We don't have many of these in Australia

This is Abercrombie House, about 7kms west of Bathurst. Whenever I return from a trip to the UK I always bemoan the fact that Australia is devoid of wonderful stately homes. Well today I had to admit that I have been wrong.

It was built in the 1870s by Bathurst pioneers, the Stewart family. Since 1969 it has been the home of the Morgan family who have spent the last 55 years years restoring and maintaining the magnificent house and its outbuildings and grounds and sharing it with the community. The restoration has been the life work of two generations of the Morgan family. We had a very interesting discussion today with family members who believe the next generation is willing and able to continue this wonderful work.

The extra shows an exaple of the fantasic work the Morgan family have been doing. This is the 8.6m ceiling in the ballroom, made of pressed tin. In 2008 Xanthe and Christopher Morgan spent three months, atop three-storey high scaffolding, cleaning, painting and applying gold leaf to the ceiling. In total they applied 6,800 one-inch squares of gold leaf to the ceiling. What a gift to the community their life's work is.