4 /5 The Melbie: Well preserved heritage farm with corrugated iron roof farm buildings & original homestead, one of the oldest in Victoria from the 1840s. Administered by National Trust - tickets can be bought onsite or online, free for Nat Trust members.
Open only on first Thurs & last Sun of the month. Do check opening hours & whats on before arriving. Plenty of free parking which is well signposted when you get here. Bring your picnic (there are picnic tables dotted around but no bbq) or buy from drinks & light snacks food trailer onsite - hot choc was good. Best to wear your old sturdy footwear as farm animal droppings are everywhere. It might be tad muddy in wet weather & theres a lot of uneven ground to navigate both inside & out.
Official tour starts at 11.30 am. Friendly & welcoming volunteers are akways around to answer queries. Yday Sun 27/4/2025 had "en plein air" artists interpreting the vistas in open air via various techniques - learnt about pastels & this was my pick.
Some blacksmithing & wood turning was happening with forged items for sale. Retired Clydesdale draught horses were good to interact with & feed.
Nice way to spend a few hours learning about the hard labour manual ways of early settlement farming. The homestead is similar to other heritage properties of the period - however, the exposed foundation stumps is the first I have seen. Lack of volunteers to tend to the gardens around the Homestead was evident. While info inside the homestead is very well presented, the outbuildings lacked signage & info.
Neither the printed info with layout map for self guided tour nor the volunteer guide explained how it got the name "Gulf" when there is no sea or ocean nearby... Enlightened later by googling - would love to view the property when the fog rolls in!
For a comprehensive, well displayed experience of farmstead heritage - do also visit Mont De Lancey historic property in Wandin, Yarra Valley which is open weekly. I also found Pioneer Village at Swan Hill with excellent well preserved farm machinery & demo of heritage workmanship really informative.
