English novelist Anthony Trollope described Victoria's Western District squatters in the 1870s as 'plentiful, proud, prejudiced, given to hospitality, impatient of contradiction, thoughtful on the future, and above all, conscious, perhaps a little too conscious, of their own importance. Forty thousand sheep cannot be shorn without a piano; twenty thousand is the lowest number that renders napkins at dinner imperative'. The Western District today retains most of the renowned homesteads and gardens that date from these times. This fascinating and beautiful book;sequel to the bestselling Great Properties of Country Victoria takes us into the private world of twelve more notable properties. Through their early histories we follow their fortunes;extraordinary tales of hardship, risk and reward;and through the photographs see the splendour of great homes that have been lovingly and carefully maintained and restored. It is a tribute to the past and present owners who have so painstakingly preserved their properties' heritage.
