Ercildoune is a locality in western

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. The locality is noted for the significant and unusual historic buildings and gardens found at the Ercildoune Homestead. At the 2021 census, Ercildoune and the surrounding area had a population of 90.

History

Ercildoune Homestead is a large Victorian homestead built in 1838–1839 by Scottish-born Thomas Learmonth and his brother Somerville, and was named after an old

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

on the Scottish border, associated with an ancestor of the Learmonth family. The property was purchased by Sir Samuel Wilson in about 1873, for a rumoured £250,000. He was responsible for adding to the existing building, which is a large stone mansion in the

Scottish Baronial Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Scot ...

style, with crow-stepped gabled wings and castellated parapets. Ercildoune is one of the most important historic homesteads in Victoria, and one of the earliest surviving buildings.

References

Towns in Victoria (state) 1838 establishments in Australia {{VictoriaAU-geo-stub