A historic pastoral property of 2,000 hectares located at Elaine, just 30 minutes from Ballarat and 90 minutes from Melbourne. Narmbool was first settled by Europeans in 1839 when a Mr Hugh Niven leased it from the Government for a cattle run. The first building in the homestead precinct was a two-roomed bluestone cottage built around 1850. Today’s homestead dates from 1889 and has been given a D-Classification by the National Trust. The bluestone homestead is surrounded by gardens and rolling green hills, craggy volcanic escarpments and commanding views of nearby Mount Buninyong. A dozen other pastoralists followed in the subsequent years. Narmbool was donated to Sovereign HiIl in 2000 for the express purpose of developing the property as an educational resource. It is a fascinating example of sustainable farming in a diverse and fragile ecosystem. It carries some 20,000 sheep and has long been famed for its fine quality merino wool. With a thousand acres of bushland set aside for conservation, it also provides a habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna. There are platypus in Williamsons Creek and kangaroos, koalas and Australian native birds abound.