The Heights

Prefabricated in Hamburg, Germany, the Heights was erected in 1854 and is the largest dwelling of its kind in Victoria.

Made to order in Germany then exported to Australia where it was assembled in 1855 for businessman Charles Ibbotson. The Heights is the largest prefabricated house in Victoria. Owned by three generations of the one family it was bequeathed by the last owner to the National Trust in 1975. Explore this unique property which still retains many of its mid-nineteenth century charms. The stables, water tower, groom’s cottage and dovecote are all in original condition.

Planning your visit

Address:

140 Aphrasia Street
Newtown 3220 VIC

Open:

The Heights house open Sundays 1pm - 4pm

Closed:

Christmas Day, Easter Sunday, Anzac Day

Phone:

Bookings Office on (03) 9656 9889 Mon-Fri

Email:

bookings@nattrust.com.au

Entry Fees:

House Tour and Garden entry
National Trust members: Free
Adult: $10
Concession: $7
Children: $4
Family (2 Adults+ 2 Children): $20

What we offer:

House

In 1883, The Heights passed to Ibbotson's daughter Minna who married sporting celebrity Louis Australia Whyte, winner of the first Australian amateur golf championship in 1894. In turn their son Louis Melville Whyte inherited The Heights. He renovated the house and garden and visitors can still see his merging of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Slate roofs meet floor to ceiling glazed windows and a formal Victorian dining room contrasts with a 1930s kitchen.

Stables

Louis Whyte enjoyed surfing and visited Hawaii in 1919 where he spent six months there learning to surf. He returned with redwood surfboards and is credited with introducing the sport into Victoria.
Whyte also enjoyed collecting cars. Visit the stables and see his 1957 Daimler parked there!

Gardens

The beautifully maintained gardens stand as a tribute to Louis's wife Marnie. She was a keen gardener who transformed the garden as part of the couple's modernisation of The Heights in the 1930s.