Werribee Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Werribee Park |
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Werribee Park mansion
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| Type | Mansion, associated built facilities and grounds |
| Location | Werribee, Victoria, Australia |
| Built | 1874–1877 |
| Built for | Thomas Chirnside and family |
| Architectural style(s) | Italianate |
| Governing body | Parks Victoria |
| Owner | Victoria State Government |
| Official name: Werribee Park | |
| Type | State heritage (built and natural) |
| Designated | 1 April 1987 |
| Reference no. | 1207 |
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Werribee Park is a large historical estate located in Werribee, Victoria, Australia. It's a fun place to visit with lots to see and do!
The park includes the beautiful Werribee Park Mansion, the Victoria State Rose Garden, and other lovely gardens. You can also find the Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre and the Werribee Open Range Zoo here. There's even a special walk to see sculptures and a natural river area. The land along the Werribee River is being replanted with native plants that the local Kurung Jang Balluk clan used. The Mansion Hotel and Conference Centre is also part of the estate.
The Victoria State Government bought Werribee Park in 1973. It opened to visitors as a tourist spot in 1977 and is now managed by Parks Victoria. The mansion and its grounds were officially listed on the Victorian Heritage Register in 1987, meaning they are important historical sites.
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Werribee Park Mansion
The Werribee Park Mansion is a grand house built between 1874 and 1877. It was designed in the Italianate style, which means it looks like a large Italian country house. Two brothers from Scotland, Thomas Chirnside and Andrew Chirnside, built it. They were very successful farmers and owned a huge amount of land.
The mansion was the main building for their large farm. It had many rooms for the family and workers. Today, you can visit parts of the mansion, including the billiard room, some bedrooms, the reception rooms, and part of the kitchen.
Newspapers from the time mentioned that Mr. P. Colquhoun was the main builder, helped by Mr. Fox, an architect, and the Chirnside brothers themselves. Another person, Mr. Huckson, also helped manage the building work. The mansion was very expensive, costing about £60,000 at the time. It was made of brick with special stone from Barrabool-hill.
After Thomas Chirnside passed away in 1887, his brother Andrew Spencer Chirnside took over the Werribee estate. When Andrew died in 1890, his property was divided among his family. His wife, Mary, received money and an income. His sons, George Thomas Chirnside and John Percy Chirnside, inherited the land. George received the mansion and the land around it, while John Percy got the land above the railway line. This caused some disagreements between the brothers.
From 1923 to 1973, the Werribee Park Mansion was used as a Catholic seminary called Corpus Christi College. The parts of the building that are now the Mansion Hotel were added during this time.
The mansion has also been a filming location for movies and TV shows!
- In 1996, scenes for the TV series The Genie From Down Under were filmed here.
- Rooms in the house were used for the American film The Pirate Movie, starring Kristy McNichol and Christopher Atkins.
- The mansion also appeared in the 1976 film The Devil's Playground.
In December 2007, the famous singer Elton John even held two concerts at Werribee Park Mansion as part of his Rocket Man Solo Tour.
Every year, the Werribee Mansion Grounds are used for fun events like:
- The Werribee Christmas Carols.
- A harvest festival.
- Polo championships.
- The Let Them Eat Cake music festival on New Year's Day since 2013.
Heritage Orchard
The Werribee Park Heritage Orchard is a very old fruit orchard that dates back to the 1870s. It was once famous for its delicious peaches, grapes, apples, quinces, pears, and different types of plums. It also grew walnuts and olives.
For many years, the orchard was not looked after and became overgrown. But recently, this historical treasure was rediscovered! Some of the old fruit trees, especially quince, pear, and apple, are still alive. In 2010, a community group started working with Parks Victoria to care for the orchard.
The goals of the Werribee Park Heritage Orchard group are:
- To help and teach people about the orchard.
- To help protect and improve the orchard.
- To get people who are interested in the orchard involved.
National Equestrian Centre
The Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre is a top-notch sports facility for horse riding events. It hosts big competitions like Equitana and the World Polo Championships. It officially opened in 1984 as the main center for horse activities in Victoria.
Before 1992, the Werribee Park Corporation ran it. Then, in 1992, a group called the Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre Inc. took over. This group includes representatives from the Victorian Polo Association and Equestrian Australia. Even Prince Charles once played polo here!
Open Range Zoo
The Werribee Open Range Zoo is one of four zoos managed by Zoos Victoria. It's home to many amazing animals from different parts of the world.
You can see animals from Africa like:
- Rhinos
- Giraffes
- Antelopes
- Zebras
- Lions
- Hippos
It also has Australian animals such as:
- Emus
- Koalas
- Kangaroos
And other animals from around the world, like the takhi, which is a wild horse from Mongolia.
Shadowfax Winery
Located within the grounds of Werribee Park, Shadowfax Vineyard and Winery makes a variety of wines. They focus on wines from their vineyards in Macedon. They used to make a wine called One Eye Shiraz from very old grapevines.
Images for kids
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Werribee Park mansion
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Aerial Panorama of Werribee Park and its surrounds
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Werribee Park Mansion from above
