Rippon Lea House & Garden is one of the largest surviving 19th Century grand suburban estates in Australia and was included on Australia’s premiere heritage listing, the National Heritage List, in 2006. Rippon Lea provides an ideal learning environment for students of various levels.

The National Trust has developed an exciting full day program for primary students, offers specialist tours for ESL students and makes a perfect venue for secondary and tertiary students interested in history, architecture or interior design or wanting to practise their creativity in photography, art and drama. Click here for Booking details or download the attached flyer for more information.

Upload our new twelve page Teachers Guide & Student Resources for our Rippon Lea Primary Program.

Kindergarten program

We can tailor a full day program of story readings, art activities, the Creature Catcher trail and games for your group. Contact Martin.Green, National Trust Education & Access Manager for full program details: Martin.Green@nattrust.com.au or 9656 822

Primary Program

Our new full day program comprises four activities in the disciplines of History, Art, Environment and Social Studies. This program engages students through the characters of Clara and Winnie Sargood, daughters of the original owner of Rippon Lea, and an animal trail through the gardens.

We offer a full day program for groups up to 60 in number which consists of two lead activities and two self lead activities.

Students can learn about:

• the life of 19th century children & families & their servants
• play 19th century sports, games and toys
• learn about the animals that make Rippon Lea their home and explore a heritage garden

Note that two of the activities are weather dependent and self lead.

The Time Machine Experience: Travelling back to 1887 in the Rippon Lea Time Ripper students investigate the mansion, learn about the Sargood family, the toys and artefacts that children owned and the clothes that they wore.

World of Work: Exploring the original kitchens, students are introduced to Rippon Lea ’s servants and 19th Century work. They undertake some of the simpler tasks from washing and ironing to butter churning and also handle some of the 19th Centuries more intriguing inventions.

Creature Catcher: An outdoor self lead trail activity - students search for the twelve missing creatures from Rippon Lea’s past and present around the 5.7 hectares of Rippon Lea’s heritage parklands.

19th Century Games: An outdoor self lead activity - Students try their hand at croquet, quoits, skittles and other games on the lawn.

Primary Teacher resources.
Please upload a copy of teacher resources containing original copies of old images, house plans and digital images of mystery objects to assist teachers develop before and after activities.

ESL Groups / Secondary Groups

Volunteer guides conduct special guided tours of the mansion for ESL groups and secondary students. Secondary students an also use Rippon Lea as a venue for art activities. Please contact Education Manager Martin Green - 9656 9822 for details.

Booking your Visit:

Contact Martin.Green, National Trust Education Manager, for full program details: Martin.Green@nattrust.com.au phone 9656 9822. Contact Sam Hatzi, Operations Coordinator at Rippon Lea, for bookings: Sam.Hatzi@nattrust.com.au phone 9519-9003.

Groups / Cost: Maximum group size is 60.Cost for all programs is $9 per student. (Carers and Teachers are free entry.) Groups should be split into smaller groups of 15 prior to arrival.

Cancellation Policy: Please advise us three days prior to cancellation or wet weather rescheduling.

What to bring
We recommend students bring suitable clothing for oputdoors activities and their own lunch and drinks to enjoy in the grounds as purchases at the Gatehouse café are limited. Cameras are a great idea but flash photography is not permitted inside the mansion. Bag storage can be arranged but we do not take responsibility for the storage of valuables.
Wet Weather Warning:
Note that many of the activities are run outdoors and wet weather cover is limited. We recommend rescheduling on a wet weather day.
How to get here: Main Entrance at 192 Hotham Street, Elsternwick. Melways Reference: 67E2

Public Transport: Rippon Lea is five minutes walk away from Rippon Lea train station on the Sandringham line.

Parking: Parking is available all day on Hotham Street for coaches & cars.