The only survivor of a fashionable and picturesque mid-nineteenth century villa built along the Barwon River in Geelong.
With the Barwon River as the vista, the house was built for successful merchant and banker Jonathon Porter O’Brien and his wife Ann.
They filled their Gothic Revival style home with ‘elegant and modern’ furnishings. Today you can see these recreated interiors, including many decorative and domestic objects from the late 1850s, including a rare Minton ceramic chandelier.
The cellar was stocked with wine and spirits, the conservatory filled with plants, sculptures, a collection of coral and two canaries in brass cages. The couple kept an extensive library which featured a Cyclopaedia of Medicine and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
The O’Briens lived in the house for only a year but, over 170 years later, the villa’s unique features continue to reflect the lifestyle of the 1850s and the prosperous merchants of Geelong, whose wealth grew after the discovery of gold in the Colony.
What’s on
Geelong Archaeology Open Day: Come and Try
Saturday 16 May 2026
10.30am-12.30pm
Join the National Trust and their qualified archaeologists for a hands-on introduction to archaeological practice at Barwon Grange.
Working on a simulated colonial-era site, you’ll explore how archaeologists uncover and interpret evidence from the past, using tools and techniques applied in real investigations.
