Description of the attraction
In the beautiful Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne, one of the main attractions of Australia is located - the so-called Captain Cook's Cottage. In fact, the famous English traveler himself did not live in this house - the house was built by his parents James and Grace Cook in 1755 in the village of Great Ayton (Great Britain). But researchers are sure that Captain Cook at least stayed in this house, visiting his father and mother.
In 1933, the woman who was the owner of the house decided to sell it on the condition that the building itself would remain in England. As a result of long negotiations, she was persuaded to sign an agreement in which the word "England" was replaced by the word "Empire". So the house became the property of the Australian Government, which offered 800 pounds sterling for it, which was almost three times the original price.
Interestingly, all expenses for buying a house and transporting it to the "green continent" were covered by a businessman from Melbourne Russell Grimwade. In 1934, the house was dismantled, packed in 253 boxes and 40 barrels and transported to Australia. There were no questions about where exactly to recreate the house, which has great historical value for all Australians - Grimwade presented it to the residents of Victoria for the centenary of the founding of Melbourne. Cuttings of the same ivy that grew on the English lawn in front of Cook's house were planted around the cottage. They were cut in advance and brought to Australia along with the house itself.
Today, a real English garden is laid out around Cook's cottage. The house is considered a historical landmark, although very few of the items inside actually belonged to the Cook family. Nevertheless, its interior, household items and utensils reflect the life of the era of the great navigator. Here you can also see a statue of James Cook, a portrait of his wife Elizabeth Butts and a portrait of the entire Cook family.
