West Melbourne and Beyond

Overnewton Castle (Keilor)

Overnewton Castle is a historic mansion located in Keilor, Melbourne. This impressive castle-like structure is renowned for its distinctive architecture and rich history.

If you don't live locally the drive to Overnewton Castle through Keilor is quite picturesque. It feels like you are driving into a small country town and the rolling hills make it feel a bit rural rather than a suburb of Melbourne. It's certainly one of the less built up areas of Melbourne especially for an established suburb.

Overnewton Castle

Overnewton Castle has a rich and interesting history. The castle was built in the 19th century and reflects the grandeur and aspirations of its time.

Foundation and Construction: Overnewton Castle was built in 1849 by William Taylor, who emigrated from Scotland in 1837. Taylor was a successful sheep farmer and acquired land in Keilor where he decided to build Overnewton. Initially, the house was a modest six-roomed Scottish Baronial style homestead.

Expansion and Development: In the 1850s, with the prosperity brought by the Victorian gold rush and the success in his pastoral ventures, Taylor expanded Overnewton into a 35-roomed mansion. This expansion was done in the Tudor style, which was popular in England at the time. The castle featured a grand dining room, a billiard room, a drawing room, a library, and a number of bedrooms.

Architectural Features: The castle is noted for its Scottish Baronial style architecture, which includes features like turrets, gables, and battlements. Its design reflects the influence of Taylor’s Scottish heritage and the architectural trends of the era.

Gardens and Grounds: Overnewton Castle is also famous for its extensive gardens and grounds, which were an integral part of the estate. The gardens were designed in the English landscape style and included a variety of native and exotic plants.

The gardens are quite large or although not superly decorative or elaborate. However they are definitely worth a wander around and there are plenty of potential picnic spots available if you have a group of friends or family.

The well-maintained gardens are often used for weddings, ceremonies, and other celebrations. If you are organised you might like to dress in your own finery and do an impromptu photoshoot for yourselves and loved ones while you are there.

Overall Overnewton Castle is quite the pleasant surprise. I'd of course heard of Kryal Castle near Ballarat but only recently came across Overnewton Castle. To have such a castle and gardens right here in west Melbourne is quite the treat.

High Tea & Historical Tours: If anything Overnewton Castle is now best known for its High Tea & Historical Tours that are held every Wednesday and the first Sunday of the month. Bookings are essential and fees apply.

Sadly we haven't been to the High Tea so you will have to make do with this photo from the Scottish Festival Day and St Andrews Day Celebration. However based on the online images I have seen it looks superb.

Scottish Festival Day and St Andrews Day Celebration

Once a year Overnewton Castle hosts the Scottish Festival Day and St Andrews Day Celebration. If you aren't in a rush to visit Overnewton Castle it may be worth planning your visit to take in the festival. The spectacle will definitely make your visit more memorable especially if you have children in tow. St Andrews Day is 30 November so look out each year for when the festival will be held.

Food and Stalls: There are a number of food trucks to cater for hungry punters (and their kids!). Of course it's nice to try a bit of Scottish food while you are here. Although vendors will vary year to year do not be surprised to have anything from haggis, black pudding, ice-creams, pizza, scones, coffee and more. Personally we tried 'The Lot' to celebrate all things Scottish and get into the festival spirit!

There is always a bit of shopping to be had but I don't think you'd really gear up for a substantial shopping trip. There are typical artisan type makers as well as a few specialty Scottish stalls to keep things authentic and interesting.

A great thing about the stalls is a down to earth and community feel. While some are undoubtably a bit more commercial than others the shopping doesn't feel overly commercialised. For the avid shopper you might feel like a few more shops wouldn't go amiss. However, for someone like me a bit of shopping is more of a bonus and I'm here more for the cultural and community experience and spirit.

The image below is representative of the laid back feel. You can see that it is a lovely setting for some casual and relatively relaxed shopping. There are also a few more stalls where the foodtrucks are.

Live Music: What is a festival without some music? Well the Scottish Festival Day will likely have both traditional and contemporary. Unfortunately I do not know the name of the solo artist but the singer in question put on a (stirling... get it!) performance albeit not particularly Scottish. He played great pop and rock tunes, had a great voice and engaged in a nice way with the crowd with lots of nice energy. Definitely a crowd pleasing performance that fit perfectly with the surrounds.

Of course being a Scottish Festival is was nice to have the appearance and live performance from the Victorian Scottish Pipes and Drums. Scottish bagpipes are an iconic instrument so although they are never gonna be my favourite instrument I do enjoy them at this kind of event. The crowd particularly enjoyed their performance with lots of people milling around with excitement waiting for them to pipe up!

The Victorian Scottish Pipes and Drums marched past a very appreciative crowd with the Highland Dance Studio and 4 hairy coo's in tow. This all added to the festive environment and made the day quite special.

The hairy coo's were perhaps not so enamoured with the precedings however and proved a bit of a handful. Still, hairy coos are so iconically Scottish it is a bit of a treat for them to make an appearance.

Pony Rides: Kids always enjoy a petting zoo at any community event and although there was no petting zoo the pony rides definitely went down a treat. I'd say this is a bit more special and the pony even managed to turn into a unicorn!

Highland Dance Studio Performance: The Highland Dance Studio put on two performances throughout the day to round out the Scottish cultural performances. Performing on the village green they were very popular with the crowd and make for something a bit different. Probably a bit low-key but still a real crowd pleaser with the crowds waiting around for both of the performances.

Of course it was the little ones who really stole the show! They definitely were quite intense on making sure they got all their moves right but by simply making an appearance they were already winners!

I really enjoyed the performances by the Highland Dance Studio. It's definitely adds the cultural experience that makes the festival stand out. Even the little things like the tight buns the girls apply to their hair and all the various tartan attire helps to make the event special.

Location

Overnewton Castle is located at 51 Overnewton Rd, Keilor VIC 3036, Australia that is just under 30 minutes drive from Flinders Street Station.

Scottish Festival Day — *Image: West Melbourne and Beyond.*

When

Wednesdays:

Ground Floor Tour starts at 11AM
High Tea from: 12PM to 2PM

First Sunday of the Month:

Ground Floor Tour starts at 11AM
High Tea from: 1PM to 3PM

Bookings essential and fees apply for the tour and High tea.

In A Nutshell

Overall, Overnewton Castle in Keilor stands as a captivating and unique historical landmark, offering a glimpse into the past while continuing to serve as a venue for memorable events in the present day. Overnewton Castle makes for a special trip out so dress up in your finest, take some selfies and live the high life even for just a moment! Highly recommended.

Overnewton Castle Website

You can get the most up to date information on Overnewton Castle here.

Scottish Festival Day at Overnewton Castle — *Image: West Melbourne and Beyond.*

Other Gardens to Visit

If you love Overnewton Castle how about visiting these gardens. The seasons change so you can visit again and again:

Attractions Nearby

If you love Overnewton Castle how about visiting:

Horseshoe Bend Farm

Visit Castlemaine

If you've enjoyed Overnewton Castle there are plenty of reasons to keep exploring the region. Why not visit Castlemaine? Check out our guide on the great things to do in Castlemaine.