Tarella Cottage

Stepping back in time, we find ourselves at Tarella Cottage. It’s a charming 1890s timber cottage nestled in Wentworth Falls. Tarella Cottage wasn’t always a museum. It began as a holiday home for the McLaughlin family, a refuge from Sydney’s summer heat. John McLaughlin, a Sydney solicitor and Member of the Legislative Assembly, built Tarella Cottage for his wife, Ada Amanda Moore, and their four children. They would travel by steam train from Central Station to Wentworth Falls, seeking the cooler mountain air. The family’s connection to the Blue Mountains deepened over the years. They subdivided and sold portions of their original 50-acre property. The names of four streets surrounding Tarella Cottage, including Yanko Road and Farnham Avenue, reflect the family’s Sydney roots. “Yanko” was the name of their Waverley home overlooking Bronte, and “Farnham” was Ada’s childhood home in Randwick, overlooking Coogee. Two generations of McLaughlins lived at Tarella Cottage. The cottage and its contents were bequeathed to the Blue Mountains Historical Society by Beryl McLaughlin, one of John and Ada’s daughters. She lived at Tarella Cottage until her death in 1988, just two months shy of her 100th birthday. Today, Tarella Cottage stands as a living museum. It houses a collection of memorabilia from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It offers a glimpse into the lives of the McLaughlin family and the history of Wentworth Falls. Inside, you’ll discover nine rooms, two halls, and a steep staircase. The cottage is filled with McLaughlin family furniture, photographs, homewares, and personal items. You can even see the old kitchen at the back of the cottage. Tarella Cottage is more than just a museum. It’s a time capsule, preserving the memories and stories of a family and a community.