around in my head, and this journal is my way of keeping track of it all. Beyond the Garden Gate is where I’ll share what I discover along the way. Some stories will be about the families who lived here. Some will be about the gardens, the buildings and the objects that have survived through generations. Some will be little moments that bring Marybank’s history back to life. This is not a finished history book. It’s an ongoing journey of uncovering, learning and preserving the stories of a place that has been loved for generations.We hope you enjoy coming along with us. After all, every old home has stories to tell. You just need to know where to look.
