At a glance
- Address
- 192 Hotham Street, Elsternwick VIC 3185; entry is through the Gatehouse on Hotham Street
- Parking
- There is no on-site parking; parking is available locally
- Train
- A five-minute walk from Rippon Lea Station, on the Sandringham line
- Tram and bus
- Tram route 67 to stop 42; bus route 603 stops directly outside on Hotham Street; there is no bus route from the CBD
- Garden entry
- Adult $15; concession $12; child (3 to 15) $9; family (2 adults and 2 children) $40; free for National Trust members
- Mansion and garden tours
- An extra $10 adult; $8 concession; $5 child; $25 family; a general admission ticket must be bought with any tour ticket
- Phone
- (03) 9656 9889
- Who it’s for
- Anyone planning a visit to Rippon Lea Estate by train, tram or car
- What to do now
- The tour times and the dated events are listed in the tables below
- Last checked
- Monday 9 November 2026, against Rippon Lea Estate’s website and the National Trust’s Rippon Lea page
- Not yet confirmed
- The walking route from local parking, and the closing time shown in the banner at the top of the home page (10am to 4pm), which differs from the 10am to 5pm given for September to April
Rippon Lea Estate has no on-site parking, according to the estate’s own Visit page, which says parking is available locally. The estate is five minutes’ walk from Rippon Lea Station on the Sandringham line. This guide sets out the estate’s directions by train, tram, bus and car, its admission and tour prices as of 9 November 2026, its tour times, and the dated events its What’s On page lists from November to February.
Where is Rippon Lea Estate, and where do I enter?
The estate is at 192 Hotham Street, Elsternwick, and entry to it is through the Gatehouse on Hotham Street. The National Trust describes it as a 19th century mansion surrounded by 7 hectares of Victorian pleasure gardens, completed in 1868 for Frederick Sargood. It is listed on the National Heritage Register.
How do I get there by train?
The estate’s Getting Here section says the property is a five-minute walk from Rippon Lea Station, on the Sandringham line.
Which tram and bus go there?
| Mode | What the estate says |
|---|---|
| Tram | Catch tram route 67 (to Carnegie) to stop number 42, Tram Tracker ID 2042; the stop for the opposite direction (to Melbourne University) is Tracker Stop ID 1042 |
| Bus | There is no bus route from the CBD to Rippon Lea Estate; bus route 603 runs between Brighton Beach and Burnley Station and stops directly outside the estate on Hotham Street |
| Car | Parking is available locally (Melway reference 67 F2); there is no on-site parking |
For people for whom off-site parking is a problem, the estate says to email ripponlea@nattrust.com.au to arrange suitable access, and says it prefers 48 hours’ notice to accommodate requests. The page does not give street parking rules or fees.
What does it cost to get in?
| Ticket | Garden entry | Mansion and garden tours (add-on) |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | $15 | $10 |
| Concession | $12 | $8 |
| Child (3 to 15 years) | $9 | $5 |
| Family (2 adults and 2 children) | $40 | $25 |
| National Trust members | Free | Free |
| City of Glen Eira and City of Port Phillip cardholders | Free garden entry with a valid card | $5 per person |
The estate says tours can be purchased separately as an add-on to general admission, and that a general admission ticket must be purchased with any tour ticket. Booking fees apply to online purchases. Its Community Access Scheme gives free garden entry to City of Glen Eira and City of Port Phillip residents, with the garden entry card presented on each visit; without the card, general admission fees apply. The estate says it is transitioning to a new digital card system, and in the meantime new card holders present an acceptable form of ID showing proof of residency.
What time does it open, and when are the tours?
For November the estate’s pages give 10am to 5pm. Its Visit page says “Open daily, 10am – 5pm (last entry 4.30pm)” and that it is closed on Christmas Day. The home page’s Plan Your Visit section and the National Trust’s page both list 10am to 5pm from September to April and 10am to 4pm from May to August, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. One line in the home page’s top banner reads “Open Daily, 10am to 4pm” without a season, which matches the May to August hours. The Gatehouse Tea Room is open 10am to 4pm, with last service at 3.30pm.
| Tour | Times listed |
|---|---|
| Mansion tours, Monday to Friday (National Trust) | 11am and 2pm |
| Mansion tours, Saturday and Sunday (National Trust) | 11am, 12pm and 2pm, excluding market days |
| Mansion open house | Tuesday, 2pm to 3pm |
| Garden tours, Wednesday | 11:30am, 1:00pm and 2:30pm, pre-bookable |
| Garden tours, Friday | 11:30am and 12:30pm, walk-ups only |
| Bird Spotting Tours | Wednesdays, 10am and 1pm |
The Visit page says entry to the mansion is only offered by guided tour, except for the open house hour on Tuesdays between 2pm and 3pm, and that mansion tours operate throughout the day subject to guide availability, with the last tour at 2pm.
What events are on from November to February?
The estate’s What’s On page lists these dated events. Prices and booking links sit on the individual event pages.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Thursday 12 November | A Place to Bee: Building Homes for Native Pollinators |
| Saturday 14 November | Bugs in my Backyard: Mini-Creatures Discovery Day |
| Sunday 15 November | Maserati Owners Club of Australia annual Display Day |
| Sunday 22 November | Forest Bathing with Nothing Like Nature |
| Friday 27 November | The Hidden Life of Bats: Research and Conservation Night |
| Friday 25 December | Christmas Lunch at Rippon Lea Estate |
| Wednesday 27 January and Wednesday 10 February | Twilight Yoga at Rippon Lea |
| Thursday 28 January | Book Doof Presents: Twilight Reading |
| Wednesday 10 February | Twilight Tennis; Elm & Willow: Evening Storytime by the Lake |
| Thursdays 21 January, 4 and 11 February | Twilight Croquet & Lemonade; Twilight Picnics on the Lawn |
| Thursday 11 February | Drag Bingo on the Lawns |
| Sunday 14 February 2027, 10am to 3pm | The Teddy Bears’ Picnic |
The page also lists twilight garden tours on select dates between 13 January and 11 February, a Twilight Mansion Open House on select Thursdays in January and February, and Mandarin-language mansion tours on select dates from November to March at 11:30am and 1:30pm. A Lunch & Admission Package with Rippon Lea Food & Wine is listed for Thursday to Saturday. The Trust Makers’ Market is held on select Sundays each month, according to the Visit page, and on the third Sunday of the month according to the National Trust’s page.
What is the access like?
The estate says toilets are near the stables complex at the eastern end of the property, with a child change table in the ambulant toilet cubicle. Disabled access is to the ground floor of the mansion only; an iPad shows what is on the upper floor for people on a guided tour, and prams cannot be taken through the mansion and can be left on the step at the front door. The garden paths are gravel, which the estate says can make wheelchair access difficult, and staff can give a map highlighting the more wheelchair-friendly paths. Only accredited assistance animals are permitted on site, with an exception for the annual Father’s Day Bring Your Dog Day event.
The estate also lists a Gatehouse Gift Shop and Nursery, where National Trust members get 10 per cent off, and a Tea Room serving takeaway hot and cold drinks, ice cream and biscuits. For groups of more than 10 people the estate lists the Bookings Office on (03) 9656 9889.
What is still unknown?
The pages we read give no street parking rules, fees or number of nearby spaces. Event prices are on the individual event pages, which we did not read. The What’s On page still shows a Trust Makers’ Market date of 18 October 2026, which has passed, so this guide gives no market date.
Sources
- Rippon Lea Estate — Plan your visit (checked 9 November 2026)
- Rippon Lea Estate — What’s on (checked 9 November 2026)
- Rippon Lea Estate — Home (checked 9 November 2026)
- National Trust — Rippon Lea Estate (checked 9 November 2026)
Featured image: Rippon Lea Estate seen from the lawn, February 2018 (photo: Tim Sabo / CC BY-SA 4.0, text added). Other photos are from Wikimedia Commons and were taken between 2008 and 2023.
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Rippon Lea Estate or the National Trust of Australia (Victoria).