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available resources. Hydraulic lime, which sets under water and is much stronger than
common lime, could be obtained commercially from Mt Franklin but few Ticinesi
could afford such luxuries. Some may, however, have built their own bush kilns.
Since all the constmction work was done by hand, the Morganti home was
small with few unnecessary decorative features. Like other pioneer homes, it reflected
the practical needs of the family and placed as Uttle stress as possible on the builders or
the supply of building materials; the aim was to build no higher, wider nor deeper than
necessary.^" Bricks left exposed at the rear of the Morganti dwelling may be seen as a
'peasant' adaptation designed to overcome the need for more space: these bricks
allowed the possibility of future extension work should the family grow.^*
Economising on space, the front door to the Morganti home is level with the facade. It
has several large windows, evidence of the skill of its builders. Owing to the plentiful
supply of stringy bark and yeUow box timbers, the house may originally have possessed
a shingle roof which was later replaced by one of galvanised iron. Surrounded by a
number of sheds and workshops where the family performed a variety of chores ~
preparation and storage of foods, carpentering and repair work, blacksmithing ~ the
property was named 'Eastem Hill Farm' after the nearby mount. It was enclosed by a
series of handmade fences erected from the local timbers. These fences included both
the horizontal variety (morticed posts with rails) and vertical (roughly split pickets).
Commonly made from stringy bark, the early settlers' fences were often held together
with pegs, wedges and strips of hide, rather than precious handmade nails. Simply
constmcted gates linked the Morgantis' fences, one with a somewhat 'extravagant'
decorative arch: it was a recognition that timber, at least, did not have to be rationed.
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