Historic homestead saved from wrecking ball

PLANS to demolish a 164-year-old homestead have been dashed following a move by the City of Greater Geelong council to permanently protect the site.

Claremont Homestead in Waurn Ponds was built in 1857 by local Geelong architects, Shaw and Dowden, and is the one of last remaining homesteads of its kind in the region.

South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman said it was important to protect unique sites for future generations.

“Claremont Homestead is one of the few surviving examples of the beautiful Victorian Georgian houses in the area and it’s only right it should be protected for future generations to enjoy,” he said.

Minister for Planning Richard Wynne placed an interim heritage overlay over the homestead and will now work with the council to apply permanent heritage protections to the property.

“This home is another example of our state’s precious heritage and these protections will ensure this treasured place remains part of our identity for many decades to come,” Mr Wynne said.

In a statement the Victorian Government said the Geelong council only referred the homestead to the Planning Minister after they received an application to demolish it and that the Minister relies on local councils managing local planning matters in a timely fashion.

“Councils are responsible for local heritage and they need to ensure they put in place the necessary protections to give certainty to their communities and to their landowners,” Mr Wynne said.

National Trust conservation advocacy spokesperson for Geelong and Region Branch, Jennifer Bantow, said it was terrific that the site has been protected, but a lot had been lost because it’s taken too long.

“Claremont was listed as having regional significance 20 years ago, the owners quite understandably didn’t think there was a problem in demolishing it because heritage recommendations were never done,” Ms Bantow said.

“So then it gets to a stressful situation where it becomes an emergency, which is what happened with Claremont.”

The heritage protections include an outbuilding connected to the homestead and a Norfolk Island Pine tree which was part of the homestead’s garden and remains a local landmark.

“It’s good to have the house and the tree, it’s better than nothing, but it’s not the best outcome. It had a beautiful apple orchard and area surrounding it, but I’m afraid that’ll be gone with subdivision,” Ms Bantow said.

“Heritage properties like this one, which was a rural homestead, are enhanced if they have some space around them.”

Ms Bantow said society had to start seeing heritage value as an asset not as an obstacle.

“We can read books and brass plaques about where things used to be, but a greater way of understanding our history and being absorbed by it and learning from it is actually visiting places that have survived from history, and those places are heritage places.”