Description

Werribee Mansion is one of Australia's largest, grandest, and most architecturally sophisticated mansions, and is included on the Victorian Heritage Register.

Construction of the large basalt and sandstone mansion was completed in 1877 for the Chirnside family who were originally from Scotland, and made their fortune from wool in Victoria’s Western District. The Chirnsides rejected the popular Scottish baronial style of the early-to-mid nineteenth century, and instead built their mansion in an Italianate Renaissance Revival style. They did, however, embrace the romanticism of Highlandism and cultivate a consciously theatrical Scottish identity in other ways.

The mansion is a symmetrical two-storey central block, with a dominant tower and a ground level arcade on three sides. With 60 rooms across several wings, the fine interior includes some original furniture set within a richly decorated entry hall containing a Minton encaustic tile floor, niches, Corinthian pilasters and free-standing columns leading to a grand staircase. The main reception rooms, library and dining room are all classically ornamented.

Converted into a seminary in the 1920s, the estate was purchased by the Victorian State Government in 1977, and is now managed by Parks Victoria. It was featured in the TV series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and Winchester.

What's On

Enjoy free access to the interior of the mansion. Parks Victoria staff and volunteers will be on-site to chat to visitors about the mansion's history, art and architectural features. There will be different forms of entertainment popping up sporadically throughout the building, providing a lively atmosphere and surprising and delighting visitors. The café will be open, selling light food and beverages.