Ercildoune, Stately Country Home
“Historic Home Fit for a Lord”,
“Haunting Grip on the Past”,
“Simultaneously Solid and Eerily Spectral”…
From its large windows, ‘Ercildoune’ looks out over one of the loveliest views from any window in Australia. The eye takes in a group of lakes stretching away into the hills: a rose-garden with a granite wall, probably unique in this country; a beautiful swimming pool; a huge expanse of lawn, sweeping past English and Australian trees in a glorious mixture of British and colonial greens; and undulating pastures and wooded hills, wonderful country for riding. Its fishing is one of the prides of ‘Ercildoune’, which had the first trout hatchery in the State. The trout, in fact, arrived much as Royalty might, to be met at the Ballarat station by a party clad in top hats and dress clothes – in 1870! If it were not for the gum trees, the Australian grasses and the sun, ‘Ercildoune’ might be taken for a slice of England or Scotland…The Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic.) 14/7/1934.
How It All Came About, by Christine Dever
This started off as a story about our involvement with an historic property called Ercildoune, but in order to do the story justice, I have decided to also provide a back story to how it all came about, for each owner played such an important cog in this wheel of fortune that encompassed some of Australia’s most interesting times, so it will probably come across as a bit of an Australian history lesson as well, but many of these successful pioneers started with practically nothing and went on to become very wealthy beyond all of their wildest dreams. So instead of just producing a story about a renovation of an important and intriguing old property, I ended up delving deeper into Victoria’s pioneering history, and it is very confronting reading the stories of how the aborigines suffered so greatly in having their lands ripped out from under them due to the advancement of the British Empire.
Many of the early pioneers paid a high price in having their children die at a very young age, and credit and admiration must be given to all of the strong women. We didn’t take it on to receive any accolades, and we are not disappointed that it slipped under the radar. We took it on because we like to fix or improve things, and this time we fixed something that was actually a time capsule of Australian history, albeit somewhat in total disarray. I decided to spend a few thousand hours researching the backstory behind Ercildoune, and it won’t let go of me until I have finished it. Both my husband and I have recurring dreams about this property, and we’re not quite sure how a pile of granite and mortar could get so deeply under our skin.
Explore the Estate
Christine Dever’s account of Ercildoune now reads as a series of chapters. Start at the beginning or jump to a subject:
- The Beginning
How John and Christine came to Ercildoune in 1999, and what they found. - Sheep and Shearing
The merino stud that made Ercildoune famous, from the Gold Museum display. - The Amazing Walled Garden
The only walled garden of its scale in Victoria, and its restoration. - Is Ercildoune Haunted?
The stories, the sightings and the sceptics. - Stories from Ercildoune
The lure of gold, the hardest times, the menagerie, and the wind farm. - Scottish Origins and Thomas the Rhymer
From the Scottish borders to Port Phillip: the family behind the name. - The Peerage Britain
The Livingstone-Learmonth line as recorded in the British peerage. - Sir Walter’s Diligence
England and her colonies, and the diligence of Sir Walter. - The Ercildoune Archive
Transcribed primary sources: the 1852 Learmonth letter, merino treatises, show records and flock histories.