Glenfine

The Glenfine run was originally settled in 1833 by Thomas Downie, a Scottish migrant.^[2] Ownership subsequently passed to Thomas Chirnside in 1848, and then to his older brother Dr. John Chirnside in 1853, who operated the property as a horse stud.^[3] William Thomas Rowe purchased the property in 1857, using it as a pastoral estate.^[4] Only a few blocks of stone and some trees remain of the original homestead that these original property owners lived in.^[5]

The two-storey bluestone homestead was designed by architect H. R. Caselli in 1872 and constructed around 1873, with later additions to the north-west wing also by Caselli.^[6] Architectural features include a steeply pitched slate roof, bracketed eaves, wrap-around verandahs with paired cast-iron columns, and an attached glazed conservatory.^[7] Ancillary structures near the homestead include a stone dairy wall, a stone store, and a timber cook's cottage.

Historical records suggest that large trees surrounding the homestead may date back to an earlier 1870s garden depicted in a painting by William Tibbits, although the original design no longer survives.

Gold was discovered on the Glenfine property in the late 19th century, leading to the development of the Glenfine South Mine, which operated from 1897 to 1908. The mine combined deep-lead and quartz extraction and was equipped with a forty-head stamping battery, a rare configuration in Victorian mining history. To accommodate mine workers, William Rowe (junior) created the private township of Hollybush, which by 1900 had a population of approximately 426, including a store, boarding houses, and over twenty cottages.^[8] The township declined as mining activity ceased, with the population dropping to 27 by 1921.

The Glenfine property, alongside farming, has been subject to modern gold exploration, including drilling and joint-venture mining projects targeting the historic Glenfine Dome.^[9][10]

• Werribee Park