Thomas Austin has gone down in history books for two things.  Firstly, he built Barwon Park Mansion.  And secondly, he introduced rabbits to Australia. Thomas Austin arrived from Somerset, England, in 1831 and took up 12,000 hectares(30,000 acres) of land near the Barwon River.  In 1845 he married English-born Elizabeth, and together they had 11 children.  In 1859 Thomas imported 12 pairs of rabbits to Barwon Park so he and his guests could partake in their favourite sport – rabbit hunting.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

“The introduction of a few rabbits could do little harm and might provide a touch of home,” Thomas Austin

Rabbits!

Thomas’s fondness for rabbit hunting led to rabbits in plague proportions across Australia and the building of the Rabbit-Proof Fence across Western Australia between 1901 and 1907 to stop the spread of rabbits into the state from the eastern states. Thomas was a member of the Acclimatization Society of Victoria.  The society introduced non-native animals and plants to the growing colony – as a member, Thomas also brought in blackbirds and partridges. Thomas Austin and his wife Elizabeth built the lavish 42-room mansion in 1871.  He died just six months after it was completed, but Elizabeth lived at Barwon Park until her death in 1910 and became a noted philanthropist. One of her biggest accomplishments was funding the Hospital for Incurables (later the Austin Hospital) in Heidelberg.

National Trust

In 1912 the house was sold Batson family, who later bequeathed it to the National Trust.  At the time of the bequest, while the house was still virtually an intact relic, it had fallen into serious disrepair, and much of the furniture, artworks, and silverware had been sold off to provide an income for the two sisters and one brother left in the house.  The National Trust has since repaired the mansion and fitted it out with furniture that had been part of the house – or of the time.

The Grand Staircase

The staircase was the first of its kind in Australia – being that it led directly up the centre of the hall and then branched left and right… rather than being on the side of the hall, as was the norm.  And while it does look exactly like the one at Werribee Mansion – it was built three years prior to Werribee Mansion. Thus, it was the Austins to introduce the style to Australia.  It was also built which much wider steps than normal to allow the ladies to descend the staircase gracefully and make a ‘grand entrance.

Downstairs are a sitting room, a drawing room, a dining room, butler’s pantry and a serving room.  The kitchen was another level down, and food was sent up to the serving room for the servants to plate up, and the butler would then take it to the table.

Upstairs is Mr. Austin’s bedroom and dressing room, across the hall from Mrs. Austins bedroom and dressing room, then guest bedrooms, bathroom, and further down the back stairs to the servant’s rooms and quarters.

The tour takes about an hour and is informative and well worth it.  If you are down Winchelsea way, definitely stop in. All images were taken on Olympus OM ED M1 Mark 11 with Olympus Zuiko 7-14 F2.8 Pro and exposure bracketed for five shots

Address:

Barwon Park Mansion: 105 Inverleigh Road, Winchelsea 3241 VIC

Open:

Open Wednesday and Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm. Tours run at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. Group tours are available by appointment. A Virtual Reality headset is available for mobility-impaired visitors courtesy of the State Trustees Australia Foundation.

Cost:

National Trust members: Free Adult: $10 Concession: $7 Child: $4 Family (2 adults + 2 children): $20