The History of Christian's Minde
Retreat
Christian's Minde was established by the Danish Ellmoos family in 1880.
This heritage-listed property is set on 11 acres of grounds in Jervis Bay Territory. Erected in
1896, Christian's Minde was the first guest house on the south coast between Sydney and Eden, and
today retains the old-world atmosphere from its heyday in the 1920s.
The Christian's Minde settlement includes several guest houses, a cemetery and
outbuildings.
Why is the settlement historically significant?
It was built in 1880 on land taken up by the Ellmoos family from Denmark. The death of Christian
Ellmoos Jnr in 1888 explains the origin of the name of the property, Christian's Minde, which means
"To the memory of Christian".
The buildings and their setting are important in illustrating the principal characteristics
of late nineteenth and early twentieth century guest houses in the Jervis Bay district of the south coast.
These characteristics include the use of domestic-scale residential weatherboard
buildings, influenced by the prevailing Federation style of the 1890s and early 1900s. The natural setting,
and close relationship between the buildings and the foreshore, has rsulted in a place of considerable charm.
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