Willow Lake Holiday Camp has high local significance as a rare building type, an example of a holiday camp established by the Opat brothers, shoe manufacturers, for the Opat family and their employees.

The former Willow Lake Holiday Camp occupies the central area of a rural property now devoted to grape-growing. The former camp area is centred around a large lake. On one side, high up on the hill-slopes are four small houses, all probably with views down to the lake. One of these four is a hipped roof cottage with an enclosed verandah and later (1950s) extension. It may be the earliest of the buildings. Nearby are three houses dating from the 1920s-30s, two quite small and the other a typical Californian Bungalow house. All of these four buildings are weatherboard clad with corrugated iron roofs. Each has been modified in the past, and it seems likely that these modifications relate to their use for the holiday camp function. There is a row of cypresses near this group of houses, plus some other mature trees.

On the opposite side of the lake is another group of buildings, a recreation hall, a house, a more recent storage (?) building, and a group of three portable buildings near the main gate. The recreation building is located close to the lake. It is a large, gable-roofed building with a verandah on all sides. It is clad in weatherboard with cement sheet and half timbering to the gable. The building has a variety of windows styles, demonstrating stages in its development from the 1920s to the 1950s. The nearby house is similar in form, with a simple gable roof, clad in weatherboards and cement sheet. Another nearby building is clad in vertical boards and appears more recent (1980s?). The portable buildings near the entry gate are also clad in vertical boards, but appear to be older (probably c1950s Board of works huts, and thought to have come from the Upper Yarra dam).

The landscape is an important aspect of the site. The lake which forms the centre of the site is planted with pines, willows, poplars and other tree species. A bridge crosses the lake, linking the two parts of the property. The main entry road is lined with silver birches (a relatively recent planting). The landscape of the "camp" area contrasts with the intensive grape cultivation area which surround it.

Physical Conditions: Good

Integrity: Minor Modifications