Minis in The Mountains

I spent the Canberra Day long weekend in the Blue Mountains with a friend and really hadn't factored anything miniature-related into our stay.

Until, just before the turn off to the road where our B & B was, I spotted out of the corner of my eye a couple of dolls houses sitting outside a building that looked a lot like a dolls house itself:

 After unpacking we returned to the village of Blackheath to investigate The Old Tythe Barn,

 a wee shop just by Blackheath Station that is packed to the rafters with dolls house miniatures.

The shop has been in existence since 1977, owned by the same family, and is a treasure trove of tiny things.

 I was hoping to discover that they had a secret stash of vintage items, but the only thing I could dig out that was anything close to fitting the bill was this vintage three-seater sofa and matching footstool ($14 for the pair).

Across and up the road a little was the Keith Rowe Gallery, and in the front window was a glass bowl with a Reac chair in it.

 And, on the shelf above, these lovely glass houses. I wanted to buy one but left it too late and they were closed when I went back.

The following day my friend had business to attend to in Katoomba, so left me to browse the shops along the main street.

In Explore Retro, the first shop I went into, I discovered these vintage dolls house pieces, which I snapped up:

 Macarthur's Arcade had these pieces, but at prices I wasn't prepared to pay so they stayed where they were:

Similarly, this Chad Valley tin dolls house I spotted across the road at Katoomba Vintage Emporium stayed where it was, as I already have one.

On our final day in The Mountains we visited the village of Leura, where the only miniature-related sighting was this amazing display cabinet at With Max & Me:

The owner explained that the cabinet was originally constructed for her mother, who collected dolls house miniatures,

 and pointed out the ceilings, which are still intact from its previous life.

And, finally, our base for the weekend looks a lot like a giant dolls house!