Courunga House and grounds

Item details


Name of item:	Courunga House and grounds
Other name/s:	Munns Tower House
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Residential buildings (private)
Category:	House
Location:	Lat: -36.8912915671 Long: 149.9076176280
Primary address:	20 Monaro Street, Merimbula, NSW 2548
Parish:	Pambula
County:	Auckland
Local govt. area:	Bega Valley

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
20 Monaro Street	Merimbula	Bega Valley	Pambula	Auckland	Primary Address
1-7 Ocean View Avenue	Merimbula	Bega Valley	Pambula	Auckland	Alternate Address

Statement of significance:


	Courunga formerly Munns Tower House was constructed about 1870 by Matthew Munna. It is a large distinctive stone cottage with an extraordinary addition (1880) consisting of a two storey timber tower with attic, and two single storey timber pavilions with castellated parapets. The Munn name is synonymous with the emergence of modern Merimbula as the family had large holdings and milling operations in the district which were central to the economy of the town in its infancy. The physical prominence and landmark status of the tower house mirror the social and economic prominence of the Munn family in Merimbula in the period of its early development. (Commission of Inquiry 1984).
	Date significance updated: 29 May 13
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Unknown
Builder/Maker:	Mathew Munn
Construction years:	1870-1880
Physical description:	Courunga is a substantial stone cottage sited on a commanding hill-top. It contains elaborate joinery and originally had a shingle roof and later elaborated with cast iron stanchions. The house achieved its present remarkable character through the addition of a two storey Victorian Gothic corner tower of timber construction, together with two further Gothic pavilions of timber construction, one being the kitchen, both complete with crenelated parapets. (Heritage Council Branch Managers Report 87/83)
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Generally good
	Date condition updated:12 Dec 13
Modifications and dates:	1870 - House constructed 1880 - Corner Tower constructed
Further information:	Not known


Current use:	Merimbula Veterinary
Former use:	Residence

History

Historical notes:

The property known as Courunga, formerly Munns Tower House was constructed about 1870 by Matthew Munn and extensions added by his son Armstrong about 1880.

Matthew Munn was founder of the important Maizena Cornflour Company and had a large installation and holdings at Merimbula. The cottage was built at the time Merimbula was a pastoral village, owned firstly by the Twofold Bay Pastoral Company and later by the Munn family.

The Munn name is synonymous with the emergence of modern Merimbula as the family had large holdings and milling operations in the district which were central to the economy of the town in its infancy.

In 1979 an Interim Conservation Order was placed over the property. In March 1981 the Minister for Planning and Environment gave notice of his intention to make a Permanent Conservation Order in respect of Munn's Tower House. In response the owner put forward a scheme to restore the house as a residence and utilise the surrounding land for the construction of 25 home units. After variations were made to the scheme to meet comments from the Heritage Council the application was approved in August 1981. On 11 June 1982 a Permanent Conservation Order was placed over the property.

On 18 June 1982 a further application for the construction of an additional six units was made. This application was refused by the Heritage Council as it was considered to be detrimental to the heritage significance of Courunga. The applicant objected and a Commission of Inquiry was held in 1984. The Inquiry recommended that the proposal for six additional home units be approved. (Commission of Inquiry 1984

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	None-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	None-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The Munn name is synonymous with the emergence of modern Merimbula as the family had large holdings and milling operations in the district which were central to the economy of the town in its infancy. The physical prominence and landmark status of the tower house mirror the social and economic prominence of the Munn family in Merimbula in the period of its early development. (Commission of Inquiry 1984)
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The building's architectural significance is confirmed by its picturesque massing of forms which have been expressed in an unusual architectural idiom - that of the castellated Gothic style. This form of architectural folly is rare for its period and indeed for the State generally.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

Recommendations

Management Category	Description	Date Updated
Statutory Instrument	List on a Local Environmental Plan (LEP)	18 Jun 13

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Bega Valley Local Environmental Plan 2013	I057	02 Aug 13	408	103
Local Environmental Plan - Lapsed	Schedule 5		14 Jun 02	98	4222

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Merimbula/Pambula Strategy Study	0	1	Bega Valley Shire Council		No

References, internet links & images

None

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	1100057

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