Hope Cottage one of three cottages built around 1857 by brothers Charles and Michael Calnan.
Run by the Kingscote Branch of the National Trust of South Australia, Hope Cottage Museum offers a fascinating insight into the unique history and heritage of Kangaroo Island. As well as the historic cottage set out to represent 1860s life, the site contains a complex of other buildings displaying farm machinery, domestic and communication equipment, sea and air travel (including items from the SS Karatta which brought visitors and goods to the island for over 50 years in the 20th century), plus a shearing shed, blacksmith’s shop, 1950s’ garage, the complete Masonic Lodge Room from The Island Lodge No 54 and the original lantern room from Cape Willoughby, South Australia’s first lighthouse.
Originally built in 1859, Hope Cottage is the restored home of Charles and Michael Calnan, two brothers who with a ship’s carpenter, built three small cottages from local stone, called Faith, Hope, and Charity after a successful venture at the Victorian goldfields. The Calnan family were some of the first settlers on the Island, arriving on the Africaine on 2 November 1836
