Gemalla: Building and Use History

Gemalla can be explored through an unusual combination of houses, materials, and later uses. Glen-Eden House was built of wattle and daub beside Eusdale Creek; Gemalla Cottage is now a ruin. Alongside the property’s former use as a Scout Camp, these features form a picture of a place shaped by building and residential use, as well as community use. For your travel planning, this offers a cultural and historical perspective on Gemalla, with several stories that differ in time and subject matter.

Houses and Preserved Materials

The house known as “Glen Eden” was built of wattle and daub beside Eusdale Creek. Glen-Eden House is among the historic sites associated with residential use and the settlement of the reserves. Its construction gives this part of the local history a tangible detail: wattle and daub define the house, while bricks, timber, and corrugated iron remain at Gemalla Cottage.

Gemalla Cottage is now a ruin. Bricks, timber, and corrugated iron remain in its walls, foundations, and roof. Comparing the two houses draws attention to their different construction methods and to the different ways historic buildings can be preserved: Glen-Eden House is notable for its construction and connection with residential use, while the cottage is also notable for the building elements preserved in its current state as a ruin. Gemalla’s history can thus be explored through more than one type of building.

Residential Use in Historical Context

Gemalla Cottage was built between 1915 and 1916, southeast of the main house, for Mabel and her husband, Jack Edmonds. The construction dates and named occupants give the building a specific historical context. Another detail is that the Reakes family lived in Gemalla until 1936. These two details offer different perspectives on residential use: the construction of a particular cottage for Mabel and Jack Edmonds, and the period when the Reakes family lived there, ending in 1936.

From Property to Scout Camp

Another clearly dated milestone is 1968, when the Forestry Commission leased the property and a surrounding area of 4 ha to the NSW Scout Association for use as the “Gemalla” Scout Camp. The Scout Association of NSW (Golden West Region) has been associated with Gemalla since 1968. This later use of the site as a camp adds another chapter to its residential and building history.

During its use as the “Gemalla” Scout Camp, the Scout Association installed a railway carriage as a vehicle and pedestrian bridge over Eusdale Creek. The structure links the creek with the camp’s history and served two purposes: it was intended for both vehicles and pedestrians. Together with the house beside the creek, the bridge shows that the watercourse played a role in different historical contexts.

A Scenic Drive Through Gemalla

Gemalla also features on a tour. Dated July 2021, the guide to Greening Bathurst’s Scenic and Natural History Tour 2 describes an 18-stop tour whose scenic drive passes through Gemalla. This adds a different perspective to the house and camp history: the focus here is on the route of a drive, rather than on a single building. If you include the tour in your plans, check the current route before setting off.

Choose Accommodation to Suit Your Travel Plans

If Gemalla’s building and use history interests you, it can be a starting point for your hotel search. Consider what other destinations are part of your trip and what role you want Gemalla to play in it. The place offers several distinct points of interest: the construction of Glen-Eden House, the cottage ruin, the period when the Reakes family lived there, the former Scout Camp, and the tour described above.

Discover more destinations: Ebenezer, Deepwater, Hat Head, Eschol, Fairfield, Narrandera, Yarra, Telegraph Point

Go to the main travel overview: New South Wales.