Harry's House and restored church porch - Hastings

Pioneers’ Cottage and Garden, Hastings

This small, weatherboard Pioneer cottage is typical of homes in Hastings at the beginning of the 20th century. The back rooms of the cottage were built first, around 1900, with the front rooms added a few years later, around 1905.

The garden surrounding the Pioneer Cottage is a highlight for visitors. It includes the Remembrance Garden of Peace, opened in 1995 as part of the Australia Remembers celebrations. A garden seat sits beneath an archway of single pink roses, which bloom each year for Remembrance Day.

The Cottage Garden
The Pioneers’ Cottage Garden is part of the Museum complex at Hastings. This charming cottage, built around 1900, sits in a picturesque garden lovingly maintained by our members. The garden is ever-changing, so every visit offers something new to discover.

Entry is through the Museum, located at the corner of Marine Parade and Skinner Street, Hastings, though the garden can also be viewed from the footpath along Skinner Street.

Church Porch - Text from the Hastings Historical Society

Worship to Preservation: The Church Porch This porch once marked the entrance to a small timber church built in Hastings in 1888 by members of the Reorganised Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS). The church served as a place of worship and community connection for 64 years.

The Hastings branch was established in 1886 after a sermon by visiting American missionary Glaud Rodger inspired a group of locals to form their own congregation. Among them was Ashton Woolley, a local fisherman who became deeply involved in the church and was later ordained as a priest. With others, he helped fund and build the modest church.

The building was later relocated to Frankston and eventually decommissioned. Its porch was salvaged by the Davies family and stored on their Cranbourne farm. When the property was sold, the family generously donated it to the Hastings–Western Port Historical Society, and became part of the collection in 2023.

Today’s reconstruction features original elements—including the floorboards, front window, and double doors—offering a rare, tangible link to Hastings’ early faith community and the dedication of its church members.

Location

Crn Marine Parade and Skinner St, Hastings 3915 View Map

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Venue Snapshot

Features

Parking