Our History

The Old Stonehouse, former Gervasoni Homestead, commenced construction in the 1860s by Swiss Italian immigrants - the Gervasoni’s.

Using rubble stone construction typical of San Gallo region, Carlo Gervasoni and later Luigi Gervasoni created a home with a 16-loaf bread oven, wine, cheese & bullboar cellars, stables, and a ballroom. The property supplied produce to local miners during Yandoit’s goldrush when 50,000 people prospecting in the surrounding hills. It had a school on site which operated until 1930 and hosted many lively community gatherings and celebrations up until the 1940’s complete with bocce, folk music and homemade food and beverages (sometimes drawing the attention of local law enforcement types).

When the Gervsoni’s ceased to occupy the buildings they sadly started to fall into disrepair. And while events were still held onsite up until the 1950’s, by the 1980’s the buildings had become ruins and a tourist destination in their own right - much to the displeasure of the then owner, Vince Gervasoni who sought to discourage trespassers with a famous ‘piss off’ sign, by parking an old paddock bomb out the front to ruin photos and putting a cranky bull in the surrounding paddocks.

Present owners, Marnie Ireland and Dale Fuller purchased the property from Vince’s nephew, Maurie Gervasoni, in 2012 and commenced the restoration works.