Rippon Lea

Hi Lori,

Ripponlea is indeed very much worth a visit. It is a unique example of an 1868, Italianate "suburban" mansion and gardens. You can easily get there on public transport from your hotel. http://www.ripponleaestate.com.au
If you like historic houses, another property you can't go past is Como House. Located on the banks of the Yarra River, in now inner city South Yarra, was built in 1847 … before the gold money that built Ripponlea kicked in! The gardens & stables are open daily, but the house has more restricted hours. go to the site: http://www.comohouse.com.au/planning_your_visit to check to see if your dates align. Again, it's easy access via tram from very close to your hotel. The tram trip's worth the effort alone. (While the brands of Rodeo Drive are freely available in the CBD in Collins Street, the Toorak Village shopping precinct located just up the road from the tram stop for Como is an example of the Melbourne "Rodeo Drive" flavour.)

Puffing Billy … great fun to be had on a century old stream train running on its original mountain tracks. You can get there easily on the suburban train or you can take a commercial tour that incorporates Puffing Billy. And you can take a luncheon journey! The web site is very good with useful links: http://www.puffingbilly.com.au

Cheers,

Jan

British wrote:

I don't know what this forum would do without you Jan!

Probably yell at you! ))

No worries, Lori. Both houses could be done on the "spur of the moment", so to speak, depending on how you feel on the day. You might need to book in advance for Puffing Billy, especially if you are doing a luncheon trip … which does sound particularly good!

Cheers,

Jan