Dhurringile is a heritage-listed mansion and former rural estate in northern Victoria, Australia. It is listed on the

Victorian Heritage Register The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. ...

for its architectural significance as "one of Victoria's grandest homesteads", for its associations with the Winter-Irving pastoral family, and for its later uses as an internment and prisoner of war camp, boys' training home and most recently, as part of

HM Prison Dhurringile HM Prison Dhurringile was a minimum security prison located in Dhurringile, Victoria, Australia. Situated 160 km north of Melbourne near Murchison, it was based around the historic Dhurringile estate. Facilities The Dhurringile mansion had n ...

. The prison closed in 2024, and the building is currently awaiting new owners. Dhurringile was built in 1876-77 for James Winter, a member of the established Winter-Irving pastoral family, replacing an earlier wooden homestead on the property. The double-storey brick mansion, designed in the Victorian Italianate style by prominent

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

architectural firm Lloyd Tayler and Wyatt and built at a cost of £30,000, had between 65 and 68 rooms, with a large entrance hall, a tower, hand-painted windows and hand-carved staircase, extensive staff quarters, stables, a woolshed, its own gasworks, and a "village of numerous buildings". At its height as a pastoral property, the Dhurringile estate carried 50,000 sheep. Winter remained at Dhurringile until his death in 1885, and it remained in his family until 1907. It subsequently had a number of owners and was vacant for long periods of time. It was leased by the

Government of Australia The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national Executive (government), executive government of Australia, a federalism, federal Parliamentary system, parliamentary con ...

in 1939-40 as an internment camp for detainees of German and Italian descent during the early stages of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and again from 1941 to 1945 as a prisoner of war camp for captured German prisoners. It was sold to the

Presbyterian Church of Australia The Presbyterian Church of Australia (PCA), founded in 1901, is the largest Presbyterian and Reformed denomination in Australia. The PCA is the largest conservative, evangelical and complementarian Christian denomination in Australia. The Presby ...

in 1947 for use as a home for migrant boys from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and operated as the Dhurringile Rural Training Farm from 1951 to 1964. It was then purchased by the

Government of Victoria The Victoria State Government, also referred to as the Victorian Government, is the Executive (government), executive government of the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. As a parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutiona ...

in 1965 for what would become HM Prison Dhurringile. The historic mansion subsequently underwent restoration by prisoners. The prison was closed in 2024 "due to declining low security prison populations since the pandemic".
First Right of Refusal
given to Shepparton City Council was not taken up and the site is now awaiting new owners.

References

{{reflist Victorian architecture in Victoria (state) Houses in Victoria (state) Victorian Heritage Register Victorian Heritage Register Hume (region) City of Greater Shepparton