Historical information

Theodore Ballerstedt originally purchased the Fortuna site from the Crown in 1857. The firstimprovements at Fortuna were undertaken by the Ballerstedt family and consisted of a small mill and house.

At the peak of the mining era (c.1860s) Fortuna was central to the deep alluvial gold mining operations of Bendigo. In 1871 Theodore Ballerstedt sold the house, mine and associated works to George Lansell 'The Quartz King'. During his time at Fortuna, Lansell owned 13 mines and directed a further 73 in Bendigo.

Fortuna was occupied by the Department of Defence from 1942 and was compulsorily acquired for Army use in 1957. Since that time Fortuna has been occupied by the Army and other various Defence organisations. During Defence's ownership, additional buildings were constructed and existing buildings were modified for re-use.

In 1992 Defence purchased the adjoining undeveloped property, commonly known as the Bush Block. This parcel of land adjoins the main Fortuna landholding. It is approximately 0.8 hectares in size and is predominately covered in vegetation regrowth.

Heritage investigations note that the uniqueness of Fortuna lies in the mixture of architectural styles of the Villa. The relationship between mining and domestic areas and the. close proximity of the two is considered rare to Australian domestic building of that time.

The primary building on the site is the Fortuna Villa. With the wealth Lansell generated from gold mining he funded the continuous expansion of the Villa and surrounding grounds. The Villa is built in a number of architectural styles, namely Victorian Italianate and Victorian Free Classical, with Federation influences.

The surrounding landscape featured up to seven decorative lakes in the early 1870s, including one larger lake which still remains today. The former lakes were originally used as disposal points for tailings produced in the gold processing activities at the site.

Heritage investigations note that the uniqueness of Fortuna lies in the mixture of architectural styles of the Villa. The relationship between mining and domestic areas and the. close proximity of the two is considered rare to Australian domestic building of that time.

Physical description

Fortuna - Drawing Presented to Brian McLachlon

This item contains the following documents:

11217.77a Six copies Black and White drawing by Jason Nickson (cleaner) presented to Brian McLachlon on his transfer to the USA. Drawing shows Brian on a motor bike being farewelled by the Fortuna Villa (holding a baby named DIGO) and welcomed by the Statue of Liberty and the US flag

Publication type

non-fiction