Cummins House, Adelaide

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Cummins House is a historic home in Adelaide, at 23 Sheoak Avenue, Novar Gardens. It is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register and today operates as a museum with guided tours run by the Cummins Society.

John Morphett bought land in the area in 1838 and named the estate Cummins Estate after his mother’s Devonshire farm. He kept livestock, planted fruit trees, vines and olives, and he was involved in horse racing and helped start the Morphettville Racing Club.

The house, designed by architect George Kingston, began in 1842 as a five‑room red brick cottage by the Sturt River. It was much enlarged in 1854 and again in later years (1906, 1945, 1977, 1983).

In 1977 the South Australian Government bought the remaining 1.68 acres to save the home. In 1982 Immanuel College leased Cummins House to restore it as a pioneer museum and exhibition/performing centre, with help from the Cummins Society, the West Torrens Historical Society and the National Trust. After the lease, the State government offered the property to the West Torrens Council, which agreed to take charge under conditions.

The area around Cummins House was subdivided in 1919 for returned servicemen’s homes. In 1921 the area was renamed Novar Gardens to honour Viscount Novar, a Governor‑General of Australia. Immanuel College bought much of the land in 1949; by 1963 about 30 acres were sold for housing, leaving 1.68 acres containing the house and its outbuildings.