The brick Point Pleasant Homestead, built 1887 for William Herbert, has

high local significance as part of an early district farm complex, which

once contained an 1850s slab homestead, slab stables and other slab

outbuildings as well as the later brick homestead. The remaining brick

homestead has significance as one of a group of historic buildings in

Bell Street, which form an important shopping precinct.

The Point Pleasant Homestead is a brick building set well back from the alignment of the Yarra Glen shopping strip on Bell Street in the centre of the town. It has a small grassed area at its front and is set amongst some very recent brick shops and a car park. The Homestead is currently being used as a café. A plaque near the front door tells describes the age of the homestead as 1860s, although this brick building was built much later - possibly in the 1880s.

Although the exterior form of the building is largely intact, it has clearly undergone substantial modification over many years. The building's entrance is now positioned at the rear of the original building, with its grander front elevation facing the rear of the shops. The building has a very new verandah around the existing front (western) elevation and part of the southern side of the building. The verandah has new iron lacework and a floor of new machine made bricks. The verandah is used to provide outdoor café seating.

The café entrance is located in the rear elevation of the homestead. It is constructed of plain orange brick, with a central doorway flanked by large two-pane sash windows. A separate raised brick verandah is located at the rear (eastern face) of the building. Large two pane sash windows occur on all elevations. The spacing of windows around the exterior of the building appears original. There is a brick extension built onto the southern elevation (c. 1960s) which is not sympathetic to the form of the original building. Much of the interior has been significantly modified.

The style and colour of the brickwork is different on each elevation the building. The western and northern elevations are of plain orange brick. These were originally the rear and side elevations of the homestead. The northern elevation is particularly plain, with only one window. This contrasts strongly with the original front (eastern) and southern elevations which have highly patterned polychromatic brickwork featuring dark brown, cream and deep red bricks, with tuck pointing. The hipped roof has two polychrome brick chimneys which appear to be original.

Despite the many changes which have been made to this building, it is still easily read as a late nineteenth century building. Its exterior appearance, together with its relationship to Bell Street, are important aspects of its heritage value to the township of Yarra Glen.

Physical Conditions: Good

Integrity: Major Alterations