The Marble Hill ruin

Former air vice-marshal Sir Robert George was appointed Governor of South Australia in August 1952. He and Lady George arrived in Adelaide early the following year. The Premier, Sir Thomas Playford, noted in his welcome address to Sir Robert that governors were expected to be "an inspiration in times of danger."

The Black Sunday Bushfires of 1955 were a series of bushfires that broke out across South Australia in January that year. The fires resulted in two deaths, destroyed 40 homes and numerous other buildings, and caused more than four million dollars' worth of property damage.

Most notably the destruction of the Governor's summer residence at Marble Hill near Norton Summit. Governor Sir Robert George, his family and staff were extremely lucky to escape with their lives.

At the prompting of Sir Robert, the fifteen people at Marble Hill dashed out of the house for the relative safety of a retaining wall by the driveway, sheltering under wet blankets. Luckily the fire swept over them while totally destroyed the house.

Built in 1979, Marble Hill was the Vice-Regal summer residence in the beautiful Adelaide Hills for the Governors of South Australia from 1880 to 1955.

Subsequently the site was managed by the National Trust from 1967–1992, and the state's Department for Environment and Heritage from 1992–2009.
The National Trust undertook some restoration - the tower and the nearby stables in the 1970s. The National Trust subsequently abandoned the ruin as being simply too expensive to administer, let alone rebuild.

Better view of the stonework.

All was not lost and a volunteer Friends of Parks group, Friends of Marble Hill, ran open days and maintained the site from 1994–2008. The state Government came to the same decision, too expensive to maintain, and offered this substantial property for private sale in 2009.

That year Marble Hill was sold to a local family who plan to reconstruct and re-use the building, with the proviso that a certain number of Open Days must be offered each year to the public. Today was the first such open day of the current season. We took full advantage photographing some ground floor rooms that are open and shooting lots of photos of the ruins and garden areas.

Born in Scotland, Sir Robert was Governor of South Australia from 1953 –1960. All Sir Robert and Lady George's possessions were lost in the fire, having been relocated to Marble Hill while Government House in Adelaide was undergoing repairs for the damage suffered in the earthquake the previous year.

George and his family retired to England in late 1959 where he died in a London Hospital in 1967 after being hit by a car.

My guess as to the cost of full restoration of the house and grounds is around ten million dollars. Even that may be conservative.