Celebrating over 100 years in the family

Successive Generations

In 1836, the explorer and Surveyor General of New South Wales, Major Thomas Mitchell, discovered the Grampians and named them after a mountain range in his native Scotland. The highest peak, Mount William, was named after King William IV, and at 1,167m it provides the perfect backdrop to the volcanic plains that grow some of the most stately river red gums in Australia.

Nestled in the foothills lies Mount William Station. Founded by the illustrious Chirnside family in 1842 as one of Australia's first pastoral holdings in Victoria, Mount William Station originally occupied over 100,000 acres. The colonial vernacular-styled bluestone woolshed is one of just seven in Australia and was built during the wool boom of the mid-1800s. Today it is recognised by the National Trust as holding particular significance.

Robert Barr Smith purchased the 20,000-acre Mount William Station in 1919. A year later, a fire destroyed the homestead and the present house and garden were the creation of Eda Barr Smith in the 1920s, though some of the original bluestone remains.

Robert’s son, Robert Mitchell Barr Smith (“RM”), managed the property before dividing it between his four daughters. Anne Eda Barr Smith, inherited the homestead block and consolidated the station to its current size of 7,500 acres. Two of her four children, Robert and Sybil, farm the property which is mixed-use, namely sheep, cattle and cropping.  Her youngest son Will, is focused on restoring the historic buildings into an unforgettable luxury farm hotel, for guests to enjoy this incredible Estate.