“The tale of Horatio Jones, the Gallipoli veteran who made a house of four-gallon kerosene tins in the Dandenong Hills, is metaphorically the tale of the resourceful Aussie battler of national mythology.”

– ‘Horatio Jones House’, Yarra Ranges Heritage Database  

Having suffered significant loss due to the First World War, siblings Annie, Christina and Horatio Jones pooled resources to build a striking two-storey home in Tecoma, clad completely in flattened kerosene tins and held together with fencing wire. The house remains standing on private property not far from here. Horatio re-imagined the typical shanty of the Depression era as an innovatively designed residence, and so proceeded to use the same humble materials of the period himself. This dwelling created a place of refuge and peace for the Jones family, away from the noise and rush of the city and the war. From the 1920s, this unique house and its welcoming owners became a magnet for artists as the Dandenong Ranges became a haven for creatives. Guests included Arthur Streeton and C. J. Dennis. The humble exterior of the home was in stark contrast to the dwelling’s interior, which was decorated with ornate furniture from the family’s former life.

IMAGE:

Horatio Jones (Source: Sherbrooke Foothills Historical Society)