From 1860 to 1890, the increased demand for wool to sheep farmers in Australia brought millions, and the family of Chanceyde from Werribee Park in the Western District of Victoria became one of the richest and most influential. Their former mansion – an amazing house in the Italian style – was built in 183-188. It is now restored, and visitors can stroll through the sandstone mansion and see the room in which the famous opera singer Nelly Melba once slept. The wing added in the 1930s has been turned into a luxury hotel.
In the park itself, with a characteristic regular layout and next to the mansion with a picnic area, there is a rose garden of Victoria, divided according to the symbolic drawing of the Tudor rose. There are more than 4,500 rose bushes of various varieties and shades, blooming from November to April. Also adjacent to Werry Bee Park is the Victoria Open Zoological Garden, which contains exotic animals, including giraffes and hippos. The State Equestrian Center is also part of the estate. It hosts competitions for the Australian championship in polo and steeplechase.
There is a special field for birdwatchers near Werribee, and the Point Cook Coastal Park provides a great opportunity to observe some rare species from specially constructed shelters. Migratory birds such as the Far Eastern curlew and the red-necked sandpiper spend the entire summer in these protected marshy areas before flying north to Japan and Siberia.
