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MONTSALVAT
7-15 HILLCREST AVENUE ELTHAM, NILLUMBIK SHIRE

All information on this page is maintained by Heritage Victoria. Click below for their website and contact details.

Victorian Heritage Register

MONTSALVAT SOHE 2008

montsalvat hillcrest avenue eltham view of windows

1 montsalvat hillcrest avenue eltham front view stone & wood house

montsalvat hillcrest avenue eltham chapel sep1988

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Statement of Significance
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Statement of Significance

The French Provincial, Gothic-style buildings blend picturesquely with the introduced and native trees and farm animals on the five hectares (12 acres) property. The mud brick and recycled building materials linked with Eltham were largely popularised by Montsalvat. And, through its teachings and community life, Montsalvat has continued to influence the many artists who have found a home in Eltham. It was named after the castle of the Knights of the Holy Grail in German mythology.

Since its beginnings in 1934-1935, Montsalvat has been the home of artists and intellectuals. For years on Saturday nights, artists, lawyers, politicians, poets and others, who shared a love for what Montsalvat stood for, gathered for a meal and stimulating discussion. The themes were the arts, literature, philosophy and general events. The focus for this gathering of talent was Justus Jorgensen, a man of vision and eccentricity. A strong talented personality like Jorgensen was needed to lead the dozen or so people who created Montsalvat, which is now [1988] valued at three million dollars and visited by about 50,000 people each year.

Although Jorgensen died in 1975, his influence has not, thanks to the zeal of his son, Sigmund. The Saturday night dinners have gone but about twenty artists still live and work there. Teaching continues and Montsalvat, now largely owned by the Montsalvat Trust, has expanded its encouragement of the arts by holding dinners, concerts, poetry readings and exhibitions.

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- Permit Exemptions
  
  MONTSALVAT - Permit Exemptions
  
  General Exemptions:
  General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.
  Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.
  Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.
  Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions.
  
  Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.
- Show:
- ELTHAM COURT HOUSE
  
  Victorian Heritage Register H0784
- FORMER POLICE QUARTERS
  
  Victorian Heritage Register H1539
- ST MARGARETS CHURCH AND ORIGINAL VICARAGE
  
  Victorian Heritage Register H0459

All information on this page is maintained by Heritage Victoria. Click below for their website and contact details.

Victorian Heritage Register

Record Details

Place ID
429
Location
7-15 HILLCREST AVENUE ELTHAM, NILLUMBIK SHIRE
Municipality
NILLUMBIK SHIRE
Heritage Listing
Victorian Heritage Register
Level of significance
Registered
Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number
H0716

Heritage Overlay Numbers
HO82
Extent of Registration

AMENDMENT OF REGISTER OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS
Historic Building No. 716.
Montsalvat - Hillcrest Avenue, Eltham
to the extent of the whole of the land (Appendices A to E) and all the buildings in the Montsalvat complex shown cross-hatched on the endorsed plan held by the Historic Buildings Council, which are included in Titles Volume 6306 Folio 195, Volume 6195 Folio 991, Volume 5991 Folio 073, Volume 8289 Folio 567.
[Victoria Government Gazette G49 21 December 1988 p.3901]

PLUS

Amendment of Register of Government Buildings
Under section 32A of the Historic Buildings Act 198l the Register of Government Buildings is amended by adding:
Montsalvat, Hillcrest Avenue, Eltham
To the extent of the Montsalvat Artists Colony buildings (a stable, shed and workshops) which are included on that portion of land in the township of Eltham shown hatched which is unreserved Crown land described in Schedule Two, Part II of the Revocation and Excision of Crown Reservations Act l982, No. 9855.
Dated 24 July 1989
T. W. ROPER
Minister for Planning and Environment
[Victoria Government Gazette G29 26 July 1989 p.1861]
Year Construction Started
1934
VHR Registration
December 21, 1988
Amendment to Registration
May 23, 1998
Heritage Act Categories
Registered place
Category

Residential buildings (private)