Romsey, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do

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Romsey, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do

Romsey, VIC

Romsey, VICCredit: David Hannah

Romsey is a small town located 65 km north of Melbourne adjacent Five Mile Creek. Owing to the historic red-brick buildings which line the spacious main street, it has a rather English feel and, like Lancefield, 8 km north, it has become something of a dormitory area for those who work in Melbourne. Lions Park in Main St is a pleasant recreational area.

Prior to European settlement the area was occupied by the Wurundjeri people (a sub-group of the Woiwurung). The first white people on the present townsite arrived in the early 1850s. The soil proved fertile and agriculture soon emerged. The settlement was named after a town in Hampshire, England.

The arrival of the railway to Lancefield in 1881 meant improved access to the Melbourne markets. In later years sheep and cattle grazing tended to supplant cropping and, more recently, many vineyards have appeared.

Things to see

Historic Buildings
Sidney Seymour Cottage in Palmer St was one of the first dwellings near Five Mile Creek. It was built of prefabricated elements in the early 1850s. It has been restored and set up as something of an historical exhibit.

The Uniting (formerly Presbyterian) Church is set in a picturesque tree-lined close in Pohlman St. This Gothic bluestone church was originally a simple hall built in 1865. The bell tower was added in 1873 with interior renovations from the 1880s and a rear addition from 1961.

The Anglican Church dates from 1871 and Romsey House was built the same year as the Romsey Hotel.

Cope-Williams Winery
Cope-Williams Winery, established in 1977, is located in Glenfern Rd (off Ochiltrees Rd), 3 km north-west of Romsey. It centres on a fine homestead and a walled English garden and produces the award-winning ROMSEY Brut as well as pinot noir and chardonnay. The tasting room, situated in the pavilion of the cricket ground (where matches are played on most weekends), is open daily from 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Casual lunches are served on Sundays, tel: (03) 5429 5428.

Monegeetta
Monegeetta, 8 km south, features Mintaro Homestead (1882), a smaller replica of Melbourne's Government House built by a Captain Gardiner. It is not currently open to the public.

Clarkefield
The tiny hamlet of Clarkefield (15 km south) possesses the historic bluestone Coach and Horses Inn (1857) which has a number of bluestone outbuildings to the rear. It is currently operating as a licensed hotel.

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