Rippon Lea Estate
Nineteenth-century mansion and gardens with a man-made lake, fernery and a pool built over the original ballroom.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Rippon Lea Estate in Melbourne follows Louisa Jones, who grew up in the mansion her father Benjamin Nathan bought in 1910 from the family of original owner Frederick Sargood, and who tore out its Victorian ballroom for a swimming pool in the 1930s. You'll hear about the government's 1963 bid to seize half her garden and lake for a college, and the fight Louisa waged against it through the courts. Stand by the pool, tiled where the ballroom once stood, as you listen.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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