Coolart Wetlands and Homestead Reserve

The Coolart Wetlands and Homestead Reserve, or just Coolart, is an 87.5 ha estate on the Western Port coast of the Mornington Peninsula of Victoria, south-eastern Australia, about 70 km south-east of Melbourne. It comprises a late 19th-century mansion-like homestead and surrounding grounds west of the village of Somers. The homestead is set in a garden with adjacent wetlands and coastal woodlands with walking tracks. It is managed by Parks Victoria and is open to the public. It is a popular venue for picnics, nature walks and birdwatching.DescriptionCoolart is bordered by Merricks Creek on the south, Somers School Camp on the east, Balnarring Beach road on the west and privately owned farmland on the north. It contains the Coolart Homestead, a substantial two-storey brick house, with a third-storey tower and several outbuildings. As well as a well-maintained garden there are several wetlands with a bird hide and a wetland observatory with educational facilities. There are also areas of woodland and farmland. The wetlands are home to a breeding colony of over 1000 ibises, while koalas inhabit the woodlands.HistoryCoolart was originally part of the traditional lands of the Bunurong people, with the word "coolart" deriving from the Bunurong name for nearby Sandy Point. With European settlement of the area Coolart was taken up as a pastoral lease in 1839 by the Meyrick brothers. Subsequently the property went through various farming phases, including cropping and raising sheep and cattle.