Mary Boulton lived and worked in the Nambucca district all her life. Her grandfather, Thomas Boulton owned the first hotel in town which was situated on the site where the Pioneer Cottage now stands.

After seeing other pioneer cottage museums during her travels to the USA, Mary decided to build a replica of an early settler’s home and furnish it with old wares to give visitors an idea of how people might have lived 100 years or so ago. She gifted it to the local council on her death in 2003.

The cottage is of timber construction with a wooden shingled roof and shows the basic facilities in which early settlers made do with. It has small a bedroom, kitchen and a long narrow room at the back. The laundry is under a lean-to at the rear of the building. The Cottage itself is surrounded by award winning gardens and makes for a delightful visit, whether or not pioneer history is your cup of tea.

There are several other buildings on site, including a replica bark hut built to demonstrate how the early timber getters of the area lived; a stable; a shed where farm equipment and machinery are displayed and the Ellen Partridge annex, named for a founding member, containing a varied collection of domestic objects.

The displays are well presented with well-designed information panels placed throughout to explain time consuming simple tasks like washing clothes were in the past.

The Mary Boulton Pioneer Cottage is located beside the Nambucca River at 38 Gumma Road, Macksville and worth an hour of your time!