Mont De Lancey Historic Homestead and Café

The journey to get here is as scenic as this destination in the Wandin North hills with the panoramic canvas of the blue Yarra Ranges in the far distance. Get to Belgrave & then on Monbulk Rd with majestic towering Mountain Ash gums & tree ferns which continues to wind upwards through Kallista, Monbulk, past Silvan Reservoir to get here. Attended the Draught Horse & Yesteryear Festival on 21/2/26 recently. $15 for Adults - children under 15 Free. Pay entry fees to meet & greet parking volunteers from your car & be guided where to park at the base. Before you walk up - take a pic of location map pinned on entry fence. Disabled parking is further up closer to Gift shop & heritage buildings. Mont de Lancey - the heritage home & outbuildings of the Sebire family showcases rural living in late 1800s & subsequent years. Yesteryear festival's activities surround the heritage buildings in a wide, sprawling area - still pretty huge to navigate despite reduction in acreage from original holding. Undulating terrain - so good walking shoes that can handle the gravel red earth & rabbit holes is a must! Wheelchair visitors will need assistance to get around but those with limited mobility should be able to manage. Heritage buildings, gift shop & onsite Cafe are open twice a week all year with guided tours available - best to check website for details. Dedicated volunteers run everything with "lost trades" of blacksmithing, wood turning & rope making happening during the festival. Operating vintage machinery are at the lower level along with sheep shearing demo. There are open sheds with vintage farming equipment, carriages & vehicles plus the lost intricate art of vintage lacemaking, tatting & wool spinning. Gift shop leads into the vintage art gallery area on two levels plus lace making & wool spinning by skilled volunteers. Not so vintage is the Lego exhibition area with themed designs & moving exhibits. Limited but quality craft stalls to browse too. Entertaining & fascinating for both young & older! There are Yesteryear games to occupy the kids & Donkey rides at extra cost. Draught Horses (Clydesdales) at work are kind of obscured on the fields facing heritage home & the small Chapel. Used to be in the entry field as you walked up - which was a better picturesque setting & welcome view heralding yesteryear festivities. Location map definitely helps! Festival activities & displays were smaller than almost a decade ago on my first venture but it is still a fun day out. Quilts & gorgeous sewn crafts by charity for Orphans were so reasonably priced - I splurged! Two Peas Cafe is good but tedious long wait even though it was not that crowded. Food trucks are limited. Bring a picnic & byo chairs as not many seating around. Yup! You do encounter Eccentrics as amusing signage warns! Bound to be with the passion & dedication from retired senior volunteers to make this viable in the long run. However, encountered one with implied views not compatible in the current century. What's with the overt display of "golliwog" type dolls in the children's room? No doubt items of yesteryear "nostalgia" but concerning to display these in enlightened 21st century really.🙄🙄