Can you imagine a mansion so grand that it once housed a family with twelve children? That mansion was Rippon Lea Estate. Rippon Lea Estate was built in 1868 for Sir Frederick Sargood, a wealthy Melbourne businessman. The mansion was designed by architect Joseph Reed in a style known as “Lombardic Romanesque”. It was one of the first homes in Australia to be lit by electricity. After Sargood’s death in 1903, the estate was sold to a group of developers who planned to demolish the house and subdivide the land. Fortunately, the leader of the consortium died before the plans could be carried out, and the estate was sold in 1910 to Ben and Agnes Nathan, who owned the Maples chain of furniture stores. The Nathans lived at Rippon Lea until Ben’s death in 1935. The property then passed to their eldest daughter, Louisa, who undertook extensive remodelling of the house. Upon Louisa’s death in 1972, Rippon Lea Estate was bequeathed to the National Trust of Australia. Today, the estate is open to the public and is a popular destination for weddings, functions and film shoots. It is also a reminder of the grandeur of Melbourne’s past.
Kororoit Creek
Is this where the river meets the sea? This is Kororoit Creek. It flows right here through Melbourne’s western suburbs