Melbourne Off-the-Beaten-Path | Montsalvat Castle, Melbourne
That clear day at the end of October was pure luck. You know how Melbourne weather is; before leaving, I was still debating whether to bring an umbrella, but as I drove to Eltham, the sun grew brighter and brighter. When the navigation system said I had arrived, I almost thought I'd gone to the wrong place—just an unassuming iron gate, not even a noticeable sign.
Only after entering did I realize this place was interesting. The moment I passed through the archway, the view suddenly opened up. Ochre-colored stone houses were scattered across the lawn at various heights, some with pointed roofs, others covered in ivy. To be honest, my first thought was: Is this really Melbourne? It feels like a monastery in the French countryside.
The wisteria was an unexpected surprise.
Just a few steps inside the gate, I was drawn to that expanse of purple. In front of the old stone wall, wisteria bloomed everywhere, its flower racemes hanging down, with sunlight filtering through in tiny specks. With a gust of wind, petals began to drift, falling on my hair, and I didn't even bother to brush them off. A girl next to me was taking photos, and her boyfriend was crouching on the ground, helping her find the right angle. After much effort, they finally said, "Forget it, the camera can't capture it; just enjoy it with your eyes." I think he was right.
Stories hidden in stone houses
The main building, the Great Hall, is my favorite part. From the outside, it looks like a sturdy stone house, but once you step inside, you discover it's full of details. The walls are embedded with all sorts of strange gargoyles—some with twisted mouths, some rolling their eyes, and one whose expression, no matter how you look at it, seems to be secretly smiling. Construction began in 1938 and lasted for twenty years. I guess the craftsmen back then might have gotten bored during construction and started adding their own touches to the walls.
The stained glass windows on the second floor were salvaged from old buildings demolished in Melbourne's city center. In the middle of the hall, there's a cast-iron spiral staircase, reportedly from the former Bijou Theatre. These items would be considered the pinnacle of "upcycling" today, yet here, they don't feel out of place at all; instead, they create a wonderful sense of eclectic charm.
I looked it up and found out that Montsalvat was built in the 1930s by a group of artists and architects who wanted to create an artists' community where everyone could live and work together. Nearly a hundred years later, that idea is still alive.
What touched me the most
To be honest, if it were just about beautiful architecture, I might have just walked around, taken some photos, and left. But what makes Montsalvat different to me is that it's truly alive.
Walking further down the path, you can see several small houses with "Artist Studio" signs. Some doors are open, and through the windows, you can glimpse half-finished paintings, incomplete jewelry, and guitars and tools standing in corners. The flowers in the courtyard bloom haphazardly, old clay pots are stacked against the wall, and new flowers sprout from within them. Two peacocks strut confidently down the path, not afraid of people at all; one even deliberately shook its tail when it saw me raising my phone.
How do I describe that feeling? It's a place that hasn't been overly tidied up; it's old, but everywhere there are traces of people continuing to work. It's not a museum-like display, but a place where people still live, paint, and tinker. New things grow amidst the old, and this state is more comfortable than any meticulously maintained garden.
By the time I left, the sun had already begun to set, casting a warm glow on the stone chapel. I passed by the wisteria again; as the light dimmed, the flower racemes became pale purple silhouettes, a completely different sight from daytime.
A few practical tips
Admission is $15 AUD. It's open from Wednesday to Sunday, closing at 4 PM, with ticket sales stopping at 3:30 PM, so don't go at the last minute.
It's about a 35-minute drive from the city center. If you take the train to Eltham station, you'll need to transfer to bus 582, but services are infrequent, so it's safer to check the schedule.
If you're going for the wisteria, mid-to-late October is the safest bet. My visit at the end of October happened to be during peak bloom; a week later, it might have already fallen.
The name Montsalvat, it is said, comes from the mythical "castle that protects the Holy Grail." The idealists of that era wanted to build a sanctuary for art here, and a hundred years later, this place is still doing just that—sheltering those who still paint, craft, and build instruments.
It's not refined; it's even a bit old, a bit worn. But that sense of "still continuing" is more striking than any meticulously curated tourist attraction.
Address at the end: 7 Hillcrest Avenue, Eltham VIC 3095
If you're in Melbourne at the end of October and happen to have a clear day, it's worth seeing that wisteria rain.
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