The former River View guest house has local significance as a popular

district guest house during the 1920s and 1930s. It has historical

significance for its associations with the Misses Evelyn and Margaret

McPherson, daughters of a pioneer district farmer.

Riverview Guest House is located west of the Yarra River on a small hill overlooking the Melba Highway as it turns into Yarra Glen. It has been extensively modified over time and is now being renovated as part of a large Bed and Breakfast development on the property, which includes the construction of several large buildings, plantings of large palms and other trees, and a tennis court.

There is a single guest house building remaining on the site which appears to date from the early 1900s and has been extensively modified over the years. It is presently undergoing substantial renovations. This small weatherboard building has two major sections, now covered with a new colourbond roof. A single chimney is decorated with rough render and brick pieces. Some of the building's original doors and windows appear to be intact, although large glass doors have been added to the western and eastern sides at the rear. The building's front door has a 1920s timber screen on it. Verandah posts have been installed by the present owner and a new timber verandah will be added. Some original flooring remains inside the building, along with original lined ceilings and fireplaces.

According to community information, two butter and cheese factories are known to have been located near Riverview. The first was the Heidelberg Cheese and Condensed Milk Factory, built in 1882 on land adjoining Riverview (Lot 26B). This factory was moved in 1893 and became the 'Victoria Hall' on the present site of Oma's of Yarra Glen in Bell Street, Yarra Glen.

Then, in 1894, the Yarra Glen Butter and Cheese Factory was built on the opposite side of the old main road from Riverview. This building was reputedly moved to Gippsland. This site is separated from Riverview now by the access road which runs from Melba Highway / Bell Street to the Yarra Glen Recreation Reserve on the Yarra River. The factory site is a roughly triangular 'island' bordered by this access road, the Melba Highway (just east of the Vasey Houghton bridge), and the River itself. The concrete slab remaining from this factory can be clearly seen from the roadside near Riverview.

Physical Conditions: Fair

Integrity: Major Alterations