Osborne House, 19th century mansion in North Geelong, Australia
Osborne House is a 19th-century bluestone mansion standing on the St Helen's shoreline with expansive verandas running around its exterior. The building now houses a Maritime Museum containing exhibits about naval and maritime history connected to the Geelong area.
Construction began in 1857 when merchant Robert Muirhead commissioned the house and named it after Queen Victoria's English residence. From 1919 to 1924 it served as a base for six submarines of the Royal Australian Navy, bringing significant naval operations to the area.
The house sits on Wadawurrung Country, where Traditional Owners maintained deep connections to this land for thousands of years. Walking through the grounds, visitors can sense the layered history of those ties to place.
The property opens daily and visitors can walk through the rooms and explore the maritime exhibits inside. The location on the shoreline makes it easy to combine a visit with a walk along the bay.
The mansion was originally designed as a grand private residence with rooms facing the bay views through its wide verandas. Its transformation from a merchant's home to a public institution reveals how the building's role shifted completely over time.
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