MOORABOOL RIVER TEA HOUSE AND ORNAMENTAL GARDENS
4 HAMILTON HIGHWAY FYANSFORD, GREATER GEELONG CITY
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Statement of Significance
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MOORABOOL RIVER TEA HOUSE AND ORNAMENTAL GARDENS - History
The site is located at Fyansford. Exit the Geelong Ring Road at Hamilton Highway. Head towards the township of Fyansford. The site is located on the west side of the Moorabool River adjacent to an informal car park leading to the concrete Monier Bridge.MOORABOOL RIVER TEA HOUSE AND ORNAMENTAL GARDENS - Interpretation of Site
From descriptions in the for sale notice, the place has been described as a two-storey house with tea rooms, fruit trees and ornamental gardens. An 1860s photo shows the building and ornamental gardens in the design of a star within a circle. There is also an outhouse on the northern side of the building. A dry stone wall possibly forms the eastern side of the ornamental garden, along the Moorabool River.
Heritage Victoria site card H7721/0444 refers to this house and associated footings as the Bourquin house (perhaps occupants at a later date). The site card also describes and notes the location of uprights in the Moorabool River from the wooden bridge (see FF_SWS_24 in Hewitt et.al 2014: 185). Registration of these two places must be separate.
There have been numerous recordings of severe flooding of the Moorabool River in 1852, 1859, 1870, 1878 and 1880. These periodic flood events may have had impacts on any archaeological deposits at the place and may have also contributed to its abandonment. A new concrete bridge (see FF_SWS_5) was constructed in 1899 replacing the wooden bridge (FF_SWS_5). It is possible that these works may have adversely impacted on this building as it does not appear in any photos after 1900.MOORABOOL RIVER TEA HOUSE AND ORNAMENTAL GARDENS - Archaeological Significance
Footings identified include an intact section of a bluestone coursed rubble wall. This structure is probably the stub of the wall between the building and the former wooden bridge. Dressed bluestone, a stone lintel, other dressed slabs were recorded. A hearth footing constructed from random bluestone rubble set in lime mortar was also identified.
A dry stone wall possibly forming the western boundary of the place was recorded adjacent to the access road to the quarry. It is highly likely that additional footings and subsurface deposits will be present. Ground surface visibility is currently poor and the area is heavily vegetated and covered with creeper.
This place has been identified as having high archaeological sensitivity (Hewitt et.al 2014: 179). However, without any further archaeological investigation, the integrity, extent and nature of the place cannot be determined. Therefore, the archaeological significance cannot be determined at this stage.MOORABOOL RIVER TEA HOUSE AND ORNAMENTAL GARDENS - Historical Significance
This place is historically significant for its associations with early tourism in Fyansford and rural Victoria.
Heritage Inventory Description
MOORABOOL RIVER TEA HOUSE AND ORNAMENTAL GARDENS - Heritage Inventory Description
Exposed footings from double storey hotel/house built on the western side of the Moorabool River. There is potential for additional subsurface deposits and features relating to the occupation and use of the site, including an ornamental garden, pathways and brickworks. The site referred to as SWS_12 in Hewitt et.al (2014).
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OLD SWAN INNVictorian Heritage Register H0267
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BRIDGEVictorian Heritage Register H1108
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FYANSFORD HOTELVictorian Heritage Register H0744
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