Open House Geelong
19 Nov 2012Osborne House, which in 1900 was purchased (but never used) as the Victorian Premier’s Country Retreat, was among the most popular of the places open for visitors to explore as part of the Open House Geelong held on Saturday 10 November, 2012.
Locals and visitors took advantage of the opportunity to explore Geelong landmarks with 3000 visits during the day.
Built for squatter Robert Muirhead in 1858, Osborne House became Australia’s first Naval Training College in 1913, was a Naval Convalescent Hospital and home of Australia’s first Submarine fleet. From 1938 it was used by the Shire of Corio and, following amalgamation, eventually returned to community ownership.
Another highlight of Open House Geelong was the Peace Memorial located in Johnstone Park, providing a rare opportunity for visitors to enter this Heritage-listed building and see elaborate architectural features, as well as Geelong Town Hall and the Barwon Water boardroom and Mural.
And not all the attractions had a heritage focus: The public also toured the TAC building to discover how the building has achieved a five star NABERS rating which includes the underfloor displacement air-conditioning and rainwater harvesting among its many initiatives.
Open House Geelong was an initiative of Leaders for Geelong and is proudly supported by the Heritage Council of Victoria, The Transport Accident Commission, Central Geelong Marketing, Kings Funerals, Green Dezign, Deakin University, Shell, Barwon Community Legal Service and Target.