Anembo (aboriginal for “Resting Place”) was purchased as virgin bush block from the State Government of Victoria by Mr Francis “Frank” Cowen in the early 1950s (pictured).
A former first-World War I veteran who saw action at the Somme, Frank was born in Sydney in 1894. He became a railway employee at various places in and around Melbourne during the 1920s. He married Geraldine Maud Stanley-Wood, a nurse from Ireland and they lived near the railway stations where Frank was posted for work. They eventually settled in Noble Park, then an outer suburb of Melbourne.
With seven children to support, times were very tough for the family. To make it worse, Frank lost his job during the 1930s depression and resorted to selling small items on street corners to survive. Later in life he developed cancer and died at the age of 74 in Noble Park in 1968.
Despite his poverty and lack of education, Frank was a very shrewd man. He saved enough to purchase the block of land on which Anembo now stands. He first marked out the block and, using a scythe, manually cleared it of scrub in order to put a house on it. Frank scrounged building materials from various sources and—not being wealthy enough to own a car until well into his 60s—spent many weekends travelling from Melbourne by train to Wonthaggi, 13km from Inverloch (then the terminus). He hitch-hiked the remainder of the distance carrying the building materials he could manage. The block was covered with trees and scrub, koalas and echidnas were seen often, as well as many varieties of birds. Kookaburras were also plentiful. Happily, this is still the case.
Frank slept in a small tent initially and positioned a wash basin and mirror on one of the trees for his daily ablutions. With the help of his son Mick, a builder, a house was eventually erected, and—with some modern improvements—this is the house that still stands today. Inverloch has since become one of the fastest-growing resort towns in Victoria.
Despite the difficult times in which he lived, Frank managed to leave each of his children a block of land. Anembo was bequeathed to his second-oldest daughter, Bobbie. She and her late husband, Bill Davies maintained the property well and greatly enhanced the surrounding garden during their tenure as owners. During this period, the property was mainly used as a holiday home for the extended family and rented out during the Christmas period. At times, several families stayed on the property in tents and caravans. Cricket games were played, bar-b-ques were regular fare, and much fun was had by all.
While other rental properties around Inverloch have outpaced Anembo in terms of level of comfort, Anembo continues to retain a lived-in family “feel”. Many sense this, and like it, returning year after year. Anembo is generally booked solid from early December to the end of February, and at other holiday times during the year. The owner, Bobbie, now in her mid-90s still spends time at Anembo when she can. The property is now maintained and managed by Bobbie’s son, Martin. Anembo has been in the same family for three generations.
The property is now rented throughout the year to family and friends, and to other people via Alex Scott Real Estate. Ph: (03) 5674 1602, or by arrangement with the owners on 042 574 6523 (h).
We welcome you to Anembo Cottage.
For further history read Anembo Cottage. Resting Place. A Short Story.
And here’s an amusing video made by our son when he was 5-6 (turn sound on for full experience):