n 1996 archaeologists from Heritage Victoria unearthed the foundations of a forgotten colonial mansion at Heidelberg in Melbourne?s eastern suburbs. Located at the junction of the Yarra and Plenty Rivers, Viewbank homestead offers up traces of a short-lived empire from the mid nineteenth century. Relics of pastoral grandeur evoke stories of a place abandoned and long forgotten.

This site invites you to explore the archaeological excavation of the Viewbank homestead; to discover the histories and stories of a variety of artefacts unearthed at Viewbank and to learn how these artefacts have been treated and conserved in the Heritage Victoria Conservation Laboratory.