Lodge, The

Lodge, The, is a building in Canberra that serves as the main official residence of the prime minister of Australia and his or her family. (Kirribili House, in Sydney, is the prime minister’s secondary residence.) Since construction of The Lodge was completed in 1927, most prime ministers have lived there. In addition to serving as the prime minister’s residence, The Lodge is used to host dinners and formal events for visiting officials. Some prime ministers hold Cabinet and other official meetings at The Lodge.

The Lodge is a two-story building that combines elements of Colonial Revival and Georgian Revival building styles. The architecture emphasizes simplicity, symmetry, and classical details. The Lodge has 40 rooms and stands on a 4.4-acre (1.8-hectare) property on Adelaide Avenue, southwest of Capital Hill.

The Melbourne-based architectural firm Oakley and Parkes developed the plans for The Lodge. The construction, contracted to the Sydney-based builder James G. Taylor, was completed in 1927. That year, Prime Minister Stanley Bruce and his wife, Ethel, became the building’s first residents. The building, originally intended as a temporary residence, was known at that time as the Prime Minister’s Cottage.

New tenants to The Lodge often redecorate, and some request more extensive renovation to suit their family’s needs. Prime Minister John Grey Gorton had a swimming pool installed, and his wife Bettina created a garden of plants native to Australia. The garden is now named in her honor. In 1978, Tamie Fraser, wife of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, founded the Australiana Fund. This nonpolitical body furnished The Lodge with historical objects related to the prime ministers.

The Lodge is owned and maintained by the Department of Finance of the federal government of Australia. Several times each year, the public is invited to tour The Lodge as part of a charity fund-raiser.