Banyule Homestead facts for kids
Banyule Homestead is a very old and special house located in Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia. It's found at 60 Buckingham Drive. This house is considered a "heritage-listed" building, which means it's important to history and is protected. It's even listed in the Victorian Heritage Database, a special list of important places in Victoria.
A Look Back in Time
Banyule Homestead was built a long time ago, in 1846. It was made for an early settler named Joseph Hawdon, who was a pioneer in the Port Phillip area. The house was designed by an architect named John Gill. He gave it a unique look, called the Elizabethan style.
This house is quite rare because it was built before the big gold rush in Victoria. Many buildings from that time didn't survive, but Banyule Homestead did!
Over the years, many important people lived in the house. These included well-known early Victorian settlers like James Graham, William Mitchell, and Dr Robert Martin.
Later, from 1975 to 1977, the house was changed a bit. It became a special art gallery for a short time. It displayed part of the famous Heidelberg School art collection from the National Gallery of Victoria. After this, in 1995, the house was sold and became a private home again.
What's Happening Now
In 2017, there was a plan to turn Banyule Homestead into a place for events, like parties or weddings. However, many people in the community, including local residents and the Heidelberg Historical Society, did not agree with this idea.
They wanted the house to stay as it was. The Banyule City Council listened to the community. They decided to reject the plan to change the house into an event centre. An appeal was made to try and change this decision, but it was also rejected.
