Emu Bottom, Sunbury seeks long-term corporate tenants
The owners of Victoria’s oldest homestead, Emu Bottom at Sunbury, are seeking long-term tenants for the heritage-listed Georgian cottage that sits on 24 hectares.
It was 1968 when Hedley Elliott and his wife Jan bought the property, which was then on the distant outskirts of Melbourne, for $120,000 from the Stringer family. They are the fifth owners of the homestead.
At the time they purchased the property it had been called Holly Green – a name given by Harry Webb since the early 1900’s as it was his dairy cattle stud name.
The homestead has also had other names, originally called Emu Bottom by George Evans but renamed Emu Vale shortly after his death by his wife.
It was for a time named Invargargyll when it was owned by a Brigadier General Clark.
After purchasing the property, one year was spent doing restoration work with the help and advice of architects, John and Phyll Murphy and in early 1970, Emu Bottom Homestead was opened as a tourist attraction by the governor of Victoria, Sir Rohan Delacombe, operating for the period of 1970 – 1975 with about 90,000 visitors anually.
Although Emu Bottom Homestead no longer operates as a tourist attraction, the property hosts corporate events.
The story of Emu Bottom Homestead began on August 30, 1835, when the schooner Enterprise sailed up Port Phillip Bay, with George Evans on board. After exploring the area, he chose to settle 40kms from the city in 1836 where he built the handsome stone building now known as Emu Bottom Homestead.
The Elliotts hope to see a major company “take it to its next level” by taking out a lease for up to 40 years, The Australian Financial Review reported.
Expressions of interest close April 30 through Peter Hawkins at Pat Rice & Hawkins.
George Evans named his homestead 'Emu Bottom' because he had settled in the low lying ground of the valley well frequented by large flocks of emus.
At this time there were 5000 sheep and well as other live stock grazing on the large parcel of land on which George Evans had claimed as his 'run'.
Towards the end of the 1850s, Evans purchased the Royal Oak in Queen Street, Melbourne, when his spacious squattage was reduced in size to 640 acres. He became licensee of the hotel from 1861-1865 and he lived next door until his death in 1876.
The Sunbury property comes with a 1854 woolshed that was relocated in 1970 from a property called Runnymede owned by the Laidlaws at Sandford near Casterton in the Western District.
The homestead dining room was built as an addition to the homestead in 1989.
The slab hut came to this site in 1971 almost from Whroo, once a gold mine area.
