western australia

Many a meal was cooked on this stove

@JudyEv (381950)

Rockingham, Australia

April 26, 2025 12:15am CST

I grew up on a farm in a house that was mostly built by my father. In the mid-1960s, a new house was built which is still lived in today. We visited the old farm recently and I took this photo of the kitchen chimney which is about all that remains of the old house. The stove has been removed. The space looks very narrow to me now but my mother cooked some wonderful meals on that stove. There was a cement hearth and a little hole in the floor at one corner of the cement. We used to sweep the floor then push the dirt down the hole in the floor. Next to the stove was a tap which connected to a rainwater tank on the outside of the wall. As you might imagine, that visit brought back a whole lot of memories.

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20 responses

@Dreamerby (10111)

• Calcutta, India

26 Apr 25

That's nostalgic indeed

3 people like this

@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

26 Apr 25

Yes, it was a special day.

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@LadyDuck (502343)

• Italy

26 Apr 25

I am sure the visit brought back memories. I would love so much to visit the old house of my grandparents. It was built in 1920 and I loved to spend a couple weeks during summer there.

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@LadyDuck (502343)

• Italy

26 Apr 25

@JudyEv One of my cousins bought the house of my grandparents. She sends me photos time by time.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

@LadyDuck You would enjoy seeing the photos, I'm sure.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

26 Apr 25

I am lucky that I was able to visit and see so much of my old home. That wouldn't be possible for many people.

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@allknowing (153544)

• India

27 Apr 25

You must have had mixed feelings as is expected with the house not being there. Our ancestral home is maintained as one of our nieces lives there.

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@allknowing (153544)

• India

27 Apr 25

@JudyEv Does anyone live there now?

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

@allknowing Yes, my cousin and her husband bought the farm and are still living there.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

My parents built a new home on the farm and thankfully that is still standing.

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@xFiacre (14805)

• Ireland

26 Apr 25

@judyev it’samazing that that one part has remained. Wonderful connection with the past and so personal.

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@xFiacre (14805)

• Ireland

26 Apr 25

@JudyEv You’ll have seen lots of remnants of old stone cottages in rural Ireland, each with its stories to tell. Many are the result of evictions in the 1800s.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

@xFiacre Yes, that's true. So many really sad stories in Ireland's history.

@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

26 Apr 25

You see similar chimneys in paddocks along the road, often with a couple of either palm trees or pines. Maybe some yucca cacti. They mark old homesteads that have become ruins.

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@Ronrybs (21500)

• London, England

26 Apr 25

Narrow indeed! At first, I thought it was a fireplace. I wonder if the stove was preserved?

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

26 Apr 25

I'm not sure what happened to the stove. There was always a big urn on one corner holding hot water.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

29 Apr 25

@Ronrybs Probably.

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@Ronrybs (21500)

• London, England

27 Apr 25

@JudyEv Probably half-inched for scrap!

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@arunima25 (93194)

• Bangalore, India

27 Apr 25

That would be so nostalgic. I get such memories when I visit my grandparents house. It was built in 1879 and still stands strong with old furnitures and old style of living. My mom stays there after her retirement and she has got some renovations done for the modern needs.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

We house-sat in a house that had housed three generations. All the old furniture was still there and not too many changes had been made.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

@arunima25 I felt like we were living in a museum too in the house-sit. All the knick-knacks and furniture were very old.

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@arunima25 (93194)

• Bangalore, India

27 Apr 25

@JudyEv That would be a nice experience. When we visit our grandparents home, my daughters are intrigued by all the furniture and old things. It's like a museum visit for them. I am the fifth generation in that house.

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@GardenGerty (169450)

• United States

27 Apr 25

It is interesting to see these things and compare them to what my grandparents had. That water tap right by it seems handy.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

There was no electricity for quite some years. We had a 32-volt lighting plant until mains power came through later.

@FourWalls (86619)

• United States

26 Apr 25

I love going to “pioneer” settlements to see how things like this were used, in many cases to feed a family of a dozen! I’m glad it’s still there to remind you of your childhood.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

I find museums fascinating for the same reason. They often have 'stuff' which I remember from my home.

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@Tampa_girl7 (54715)

• United States

26 Apr 25

I’m glad that you got to see it again.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

I avoided going for a number of years but it doesn't hurt now. They've looked after the place very well.

@wolfgirl569 (135676)

• Marion, Ohio

26 Apr 25

That would bring back memories.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

It did bring back a great many memories.

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@RasmaSandra (97994)

• Daytona Beach, Florida

26 Apr 25

So glad you got to take a walk down memory lane,

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

We really enjoyed our visit. In a way, it's a shame we waited so long before going back.

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@Deepizzaguy (122123)

• Lake Charles, Louisiana

26 Apr 25

Nice looking picture of your former home.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

Thanks. A lot has changed on the farm now.

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@Deepizzaguy (122123)

• Lake Charles, Louisiana

27 Apr 25

@JudyEv You are welcome.

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@Shiva49 (28375)

• Singapore

26 Apr 25

Modular kitchen is the vogue now. I recall when we did not have gas stoves. We have come a long way.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

In some ways, we have come a very long way. Our ancestors would be amazed at some of the innovations.

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@Rimps85 (3205)

• India

26 Apr 25

have you sold out this property? or is it just lying idle?

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

My cousin and her husband bought it about 50 years ago.

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@Rimps85 (3205)

• India

28 Apr 25

@JudyEv ahh..I see

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@pitstop (15551)

• Australia

26 Apr 25

Wow! That sure would have been a lot of memories.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

Until l got married, I'd spent my whole life there.

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@snowy22315 (208839)

• United States

26 Apr 25

It was a real walk down memory lane for you.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

It was indeed.

@RebeccasFarm (91299)

• United States

26 Apr 25

I can only imagine the tastiness of those meals also.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

27 Apr 25

My Mum was a good cook and I guess as kids we had good appetites which helps.

@Juliaacv (56198)

• Canada

26 Apr 25

I am certain that this brought back a flood of memories, good times from your childhood of yourself and your family members. Both of the homes that my grandparents raised their families in are still standing and in the family, I love to visit them.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

26 Apr 25

I avoided going back for years and years. I'd taken Mum back once but this visit was quite cathartic in a way. I thoroughly enjoyed it. We went in the ute (pickup truck) around all the paddocks where I used to ride and where we'd muster the sheep and cattle. Such lovely memories.

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@DaddyEvil (174335)

• United States

26 Apr 25

Of course it brought back a lot of memories...

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

26 Apr 25

It did indeed. The old garage has only recently been pulled down but the roof is now providing shade for sheep.

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@Beestring (15373)

• Hong Kong

26 Apr 25

Certainly, the visit brought back a lot of memories.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

26 Apr 25

I very much enjoyed seeing the place again.

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