Yallum Park

The house that wool and wine built

Eight kilometres west of Penola stands Yallum Park, the two-storey mansion built between 1878 and 1880 for John Riddoch — pastoralist, parliamentarian and the founder, in 1890, of the fruit colony that became Coonawarra. It is widely regarded as one of the best-preserved Victorian houses in Australia.

Inside, the detail is astonishing: ceilings 4.3 metres high, marble mantelpieces, a grand stained-glass window, and the largest collection of original William Morris wallpapers in the country, still on the walls they were hung on. Riddoch entertained lavishly here; his friend the poet Adam Lindsay Gordon was among the figures in his orbit, and it was Riddoch who later laid the foundation stone of Gordon's memorial obelisk at the Blue Lake.

Yallum Park remains a privately owned family home, which is precisely why it has survived so intact. Guided tours run on a regular monthly schedule — traditionally the fourth Sunday — and bookings are essential; check current arrangements before travelling.