Hollywood comes to the homestead at this 1860s country house revamped for an Australian millionaire and his movie star wife.
Mooramong was a 21st birthday present for Donald ‘Scobie’ Mackinnon, heir to a legal and horseracing fortune. In 1937, Scobie married Hollywood star Claire Adams in London after a three-week whirlwind romance. The couple returned to Victoria after a long honeymoon.
Claire was a successful silent movie star, whose most famous leading man was German Shepherd Rin Tin Tin. As an accomplished horsewoman she starred in many Westerns, performing her own riding stunts.
The couple transformed the homestead into a fashionable Hollywood style retreat, with pool, cabana, games room and bar with moderne flourishes. Both were animal lovers, and Claire was devoted to her dogs and horses. Their legacy as advocates for nature and animals continues to this day through the wildlife reserve and MacKinnon Trust.
Mooramong continues to be a working farm, running sheep and producing crops. The estate also incorporates the Mackinnon Nature Reserve home to kangaroos, swamp wallabies and numerous birds including brolgas. Many birds of prey, including wedge tailed eagles, can also be seen here.
Mooramong is presently closed to visitors while work is undertaken on its significant collection, although the estate is available for accommodation bookings with the National Trust offering three secluded Tiny Homes in partnership with Into the Wild Escapes.
