Explore Martindale Hall: a historic South Australian treasure

Edmund Bowman was a big fan of extravagance. A wealthy gentleman with a generous landholding, a penchant for polo and an inheritance burning in his pocket, Bowman spent up big in rural South Australia in the 1880s.

Bowman was a wealthy bachelor who commissioned a London architect to create a plan for an imposing Georgian mansion on a sheep property near what is now the renowned Clare wine region.

Building the dream home

Bowman imported 50 highly skilled English tradesmen to help build the mansion on gently-rising ground that commands wide views across the countryside.

The tradesmen set to work, installing imposing black and white marble floors, chiselling the mansion’s stonework and hand carving a magnificent Tasmanian blackwood and oak staircase amid metre-thick walls and five-metre-high ceilings.

Almost 2 years and £30,000 later and Martindale Hall was ready, complete with a private horse training track and stable, a pack of foxhounds and a cricket ground for entertaining English cricketers.

The end brings a new beginning

Bowman moved in, but alas, the party was over in 1891 when drought and his extravagant ways conspired against him and he was forced to sell Martindale Hall to the Mortlock family.

The Mortlocks lived in Martindale Hall for 60 years, filling it with treasures from around the world before John Tennant Mortlock died in 1950.

The sting in the tail of the Martindale Hall story came when Mortlock’s grieving wife Dorothy gathered her personal possessions, locked the mansion’s doors and never returned. The property and its contents were left to the University of Adelaide and were later transferred to the state government.

For the public to enjoy

Today Martindale Hall still stands conspicuously on its gentle rise, still holding the treasures of its previous owners.

The heritage-listed hall and surrounding land is open to the public for self-guided tours. It boasts 32 rooms and has a 7‑roomed cellar.

It’s the perfect starting point for a Clare Valley driving tour and is open to the public from Wednesday to Monday from 10 am to 4 pm (closed Tuesday).

During school holidays Martindale Hall is open 7 days from 10 am to 4 pm, excluding Good Friday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.

The future of Martindale Hall

The Martindale Hall Conservation Park draft management plan is currently open for community feedback.

Improved visitor experiences and enhanced protections of heritage, cultural and natural values are at the centrepiece of this draft plan.

It also provides scope for the Hall to be used for a greater number of purposes, including:

• sensitive enhancements inside the Hall, including interpretative signage, that allows visitors to immerse themselves in the history of the property
• temporary events, such as weddings and corporate events on the grounds
• upgrading facilities to ensure the property is accessible and inclusive e.g. ramps and car parks.

You can share your thoughts by visiting YourSAy by 23 October 2024.

Once finalised, the management plan will set the strategic direction to ensure all South Australians can continue to enjoy Martindale Hall and glimpse a bygone era of South Australia grandeur.