Back to search results

WOODBINE
146 WOODBINE ROAD PORT FAIRY, MOYNE SHIRE

All information on this page is maintained by Heritage Victoria. Click below for their website and contact details.
Victorian Heritage Register
WOODBINE SOHE 2008
WOODBINE SOHE 2008
WOODBINE SOHE 2008
WOODBINE SOHE 2008
1 woodbine woodbine road port fairy front view restored
woodbine extent.jpg
On this page:

Statement of Significance

What is significant?

Whalers and sealers working out of Launceston had been visiting the coastal areas around Port Fairy Bay throughout the 1830s and some had set up camps and huts during their stays. The informal settlement situation at Port Fairy Bay changed dramatically in 1843 when James Atkinson formally acquired title to 5,120 acres west of the Moyne River where he established the new township of Belfast. The few existing settlers at Atkinson's new town of Belfast had no rights to title to their land, but Atkinson quickly established leasing arrangements in order to provide some commercial return to Atkinson and his partners and to encourage further settlement.

During the 1830s, Crown Land outside Atkinson's Special Survey was also taken up informally with pastoralists and agriculturalists controlling large areas of land. When the government cancelled grazing licences on land bordering Atkinson's Belfast Survey in 1846, Atkinson consolidated his land holdings by purchasing large areas of land adjoining his existing Special Survey. On a part of his newly-purchased outlying land, Atkinson entered into a lease with Charles Mills, a member of the Port Fairy Bay pioneering whaling and sealing Mills family. Mills had apparently been farming the land from at least as early as 1843.

Charles and his brother John Mills had initially been sealers and whalers operating out of Launceston, but had gradually changed their domicile to Port Fairy. Charles first lived on Griffiths Island, and then occupied the site in Belfast where his brother John built a cottage [Captain John Mills House VHR 0253] before moving to his newly-acquired farm lease.

No precise construction date for Charles Mills's house, initially known as Lagoon Farm, has been established but it was most probably erected between 1846 and 1849. Mills leased part of his property to his brother-in-law James Glare who named his farm Woodbine. Sometime after the death of Charles Mills at Lagoon Farm in 1855, the two farms came under the one ownership and Woodbine absorbed the old Lagoon Farm, and it is by that name that the Mills homestead is known today.

The property remained in the ownership of the estate of James Atkinson until 1875 when it was purchased by A H Knight of Alison and Knight, influential Port Fairy land-owners and flour millers. During the late 1880s, Knight experienced financial difficulties and the Korongah Estate Co Ltd land syndicate, of which land-boomer and politician Thomas Bent was a director, purchased the Woodbine property. Grand plans for land subdivision failed and in 1893, the interrelated Port Fairy farming families Quirk and Maloney bought Woodbine. The house appears to have been sporadically inhabited from this time and remained substantially unchanged from the time of Charles Mills' occupation, apart from a the replacement of the original veranda with one of an early 1900s appearance. By the 1960s, Woodbine had been abandoned and the house fell into disrepair. Recognizing the historic value of Woodbine, the National Trust of Australia [Victoria] purchased the property to arrest its decline and undertook restoration work before selling Woodbine back into private ownership.

The property comprises Woodbine, a double and single storey house, and a stable building which has been reconstructed in recent times. The five room, two storey house with a single storey kitchen wing has hip roofs originally with a shingle roof but now clad in corrugated iron. The house is built of sawn ashlar limestone with rubble infill. The construction of the house reflects a relationship with the vernacular traditions of Tasmania. The original stair has been replaced and much of the interior has been reconstructed as close to the original detail as possible.

How is it significant?

Woodbine is of architectural, historical and archaeological significance to the State of Victoria.

Why is it significant?
Woodbine is of architectural significance as a rare example of a house of the 1840s which is illustrative of a vernacular mode of building in the coastal region from Warrnambool through to Robe in South Australia. Stylistically, the house reflects the persistence of Tasmanian building vernacular building construction practices through its close eaves, sawn ashlar limestone construction and particular forms of chimney and fireplace construction.

Woodbine is of historical significance through its association with Charles Mills, a son of a colonial official and a member of the pioneering Mills family, early whalers, sealers, coastal traders and farmers who were prominent in the settling of the western district of Victoria.

Woodbine is of archaeological significance for its potential to reveal archaeological material relating to the early construction and occupation of the place. It is likely that the sub-floor deposits contain artefacts and remnant architectural features, including fireplaces. It is also likely that archaeological remains of the veranda, out-houses, garden and grounds features still exist.

[Online Data Upgrade Project 2005]

Show more
Show less

    • History

      WOODBINE - History

      Whalers and sealers working out of Launceston had been visiting the coastal areas around Port Fairy Bay throughout the 1830s and some had set up camps and huts during their stays. The informal settlement situation at Port Fairy Bay changed dramatically in 1843 when James Atkinson formally acquired title to 5,120 acres west of the Moyne River where he established the new township of Belfast. The few existing settlers at Atkinson’s new town of Belfast had no rights to title to their land, but Atkinson quickly established leasing arrangements in order to provide some commercial return to Atkinson and his partners and to encourage further settlement.

      During the 1830s, Crown Land outside Atkinson’s Special Survey was also taken up informally with pastoralists and agriculturalists controlling large areas of land. When the government cancelled grazing licences on land bordering Atkinson’s Belfast Survey in 1846, Atkinson consolidated his land holdings by purchasing large areas of land adjoining his existing Special Survey. On a part of his newly-purchased outlying land, Atkinson entered into a lease with Charles Mills, a member of the Port Fairy Bay pioneering whaling and sealing Mills family. Mills had apparently been farming the land from at least as early as 1843.

      Charles and his brother John Mills had initially been sealers and whalers operating out of Launceston, but had gradually changed their domicile to Port Fairy. Charles first lived on Griffiths Island, and then occupied the site in Belfast where his brother John built a cottage [Captain John Mills House VHR 0253] before moving to his newly-acquired farm lease.

      No precise construction date for Charles Mills’s house, initially known as Lagoon Farm, has been established but it was most probably erected between 1846 and 1849. Mills leased part of his property to his brother-in-law James Glare who named his farm Woodbine. Sometime after the death of Charles Mills at Lagoon Farm in 1855, the two farms came under the one ownership and Woodbine absorbed the old Lagoon Farm, and it is by that name that the Mills homestead is known today.

      The property remained in the ownership of the estate of James Atkinson until 1875 when it was purchased by A H Knight of Alison and Knight, influential Port Fairy land-owners and flour millers. During the late 1880s, Knight experienced financial difficulties and the Korongah Estate Co Ltd land syndicate, of which land-boomer and politician Thomas Bent was a director, purchased the Woodbine property. Grand plans for land subdivision failed and in 1893, the interrelated Port Fairy farming families Quirk and Maloney bought Woodbine. The house appears to have been sporadically inhabited from this time and remained substantially unchanged from the time of John Mills’s occupation apart from a the replacement of the original veranda with one of an early 1900s appearance. By the 1960s, Woodbine had been abandoned and the house fell into disrepair. Recognizing the historic value of Woodbine, the National Trust of Australia [Victoria] purchased the property to arrest its decline and undertook restoration work before selling Woodbine back into private ownership.

      Sources

      J W Powling. Port Fairy The First Fifty Years…1980

      National Trust of Australia [Vic]. File No B2141

      National Trust of Australia [Vic]. D V Bick. Conservation Analysis Report on Woodbine. 1980

      National Trust of Australia [Vic]. J P Wesson. Report on Archaeological Work at Woodbine, Port Fairy, Victoria, December 1982.. 1983

      Australian Heritage Commission. Register of the National Estate

      Permit Exemptions

      WOODBINE - Permit Exemptions

      General Exemptions:

      General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.

      Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.

      Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.

      Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions.

      Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.

      Specific Exemptions:

      General Conditions: 1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object. General Conditions: 2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of works that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such works shall cease and Heritage Victoria shall be notified as soon as possible. Note: All archaeological places have the potential to contain significant sub-surface artefacts and other remains. In most cases it will be necessary to obtain approval from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria before the undertaking any works that have a significant sub-surface component.

      General Conditions: 3. If there is a conservation policy and planall works shall be in accordance with it. Note:A Conservation Management Plan or a Heritage Action Plan provides guidance for the management of the heritage values associated with the site. It may not be necessary to obtain a heritage permit for certain works specified in the management plan.

      General Conditions: 4. Nothing in this determination prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions. General Conditions: 5. Nothing in this determination exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authorities where applicable. Minor Works : Note: Any Minor Works that in the opinion of the Executive Director will not adversely affect the heritage significance of the place may be exempt from the permit requirements of the Heritage Act. A person proposing to undertake minor works must submit a proposal to the Executive Director. If the Executive Director is satisfied that the proposed works will not adversely affect the heritage values of the site, the applicant may be exempted from the requirement to obtain a heritage permit. If an applicant is uncertain whether a heritage permit is required, it is recommended that the permits co-ordinator be contacted.

  • Notes See all notes

    Orval Family

    • 17/06/19

    Jean and Josephine Orval with their nine children emigrated from Holland in 1953 and took up residence in "Woodbine" till late 1954 and were the last family to reside till the National Trust decided its fate and important historical significance. Jean went on to become a well known Western District stained glass craftsman who's ecclesiastical works also came under National Trust in many historical churches. A legacy left by more than 160 church commissions. www.orvalstainedglass.com.

Public contributions

Notes See all notes

Orval Family

• 17/06/19

Jean and Josephine Orval with their nine children emigrated from Holland in 1953 and took up residence in "Woodbine" till late 1954 and were the last family to reside till the National Trust decided its fate and important historical significance. Jean went on to become a well known Western District stained glass craftsman who's ecclesiastical works also came under National Trust in many historical churches. A legacy left by more than 160 church commissions. www.orvalstainedglass.com.

Note: Developments may span multiple time periods
Timeline browser

< to 1849
< - 1849
1850 to 1879
1850 - 1879
1880 to 1909
1880 - 1909
1910 to 1939
1910 - 1939
1940 to 1969
1940 - 1969
1970 to 1999
1970 - 1999
2000 to >
2000 - >