CoolartWetlandsHomestead

VisitorGuide

CoolartHomesteadisamagnificentlateVictorianmansionsituatedontheshoresofWestern Port Bay. This historic farming property wasbought by the Victorian government in 1977 in recognitionofitshistoric buildings andsignificantwetlands.Todayyoucanexplorethis tranquil propertyanditsmanydifferentlandscapesandrelaxinaplacewherehistoryand conservationmeet.

Locationaccess

CoolartWetlands andHomesteadislocated 80 kilometressouth east of Melbourneon the MorningtonPeninsula.Lord Somers Road, Somers, Melways reference map 193 J9.The park is open daily from 9amto5pm. Gates close at 5pm sharp.

Wheelchairaccess

Wheelchairsmay be borrowed from the Visitor Centre for peoplewithlimited mobility.The MinsmereHide and Wetlands Observatory are accessibleby wheelchairs. The observatory is best approachedbythepath opposite the stables.

Things tosee do

Walks

Therearea series of walking tracks throughout the parkwhichallowyou to explore coastal woodlands,wetland areas, lagoons and the formal gardenswhichsurround thehomestead. An enjoyablepart of thewoodlandwalk is crossing the bridge overMerricks Creek for magnificentviews from thebeach overlookingWestern PortBayandPhilip Island.

Explorethehistorichomestead

The historic homestead dates from 1895and featuresa superb collectionof historic photographsandletters.Otherhistoricbuildings include the barracks,meathouse and buttery.

Birdwatching

Coolart isawonderful place for birdwatchingand its diversityof habitatsmeans that you might see over 60 species in one day. Youwill see birds everywhere,but the best places to watch them are from the Minsmere Hide and thewetland and woodlandwalks.The formal gardens canalso be rewarding.

VisittheWetlandsObservatory

Sweeping views of thewetlands through one-way glasswindows provideaperfect hideaway forspotting ducks,swans, swamphens, grebes, Marsh Harriersand many other bird species.An Audio-visual presentation - ‘Introducing Coolart’ is shown in the Wetlands Observatoryeach day at1:30 pm or by prior agreement for schools and groups.This introducesvisitors toCoolart’s history, itswildlife and management of thepark.

Explorethegardens

Coolart’s gardensweredesigned in1938 forTom and GertrudeLuxtonby David Mathews, the curator ofFootscrayGardens.Trees from all around theworld can be found hereincluding the exotic Gingko from China andthe majestic Blue Atlas Cedar from Algeria andMorocco.

Picnic

The Homestead lawns are the perfect locationfora leisurely picnic or ifyou prefer, free electric barbeques areavailable in the picnic area.

FormoreinformationcalltheParksVictoriaInformationCentre

on131963orvisitourwebsiteat

TheWoodlandsWalk

TheWoodlandWalkbeginsjustoutsidetheVisi- torCentre,andfeatures4loopoptions.Youcan choosetheonethat isbestsuitedto yourtime scheduleandenergylevels.

Loop1 / 1km / 0.5hours
Loop2 / 2km / 1hour
Loop3 / 2.7km / 1.5hours
Loop4 / 3.1km / 2hours

Loop2featuresseveralstopsmarkedby numberedpegs.Separatenotesforthe WoodlandWalkhelpto explaintheecology andenvironmentalissuesinourcoastal woodland.

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FurtherInformation

ParksVictoriaInformationLineCall131963

ParksVictoriawebsite

Caringforthe environment

PleasehelpuslookafterCoolartWetlandsHomesteadbyadheringtothefollowingguidelines:

Takerubbishawaywithyouforrecyclinganddisposal

Plantsandanimalswithinthereserveareprotectedbylawandmustnotbedisturbedor

removedCampingisnotpermitted

Horsesandmotorbikesarenotpermittedinthereserve

Toprotectwildlifedogsarenotallowedinthereserveat

anytimeLeavetheareaasyoufindit

Get involved– Join the FriendsofCoolart Restoringhabitatdiversity

canhavehealthybenefitstoyouandyourcommunityandvolunteeringisagreatwaytogetinvolved...anyonecandoit!ThefriendsofCoolarthavebeenmakingadifferenceinthisparksince1979.Youcanmakeadifferencetoobyjoiningthe

FriendsofCoolart.Membershipformsareavailablefromthevisitorcentreorcall131963

HealthyParksHealthyPeople

Visitingaparkcanimproveyourhealth,mind,bodyandsoul.So,withoverfourmillionhectaresofparklandavailabletoVictorians,whynotescapetoaparktoday!

History

Prior to European settlement, the Bunurong peoplewere the original inhabitants of the area. The name Coolart is derived from the word “Colourt” or “Callert”whichwas their name for the nearbySandyPoint.

European settlement began in 1840when Henry and Alfred Meyrick found excellent grazing land, anddespite difficultieswith dingoes andwater supply,began farminga selection of almost16,000 acres. The Meyricks moved to Gippsland in 1846, but their name liveson in thenearby townofMerricks.

One of Coolart’s oldest buildings is the “Barracks” builtin the 1860’s. This building, alongwith the buttery, meat house andpart of the stables, were built of hand-made bricks. Another interesting building is thecentury old machineryshedwhich is in the farmyard, housing some heritage farming implements.

In 1895,Frederick Sheppard Grimwadebought the estate and had the imposing homestead built as the family’s countryretreat.Grimwadewasa partner of a large chemicaland pharmaceutical companythatwas to become Drug HousesofAustralia.TheGrimwadephotographs displayed downstairs in the homestead, recall the styleand prosperityof those earlydays.

Bythe 1900’sa formal garden hadbeen added tothe earlier orchards and vegetable gardens,witha croquetlawn, tennis court,geometric paths and flower beds.

ThelateTom Luxtonpurchased Coolart in 1937 andimmediatelyhadthe propertydeclareda sanctuary fornativewildlife.Thissetthecourse forCoolart’s future.The Luxton familyowned and lived at Coolart longer thananyof the previous occupants since settlement. In 1938 the then curator of the FootscrayGardens, David Matthews,was engaged to re-design thelayout ofthe garden forCoolart,a designwhich is still enjoyed today. You can see the originalgarden planon display in the Luxton room of the homestead.

LuxtonLagoon

When the present LuxtonDrive was first formed in the 1850’s asthe entrance drive into Coolarthomestead, it dammed a shallow, seasonal paperbarkswamp. In 1939, Tom Luxton raised this embankment, and in1958, duringa drought,he hired a bulldozer to form islands on the lagoon. Verysoon AustralianWhite Ibis, whichwerenot commoninsouthern Victoriaat the time, began toroost in the trees surrounding the lagoon. In winter

1961, sixpairs of AustralianWhite Ibis nested forthefirst time.Theirnumbersincreasedto more than 500 breeding annually.From early Julyto November or longer, the air is full of the coming andgoing of ibis carrying sticks for nest building or food for theirrapidly growing chicks.

Florafauna

Birds to lookout for includeYellowRobins, SuperbFairy-wrensand Honeyeaters.On warm days Blue- tongue Lizardsand Longnecked Tortoises can be seen baskingin the sun.The mammals atCoolart are mostlynocturnaland usually only become active atnight, however if youlook carefully you may belucky enough tospota koala, swamp rat, echidna or even aringtail possum.

Wetlands

Coolart featuresa natural creeksystemand artificiallycreatedwetlands.The upper andlower wetlandswere constructed inthe 1980s to provide a havenfora multitude of birds.Thesewetlands areasdiffer from the main lagoon insize, shape, waterdepth and vegetation.This variation attractsdifferent species of birds to different areas of thewetlands.Thereedswithin the wetlands shelterreed-warblers, crakes and rails.The best time tosee the elusivecrakes and rails iswhenwater levels dropand the birds are attracted out onto the muddy edges to feed.

Beingavolunteer

Hanging outwith friends can be good foryour mind, body and soul. Throughout theworld there is growing recognition of the vital contribution parks make toa healthy environment, to the health of the individuals and to a healthy society.Restoring habitat diversity canhave healthy benefits to you and your community and volunteering isa greatway toget involved inyour environment...anyone can do it!

There are over300 differentFriends Groups helpingus maintain thehealth andintegrity of our reserves. Youcan join theCoolart Wetlands and HomesteadFriends Group in caring for these special placesand becomea Friend. For more information callParks Victoriaon 13 1963 or visit

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