What a wonderful Place!
(Excerpt from Monsalvat Website)
Montsalvat, founded by Justus Jörgensen, is Australia’s oldest artists’ colony and is home to practising artists. It remains to this day a working arts centre. Set in 12 acres of established gardens, the historic buildings include charming mud brick cottages and the impressive Great Hall.
Montsalvat hosts a variety of concerts, exhibitions and functions. A range of spaces are available to hire for artistic endeavours, weddings, business conferences and photography shoots. The Café is an integral part of Montsalvat.
Montsalvat is a not-for-profit art centre, administered by a board of independent trustees.
A Brief History
Justus Jörgensen, as a student of Max Meldrum, had spent many happy hours painting in Eltham. In 1935 Jörgensen purchased land and with his friends commenced the buildings that became Montsalvat. The first buildings were two small ‘French Provincial’ style cottages where they could stay at weekends. By 1938 work had started on the Great Hall. This mainly stone building includes two galleries, a studio and a large dining hall.
Jörgensen had the ability to make use of whatever material was at hand. The earth and stone from the excavations formed the walls with other materials sourced from wreckers’ and builders’ yards across Melbourne.
With the outbreak of World War Two, the collective energies at Montsalvat were redirected and Montsalvat became largely self-sufficient, with a market garden, poultry farm and small dairy. Several more buildings were hastily built for the ‘farm’ - the dairy, barn, stables, silos and storehouses belong to this period.
Many of these buildings have now been extended and/or converted into studios and workshops.
