Researching History, Cultivating Legacy at Urrbrae House

The Adelaide Network (TAN) visited Urrbrae House for a private guided tour.

Among the rolling gardens of Adelaide’s Waite Campus stands Urrbrae House, a grand bluestone mansion that carries within its walls a story of resilience, generosity, and quiet transformation.

Once home to pastoral pioneer Peter Waite and his family, the house is now both museum and meeting place, linking South Australia’s agricultural heritage with its ongoing spirit of discovery.

At the heart of this legacy is Lynette Zeitz, Manager and Historian of Urrbrae House.

Lynette oversees the Urrbrae House Historic Precinct, curates museum collections, and brings history to life through education and community programs.

However her own story could sit comfortably among the tales she now preserves.

We start our TAN guided tour with a reflective talk by Lynette… we sit around the massive dining table – pondering how many conversations have gone before?

The Dining Room overlooks the picturesque rose gardens behind Urrbrae House and homes original furniture which was made for the Waite family in Edinburgh, Scotland by John Taylor and Sons in 1876.

Lynette describes herself as the eldest daughter of the eldest daughter of the eldest daughter, a lineage that carries both strength and responsibility.

When her parents died young, she stepped into the role of carer for her siblings, an early lesson in leadership and resilience that would later define her career. Growing up on a farm, she instinctively understood the Waite family’s connection to land and community. Yet, through what she calls the “turns of fate,” she found her true vocation in social history; the art of understanding people through the traces they leave behind.

Lynette quotes a line that seems to sum up her journey: “We plan our lives but accidents rule them.”

It’s a perspective that gives her curatorial work its depth and empathy.

Under her stewardship, Urrbrae House is not simply a static monument, it’s a living conversation between past and present, science and story, as well as legacy and imagination.

That imaginative thread seems to run through everything Lynette touches.

A firm believer in mentors and guides, she champions curiosity, storytelling, and lifelong learning. Exhibitions at Urrbrae House such as “Lost to Time: Love, Art, and Jewellery Stories” (2025), weave together art, emotion, and memory, inviting visitors to see history not as something distant, but as something alive in their own experiences.

TAN met in the Main Hall but continued to be inspired by tbhe charm and history throughout. The Main Hall was the formal reception area of Urrbrae House. The Hall features the original ceiling papers designed by English designer Aldam Heaton, and ornate woodwork in cedar and blackwood. Musicians would and are still able to perform to guests from the impressive Minstrels’ Gallery. This space was also used as a small picture gallery during the Waite era (1892-1922).

Over the last three decades evocative “garden rooms” have been developed around Urrbrae House that echo the social and artistic essence of the Waite era. Archival projects continue to catalogue the Waite family’s furniture, photographs, and documents with each piece adding texture to the story of South Australia’s agricultural and social evolution.

Through guided tours and community outreach, Urrbrae House connects visitors to the legacy of Peter and Matilda Waite, whose 1923 bequest of their home and estate to the University of Adelaide established what is now the globally respected Waite Campus.

Under Lynette’s quiet yet determined guardianship, the house remains what it has always been: a home for ideas, a keeper of stories, and a reminder that resilience and curiosity live on.

Today, Urrbrae House is a place where hard work meets imagination, and where the generosity of the past continues to inform the future.

Events by Urrbrae House on Humantix

Urrbrae House is an accredited museum and is used by the University of Adelaide for a variety of educational and cultural activities.

The house itself has specific visiting hours and offers guided tours.

General viewing is typically available on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, while guided tours are often held on the first Sunday of the month from March until November (bookings may be required, so checking the official website for current times is recommended).