THE life of the fabulously rich and famous will be on show at Skipton this weekend when the historic Mooramong property opens its gates to the public.
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The farm and homestead are featured in the National Trust Heritage Festival with a family day from noon until 4pm on Sunday.
Mooramong was originally part of a squatting run occupied in 1838 by the Scottish immigrant Alexander Anderson and his two partners. After a succession of owners, the 4573-hectare property was sold to noted racehorse owner and lawyer Lauchlan Kenneth Scobie Mackinnon in 1926. He bought it as a 21st birthday present for his son, Donald John Scobie Mackinnon, known as Scobie.
Scobie was educated at Geelong College and then at Cambridge where he was a talented oarsman, captaining Jesus College’s first eight. Scobie’s father rewarded him with a second 21st present, organising a Rolls Royce to be delivered to Cambridge for his use whilst studying in England.
On his return to Australia, Scobie took over Mooramong and set about the more serious business of becoming a grazier.
In 1937, at the age of 32, Scobie returned to England for a rowing reunion that was also centred around celebrations in advance of the coronation of King George VI. At that time, he was regarded as one of the most eligible bachelors in the Western District.
There were many pre-coronation parties being held in London and it was at one of these that Scobie met Claire Adams, a Canadian-born actress and famous Hollywood silent movie star. In 1937 she was in England to sing on BBC Radio.
Prior to this, Claire had enjoyed a stellar film career, spanning about 50 films, many of them “action movies” which involved doing her own stunt work on horses and with some featuring the original Rin-Tin-Tin.
Claire and Scobie met at a party in Mayfair, fell in love and were married in London just three weeks later. The event was recorded in the social pages of newspapers and magazines in Britain, America and Australia.
He was 32 and she was 43, although their marriage certificate shows that Claire somehow “lost” more than a decade when the document was signed.
Following their wedding celebrations, the attractive couple embarked on a year-long honeymoon touring Scotland, Europe and America.
Claire always had a movie camera with her, as well as stills cameras. Throughout their lives together, both she and Scobie delighted in taking footage of their exploits, much of which is featured in a DVD Mooramong — Private Hollywood.
In March 1938, the Mackinnons arrived in Australia, also bringing with them their Bentley convertible, which is shown in film on this DVD being transferred from a ship to the docks in Sydney.
Claire almost immediately set about modernising the Victorian-era homestead into a building much more familiar with her style and something that was at that time straight out of contemporary Hollywood.
Mantelpieces, ceiling roses and other intricate Victorian details were removed and replaced by clean, uninterrupted lines and features of the Art Deco period, with the emblematic green colour from this era featuring in the wall-to-wall carpet, blinds and many other furnishings.
The weatherboards on the exterior were rendered over, the swimming pool and its cabana built and a beautiful walled garden created. The pool, reputedly hand dug by 16-18 men, was the largest in Victoria at the time.
The couple entertained lavishly and soon a visit to Mooramong became one of the favourite pastimes within Western District and Melbourne social circles.
The deep green bar in the Mooramong games room was reputedly modelled on one that was on the Queen Mary. There was initial reluctance amongst the locals about the introduction of a cocktail hour at the homestead, but it was not long before this tradition was enthusiastically adopted.
Claire was always a glamorous figure, wearing beautiful clothes, furs and jewels. She was known as the number one customer of luxurious Collins Street department store Georges, often ordering new season’s fashions in every colour available and never sending anything back.
She was also a loyal customer of both Hardy’s and Kozminsky’s jewellers and amassed a famous diamond collection.
Scobie loved cars and always had a Rolls Royce or a Bentley in the garage. Such was his allegiance to Rolls Royce, that he even had one converted into a farm ute used for carting hay and lambs.
The Mackinnons also became generous benefactors to many causes, including the Skipton hospital and primary school, Melbourne University Veterinary School and Lort Smith Animal Hospital, from which Claire adopted many puppies and dogs.
Following the outbreak of World War II, rationing of materials and fuel brought significant changes to life at Mooramong. During annual shearing, Scobie harnessed draught horses into the old wool wagon and carted huge stacks of bales into Skipton in an effort to save on petrol.
Claire sang at many benefit concerts during World War II, working tirelessly for the Comforts Fund and hosting numerous garden parties at Mooramong.
One event of great significance to Mooramong and the lives of the Mackinnons during the war period was a catastrophic bushfire that swept through the property in January 1944, after two young drovers carelessly lit a campfire.
The fire claimed a number of lives in Skipton and the surrounding area and many buildings were destroyed. The Mooramong Homestead was saved, due in no small part to Claire’s determination and her own tremendous efforts at dousing flames and embers with a bucket and mop, while kitchen staff ran small hoses onto hedges.
After the war, about half of the farm was acquired under the Soldier Settlement scheme which assisted returning soldiers.
Today, one important remnant from the scheme remains within the Mooramong estate — a Soldier Settler’s hut which demonstrates the spartan life that returning soldiers and their families occupied in the 1940s and ’50s.
When the war was finally over, new fences and buildings including a woolshed and shearer’s quarters were constructed and Mooramong returned to normal.
The Mackinnons also resumed their active social life, attending horse races and parties in Melbourne, but still spending a lot of time at their country property, where Scobie continued to participate in the farming operations and Claire oversaw care of the gardens.
The pair also travelled overseas extensively and collected many mementos of their journeys.
In peacetime as in wartime, they supported their district’s activities and endowed a fund enabling the older students from the Skipton Primary School to have an interstate trip each year.
Their outstanding generosity in life continued after their deaths, with many charitable bequests, the most important of which was to entrust ownership of the property to the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) in 1981.
As requested in their wills, the Mackinnons’ ashes are interred together in the property’s walled garden, beneath a flowering peach tree. Scobie died in 1974 at the age of 68 and Claire four years later, aged 84.
The Mackinnons had no children of their own or other relatives who could inherit the property and its contents, allowing Mooramong to remain intact as a fascinating example of Art Deco remodelling and refurbishment.
A Steinway piano graces the music room, along with a wire recorder and microphone. Claire had wanted a white piano but this request was denied and the first Steinway that arrived was sent back, reportedly because the tone was not quite right. The replacement instrument is a rarity because it is handcrafted of walnut, made in Hamburg and dated August 31,1938.
Mooramong also boasts a 324-hectare nature reserve.
The open day will include a hot lunch, Devonshire teas and a plant sale. Entry is $12 per person (free for National Trust members) at the Glenelg Highway gate.