NATIONAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA (VICTORIA)
Tasma Terrace
4 Parliament Place, East Melbourne 3002
Tel: (03) 9656 9800
Fax: (03) 9650 5397
Email: mailto:info@nattrust.com.au
Website: www.nattrust.com.au
Administration Office & Gift Shop open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
Here is a link to the Victorian National Trust’s “Places to visit” website.
Barwon Grange
25 Fernleigh Street, Newtown, Geelong 3200
Tel: (03) 5221 3906
Geelong’s only surviving 1850s riverside house in original condition
inside and out. Barwon Grange was built for businessman Jonathan
Porter O’Brien. Rooms are displayed in the way in which they were
first used, faithfully representing an 1856 inventory. The picturesque
garden slopes down towards the Barwon River.
Open: Sun 1pm - 4pm. Other times by appointment. Closed Good
Friday & Christmas Day.
Barwon Park
105 Inverleigh Road, Winchelsea 3241
Tel: (03) 5267 2209
Built in 1869 for Thomas Austin, Barwon Park is a majestic 42-room
bluestone mansion and stable. The interiors remain largely in original
condition and feature a striking central staircase resonant of Victoria’s
pastoral heritage.
Open: Wed & Sun 11am to 4pm. Other times by appointment. Closed
Good Friday & Christmas Day.
Bendigo Joss House
Finn Street, Emu Point, Bendigo 3550
Tel: (03) 5442 1685
Significant as the only surviving building of its kind in regional Victoria,
the Bendigo Joss House provides a glimpse into Chinese culture and
traditions. Built of timber and local handmade bricks, it continues to be
used as a house of worship.
Open: Wed & Sun 11am to 4pm, Sat 11am to 5pm. Closed Christmas
Day.
The Briars Historic Park
Nepean Highway, Mt Martha 3934
Tel: (03) 5974 3686
The Briars is one of the oldest pastoral properties on the Mornington
Peninsula. Wetlands, woodlands, bird hide, rosary, perfumed garden
and restaurant are added attractions. No dogs allowed.
Open: daily. Park - 9am to 5pm, Homestead - 10am to 4pm. Closed
Good Friday & Christmas Day.
Como Historic House and Garden
Cnr Williams Road & Lechlade Avenue, South Yarra
3141
Tel: (03) 9827 2500
Gracious Como is a colonial mansion amid five acres of historic
gardens designed by William Sangster, a renowned master of 19th
century design. The extensive original collection provides a rare insight
into the Armytage family and its influence on Melbourne society over a
95-year residency.
Open: May to Aug Wed, Sat and Sun 10am to 5pm (last entry to the
ground is 4pm); Sep to Apr, daily 10am to 5pm (last entry to the
ground is 4pm). Closed Good Friday & Christmas Day.
Dow’s Pharmacy
Conness Street, Chiltern 3683
Tel: (03) 5726 1611 (Chiltern Tourism Association Inc.)
Built in 1859 the pharmacy remained open until 1969. Today the shop
contains many original fittings and records, as well as a fascinating
collection of pharmaceutical equipment.
Open: Mon-Sat 10am to 3pm or by appointment (closed 12.30pm to
1.30pm). Closed Good Friday & Christmas Day.
Federal Standard Printing Works
Main Street, Chiltern 3683
Tel: (03) 5726 1611 (Chiltern Tourism Association Inc.)
Established in 1859, this is one of the few substantially intact
provincial newspaper offices of the gold mining era.
Open: second weekend of each month 11am-3pm (both days) or by
appointment. Machinery operates on Sundays only.
Government House / La Trobe’s Cottage
Cnr Birdwood Ave & Dallas Brooks Drive, South
Yarra 3141
Tel: (03) 9656 9800
One of Victoria’s oldest buildings, La Trobe’s Cottage was the home of
Victoria’s first Governor, Lt Charles La Trobe. A prefabricated dwelling
brought to Australia from England in 1839; it still contains many of its
original furnishings. Tours of the State apartments of Government House
commence from La Trobe’s Cottage on Mondays and Wednesdays. Tours
are byappointment and subject to availability. A tour of La Trobe’s Cottage
is included.
La Trobe’s Cottage is open every Sunday 2pm to 4 pm.
Gulf Station
1029 Melba Highway, Yarra Glen 3775
Tel: (03) 9656 9800
Gulf Station is one of the oldest farms in the Yarra Valley. Its buildings
date from the 1850s and are the most complete group of solid timberslab
farm buildings surviving in Victoria. The restored original cottage
garden contains roses, lilac, mulberry and japonica.
Closed for redevelopment. School bookings by appointment.
The Heights
140 Aphrasia Street, Newtown, Geelong 3220
Tel: (03) 5221 3510
This unique German prefabricated house of 14 rooms was built in
1855. It underwent extensive alterations in the 1930s, reflecting that
era’s contemporary taste. The garden, dominated by the 1860s
plantings of oaks and conifers, retains its original outbuildings.
Open: Sun 1pm to 4pm. Closed Good Friday & Christmas Day. Groups
by appointment.
Labassa
2 Manor Grove, Caulfield North 3161
Tel: (03) 9527 6295
Labassa is one of Melbourne’s most elaborately decorated mansions.
Completed in 1890, Labassa features detailed stencilling, rich heavy
wallpapers, a grand staircase with a magnificent stained-glass window
and rare trompe l’oeil ceiling.
Open: third Sunday of each month 10.30am-4.30pm. Groups by
appointment. Closed December.
Lake View Homestead
Victoria Street, Chiltern 3683
Tel: (03) 5726 1611 (Chiltern Tourism Association Inc.)
Lake View is significant for its association with the distinguished
novelist Henry Handel Richardson (pseudonym for Ethel Richardson).
The redbrick house contains a small collection of Richardson
memorabilia.
Open: Thurs & Sun 1pm-4 pm. Closed Good Friday & Christmas Day.
Bus tours by appointment only (03) 5726 1317 or (03) 5726 1280.
McCrae Homestead
11 Beverley Road, McCrae 3938
Tel: (03) 5986 5688 or (03) 5981 2866
McCrae Homestead, built in 1844 by Andrew and Georgiana McCrae, is
one of Victoria’s oldest homesteads. Built to Georgiana’s design, the
house contains numerous original paintings and furniture brought by
the McCrae family from Scotland.
Open: Sat-Sun 12noon-4.30pm & Sep to Jun, Wed 12noon–4.30pm.
Mooramong
Glenelg Highway, near Skipton 3361
Tel: (03) 5340 6556
Mooramong homestead, built in the 1870s, was extensively altered in
1937 to reflect the elegant lifestyle of DJS (Scobie) Mackinnon and his
wife, the Hollywood silent screen star Claire Adams. In accordance
with the wishes of the Mackinnons, the National Trust has established
a native fauna and flora reserve on the site.
Groups and bus tours by appointment only.
Motts Cottage
5 Sackville Street, Port Fairy 3284
Tel: (03) 5568 2632 or Visitor Centre (03) 5568 2682
One of the earliest surviving buildings in the region, the original two
room wooden cottage dates from the 1840s. The unusual two storey
stone section with its Gothic styling was completed around 1851.
Open: Sep to end of June/July school holidays, Wed-Sat 2pm to 4pm.
For additional opening times please call (03) 5568 2632.
Mulberry Hill
Golf Links Road, Langwarrin South 3911
Tel: (03) 5971 4138
Mulberry Hill is an American colonial-style weatherboard house built in
the late 1920s. It was the home of Sir Daryl Lindsay, notable artist
and his wife Joan, who is best remembered for her novel, Picnic at
Hanging Rock.
Open for guided tours only: Sun 1.30pm, 2.15pm & 3pm. Closed in
July. Closed on days of Total Fire Ban.
Old Melbourne Gaol
Russell Street, Melbourne 3000
Tel: (03) 9663 7228
Victoria’s first prison was a focus during some of Australia’s most
significant historical moments including the Gold Rush and World War
II. Infamous bushranger, Ned Kelly, was one of 136 prisoners hanged
on-site. Experience what life behind bars was like for some of
Australia’s most notorious villains – learn about their life and crimes,
their trials and treatment. Get a sense of what prison life was like for
the men, women and children who spent time in the Old Melbourne
Gaol.
Open: daily 9.30am to 5pm. Closed Good Friday and Christmas day.
Night Performances - a blend of theatre and history: Experience the
gaol by candlelight with hangman 'Michael Gately' as he recounts
stories of the gaol, its inmates and his infamous art. Not for the faint
hearted or children under 12 years old. Bookings are essential. Tickets
available from Ticketek 13 28 49 or www.ticketek.com.au.
Tours
commence after dark on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and
Saturdays.
Polly Woodside Maritime Precinct
Melbourne Convention Centre, Southbank, Melbourne
3006
Tel: (03) 9699 9760
Come aboard a ‘true Cape Horner’ and discover life aboard
Melbourne’s favourite tall ship. Described as ‘the prettiest barque ever
built in Belfast’ the Polly Woodside is moored in the original Duke & Orr
dry dock opposite the Melbourne Convention Centre at Southbank. The
Polly Woodside Maritime Precinct tells the story of the ship and the
hardships and tales of the mariners who sailed her. Visitors are invited
to tour the ship and experience the story of the Polly Woodside
through an immersive cinema experience.
Temporarily closed to the public. Re-opens in 2010.
Portable Iron Houses
399 Coventry Street, South Melbourne 3205
Tel: (03) 9645 757
These three houses are among the few 19th century prefabricated iron
buildings remaining in the world. An audiovisual display provides a
comprehensive account of their importance in the history of white
settlement in Australia, particularly during the gold rush years in
Victoria.
Open: 1st Sunday of each month (except January) 1pm to 4pm,
weekdays by appointment. Group bookings (03) 96992172.
Portarlington Mill
Turner Court, Portarlington 3223
Tel: (03) 5259 2804
This fully restored building was originally built in 1857 as a steam
flourmill. It has been used for a variety of purposes as the needs of
the Bellarine Peninsula and the colony of Victoria evolved.
Open: from second Sunday in Sep to end of May, Sat & Sun 12 noon
to 4pm. Closed Christmas Day
Powder Magazine
Skidmore Road, Gorge Reserve, Beechworth 3747
Tel: 1300 366 321 (Beechworth Information Centre)
The Powder Magazine is one of several government magazines built on
the goldfields towards the end of the 1850s to safely house the much
needed quantities of blasting powder.
Open: Sat & Sun 1pm to 4pm. Closed Good Friday & Christmas Day.
Rippon Lea Estate
192 Hotham Street, Elsternwick 3185
Tel: (03) 9523 6095
Located just 20 minutes from Melbourne’s Central Business District,
this historic property is one of the great private estates of early
Victoria. The spacious mansion is a “must-see” and the garden is of
international significance, boasting a lake, islands, bridges, grotto and
windmill and a grand Victorian fernery.
Open: daily, 10am-5pm. Last entry to property is at 4.30pm. May to
September opening hours are Thurs-Sun 10am–5pm. Group bookings
by appointment. Closed Good Friday & Christmas Day
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