Our story
A heritage castle, a new chapter
For more than 175 years Overnewton Castle has stood west of Keilor. Today it begins a new life as a spiritual home and a welcoming place for celebration.
Where heritage and devotion meet
A home with a long memory
Few buildings in Victoria wear their history as openly as Overnewton. Its bluestone walls, steeply pitched roofs and corner turrets were shaped by a Scottish settler's ambitions in the gold rush years, and only a handful of families have cared for them since.
The castle is now in the care of the Srila Prabhupada Trust. Under the Trust, Overnewton is a place of worship, learning and community, offering yoga, meditation and restful retreats. Its halls and gardens also remain open for private and commercial functions, each one vegetarian and alcohol-free.
Through the years
175 years at Overnewton
1849
A homestead west of Keilor
Scottish settler William Taylor builds a modest single-storey homestead on a 13,000-acre grazing run west of the Keilor township. Within a few years the gold rush sends a steady stream of travellers past its verandahs on their way to the diggings.
1859
A castle takes shape
Back from a journey abroad, Taylor reimagines his home as a Scottish Baronial residence: a grand two-storey wing, bluestone quarried on the estate, corner turrets and steep rooflines drawing on English, Scottish and French traditions. His billiard room, lined with painted oak-panel portraits, survives today as the heritage ceremony room.
1903
A family's long tenure
William and Helen Taylor pass away within months of each other. Their son William Henry, and later Beatrice Taylor, keep the estate in the family until 1959, more than a hundred years after the first stones were laid.
1975
Restoration and celebration
Dr L. J. Norton makes Overnewton a family home and begins decades of careful restoration: connecting mains water, rebuilding the fire-damaged timber stables, and buying back surrounding land with its old outbuildings and drystone walls. For around fifty years the estate hosts weddings, high teas and family celebrations.
Today
A new chapter
Overnewton passes into the care of the Srila Prabhupada Trust. The castle becomes a place of worship, learning and community, with yoga, meditation and retreats held in its quiet rooms and gardens, while its halls and ceremony room continue to welcome weddings, private celebrations and corporate events.
Heritage details
Stories in the stonework
Much of the castle remains as its builders intended. Look closely as you walk through and the house tells its own story.
Scottish Baronial design
Turrets, candle-snuffer rooflines and bluestone walls finished in a warm gravel render give the castle its storybook silhouette.
The Taylor crest
The family emblem, an armoured arm clasping a clenched fist above the motto Semper Fidelis, still keeps watch over the main bedroom, and the initials HT, WT and T 1859 are set into the windows.
More than 35 rooms
Bedrooms, a schoolroom, library, drawing room, servants' quarters and two kitchens, many with original tiles and fittings intact.
Four acres of gardens
English gardens shaded by a heritage-listed oak, with sweeping views across the valley.
Today
A place of devotion, open to all
The Srila Prabhupada Trust welcomes the community to Overnewton for worship, learning and fellowship, as well as yoga, meditation and retreats. The castle's grand rooms and gardens are also available for celebrations of every kind, hosted in keeping with the Trust's values.
- Yoga and meditation sessions
- Day and weekend retreats
- Weddings and receptions for every tradition
- Private celebrations and milestone events
- Corporate functions and conferences
- High tea, castle tours and photoshoots
Our venue promise
- Pure vegetarianAll food served at the castle is vegetarian, with eggless baking.
- Alcohol-freeEvery gathering is alcohol-free, with mocktails, juices and fine teas instead.
- Heritage cared forThe Trust is committed to preserving the castle and its gardens for generations to come.
Explore
Visit the Castle
51 Overnewton Road, Keilor 3036, Victoria, Australia