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Visit The Homestead

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The Homestead

Living Legends is superbly situated at one of the Southern Hemisphere’s most historic thoroughbred properties – The Woodlands Historic Park, Homestead and Heritage Gardens.

 

Champion horses have been owned, bred and spelled on this property since the 1840’s, making it the ideal location for our retired equine royalty.

 

Woodlands Homestead is a unique and treasured part of Victoria’s heritage. Established in 1843, it is a rare example of a large pre-constructed timber kit house brought to Australia from Britain.

 

Today, the Woodlands Homestead houses an extensive art collection, historic artifacts, including The McCracken Collection, and horse racing memorabilia relating to our Living Legends and other Australian racing legends including Phar Lap, Carbine and Rising Fast.

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Because of its historic significance, Woodlands Homestead is listed with Heritage Victoria. Living Legends is committed to the preservation of all that Woodlands Homestead and the Woodlands Historic Park has to offer our visitors from Victoria, Australia, and around the world

Woodlands Homestead Established 1843

Visit the Back Paddock

Experience the wilder parts of the park away from Woodlands Homestead on foot or bicycle. The Back Paddock is a great spot to see kangaroos and birds. You may also see echidnas, skinks and Eastern Blue-tongue lizards basking in the sun, plus plenty of other Australian native wildlife.

 

The Back Paddock was fenced in 1987 as a Nature Reserve to protect native wildlife from dogs, cats and foxes. The endangered Eastern Barred Bandicoot was re-established here in 1988 and this colony is playing a major role in securing the species’ future.

Accessibility and Inclusion

Supporting accessible experiences for our visitors

Living Legends is committed to making our visitor experience as accessible and inclusive as reasonably practicable. We provide an accessible toilet, an accessible entrance to Woodlands Homestead and an electric eight-seat mobility buggy to assist visitors who may have difficulty walking across our extensive property.

Accessibility information is available regarding tours on our website and ATDW listing, and visitors are encouraged to contact our team before visiting to discuss any individual requirements.

We continue to look for practical ways to reduce barriers and help more visitors enjoy our horses, heritage and grounds.

Our Environmental Commitment

Set within the historic Woodlands property, our work includes practical initiatives to reduce waste, restore habitat and support biodiversity. Horse manure and stable woodshavings are composted on site and reused as natural fertiliser across the property, returning valuable nutrients to the soil.

Tree planting and revegetation are also central to our environmental efforts. We have planted new trees throughout our horse paddocks and worked with Melbourne Airport and Melbourne Water to facilitate the planting of more than 10,000 trees along the Moonee Ponds Creek corridor.

Our property is also home to more than 2,000 kangaroos and over 100 species of native birds. Through responsible land management, habitat protection and wildlife care, we are committed to supporting the ecological health of Woodlands.

As we look to the future, we continue to explore opportunities to reduce our environmental impact, improve resource efficiency and strengthen the sustainability of Living Legends for generations to come

Annie's Famous Scones

Homestead Cafe

Our menu offers a selection of snacks, treats, light meals and beverages, and our speciality, Devonshire Tea from 10am-3.30pm each day.

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Horses' Birthday Fundraiser

From Friday, 1st to midnight Monday, 11th of August, we’re celebrating Brew’s 31st birthday and all our Living Legends!

Every donation will be matching support from the Melbourne Racing Club Foundation.

Join us in this meaningful celebration and make a difference in the lives of our legends and our community!

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Holiday Season Reminder

We are open throughout the Christmas break, welcoming you to visit our champions and explore Woodlands Homestead and gardens. We’ll be closed on Christmas Day but open every other day to share the festive spirit!

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Free Wills Week

Living Legends is thrilled to partner with Safewill offering our supporters the opportunity to write a personalised Will for free to secure your family’s future and consider making a bequest for Living Legends.

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Horses' Birthday Fundraiser

Has been extended until midnight this Sunday 4th August, let’s celebrate Brew’s 30th with a bang!

Every new donation during this event will be matched (doubled) by our amazing sponsors!

Join us in this meaningful celebration and make a difference in the lives of horses and our community!

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