So anyway, here's the continuation to the previous post! In the previous post, I mentioned about driving down K Road, passing by market gardens in Werribee South and enjoying the view of the Werribee River at different points along the way.
We drove down the tree-lined pathway into the Werribee Mansion, and decided to get off and take a look inside it. The mansion itself is built in Italianate-style architecture between 1874 and 1877 by the Chirnsides. and has been a main tourist attraction in Melbourne since 1977, alongside the Werribee Open Rang Zoo, which I'll cover in the next post. The mansion was even used as a Catholic seminary for Corpus Christi College, but now it's open to the public. It has MANY rooms, of which only a few are open to public.
Anyway, we had to follow a winding pathway into the property itself, and as we walked closer and closer, the mansion loomed up right in front of us. It was formidable.
The black-and-white effects probably give it a more vintage, 1870s-like feel.
Just next to the mansion were these flowerbeds, set out in distinctive patterns. Later on I found out that the overall shape was symmetrical - and could be viewed from one of the main balconies which was open to public.
The mansion also had a cafe, which we walked towards.
Walked around the inner part of the mansion, just where one of the smaller buildings were, before going to the main part of the mansion itself. This part was mostly empty, and its facade seemed less grand than the outside, but it was still really grand.
Few more pictures of the main facade before we went in.
We also went up to the balcony during our tour of the mansion...
And this is what I mean by the garden beds being in some regular, symmetrical pattern! Unfortunately there weren't any flowers in there as it was winter, and the beds looked kinda dead.
Anyway the balcony itself offered a number of good spots for photo-taking.
Decided to explore some of the areas outside the mansion - mainly the farms and the lake where there was supposedly a grotto.
But before that, I decided to take even more pictures of the mansion!
The whole property was very quiet and tranquil, with lots of trees and winding pathways, and we passed by some unused farmland and farm equipment. The landscape was basically quite well-planned, and we definitely enjoyed our walk! It was good to be exposed to fresh air, despite the cold.
Decided to take a few more shots of the main facade. After all, it was really big and grand!
And we took the same route back to the carpark - the same way where we walked in.
Anyway, on a separate note, here are some pictures of the inside of the mansion.
The entrance was really well-decorated, with a small counter at the side for tickets. It wasn't expensive at all, and we could roam the mansion quite freely.
Entered one of the rooms in the ground floor, where people probably sat around and listened to others play musical instruments. There was an old-fashioned violin and a harpsichord (by the looks of it!) in the room.
And of course - who could ever miss the main hallway - which was decked out with elaborate decorations, statues, and of course - the famous staircase?!
Walked into one of the main dining rooms and the plates were laid out neatly. The place was immaculate - everything was well-organised and it looked as if it was ready for a banquet.
Another smaller dining area in a separate room.
And this was one of the bedrooms on the ground floor.
One of the bathrooms that was attached to the bedroom.
Decided to go upstairs for a look - and of course, I HAD to take pictures of the famous staircase! The staircase was just so grand, and so intricately-designed, with gargoyles lit up on the bottom. Above it, there was a chandelier and a massive window, which was simply, yet elegantly designed. It was just breath-taking. I don't know how many pictures I took of it, but I definitely made sure I covered as many angles as possible.
Also ended up taking pictures of the staircase from the landing and from the upper floor.
We then explored the hallway just at the top of the staircase. In case you were wondering, this hallway leads to the balcony.
More rooms in the 2nd floor, but these were generally empty and less furnished than the ones downstairs.
Yet another dining area upstairs. Most of the rooms had a fireplace too.
One of the bedrooms on the 2nd floor. There was a mannequin standing beside the bed, and for one moment I thought it was a real person! I nearly freaked out...but later on I found out that it was a mannequin. I nearly screamed out loud.
Here are more details of the intricate staircase.
And just for the sake of it, I decided to take 2 more shots of the main entrance...
And of the musical instruments in the first room we visited!
Shortly after we left the Werribee Mansion, we arrived at the Werribee Zoo. The 2 places were literally 5 minutes apart from each other, and were pretty close! The Werribee Zoo probably cost more, but both were equally amazing!
Anyway - more to the Werribee Zoo later! Stay tuned!