Community
9 October, 2025
An icon set to open
ONE of the region’s most historic properties is set to open in a bid to raise much-needed funds for local health services.
The heritage listed gardens at Mortlake’s historic Woolongoon will open to the public later this month as part of the Terang and Mortlake Health Service Ladies Auxiliary fundraiser.
The fundraiser will be held on Sunday, October 26 from 10am to 4pm at the 689 Connewarren Lane property, with tickets at $10 for entry.
Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea will be available for purchase on-site.
Property owner Mary Morton said she was proud to throw her support behind the cause as Terang and Mortlake Health Service had always provided exceptional care to her family.
“I have been a patient there on a number of occasions, and they’ve been amazing,” she said.
“My grandmother was chronically sick towards the end of her life and there was a room in the hospital they used to refer to as the ‘Pat Weatherly suit’ because she was always in there.
“They’re fantastic, and I can’t bear the thought of our local health services being under threat.
“I rarely open the garden but would do it for the hospital every time.
“As a family, we’ve called on their services a lot.”
The fundraiser will provide an opportunity for the wider community to explore the historic grounds at Woolongoon which surround the iconic double-storey vista.
The garden has been cultivated in the more-than-a-century since the homestead was built, with thriving shrubberies, fruit and vegetable trees, paths and towering trees intertwining the stables and various outbuildings which comprise the property.
Mrs Morton said the property had originally been built by her great-great grandfather, William Weatherly, after he purchased the site in 1895.
“He came out here from Scotland in the 1860s to manage the site for ladies who had a property next door,” she said.
“He worked for around seven or eight years before deciding that there must be more to life before he set himself up as a transporter, droving cattle from Queensland to New South Wales to Victoria.”
Mrs Morton said her forebear had been able to accumulate wealth after securing a mining contract in a card game, the royalties from which soon became eyewatering as the growth of rail saw iron and steel in high demand.
With the influx of money, he began acquiring property – including returning to the south west to purchase the Woolongoon site he had once worked on.
“He came back to the south west, bought it and built onto the house,” Mrs Morton said.
“It’s been in the family since then – so I grew up here with my grandparents.
“Mum and dad sold it to my husband and I about 15 years ago.
“We thought we would come here on weekends but then COVID-19 struck and it was a gamechanger for us.”
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