Historic Cottage

Sages Cottage Farm dates back to the 1850s and has heritage protected buildings and grounds. Captain Benjamin Baxter arrived at Port Melbourne from County Cork, Ireland, in 1837 and became the first European settler in the Mornington Peninsula district.

In the same year he opened the first post office in Port Philip and in 1838 he was granted a pastoral lease of 15,000 acres in the Langwarrin/Moorooduc area to run cattle. Baxter’s cattle station was also known as Carrup Carrup and he owned this from 1838 to 1860. In 1851 he became the Commissioner of Crown Land.

Baxter spent most of his time in Melbourne taking care of other business interests so he appointed John Sage as overseer of Carrup Carrup.

In 1852 John Sage married Maria Baxter – Benjamin Baxter’s daughter – and acquired a portion of Baxter’s land in 1856. Circa that time, John and Maria built their home which is now known as Sages Cottage.

The property remained the home of the Sages descendants until the 1970s after which time it was operated as a restaurant and tourist facility before being purchased by Menzies Inc., an organisation dedicated to caring for disadvantaged youth.

In 2013 Wallara took over the property to provide innovative disability services in the tranquil setting, which included animal experiences, horticulture and hospitality training.

The heritage protected buildings have been restored to their former glory and the cottage is now open to the public for tours, to experience life on Sages Farm in the 1850s.