The oak sideboard in the Dining Room displaying ceremonial gifts presented to the Chifleys
Photo: Karen Golland

The rooms in Chifley Home still contain the original collection of household furnishings and personal effects dating back to when the Chifleys first occupied the house on their marriage in 1914.

The house is a testament to the frugalness of the times when the hardships of the Great Depression, followed by wartime rationing and restrictions, dictated how people lived. The collection also contains an assortment of ceremonial gifts presented to Ben Chifley in his roles as Australian Prime Minister and Federal Treasurer.

Through evidence sourced from original photographs and oral history accounts, numerous collection pieces in the house have been relocated to where they were when the Chifleys occupied the house.