Beleura is an Italianate-style villa with extensive gardens in Mornington, Victoria. It was built in 1865 on the traditional lands of the Boon Wurrung/Bunurong people for James Butchart, a stock and station agent who created a thriving and prosperous business during the Victorian Gold Rush.
This talk looks at the special collections held by Beleura, and the families who lived there, including the Tallis family who made their fortune in the entertainment and theatre world of Victorian Melbourne.
The Johnston Collection was the direct inspiration for Beleura as a house museum and there are many connections and intersections between both properties. In the early nineties, Anthony Knight was Director of The Johnston Collection and a Director on the Board of the National Trust. He spent a good deal of time exploring various ideas with John Tallis about his wish for Beleura to be opened to the public, and they discussed their shared experiences of various grand homes and European properties.
Martin Green is General Manager of Beleura House and Garden. He has worked in heritage tourism and the museum sector for twenty-four years. For over twelve years he was the Education, Collections and Interpretations manager at the National Trust working at Rippon Lea, the Old Melbourne Gaol, and the Polly Woodside Tall Ship. He has worked on a variety of costume exhibitions including the Miss Fisher Murder Mystery costume series. Previously he worked for ABC TV as a Producer in education and the arts as well as for ACMI and their Digital Story series.
Your ticket includes tea or Market Lane coffee served before the presentation, and time to browse our exclusive range of books, gifts, and homewares at TJC Emporium.
This event is presented on-site at The Johnston Collection. Please see your ticket for details. NOTE: Tickets for this event do not include access to our exhibition-house, Fairhall. Guided tours of the current exhibition can be booked separately.
This event is supported by The Colin Holden Charitable Trust.
