"What a fabulous event at Coombe Estate in the Yarra Valley where we had the privilege of visiting inside Coombe Cottage, the home that Dame Nellie Melba GBE created. Yes, our 16 th Meeting of our Rotary year was held last Wednesday at Coombe, in the newly created function centre where our guest speaker was, Daniel Sinclair Johnson,
Business Development & Melba Estate Manager Coombe Yarra Valley.
Sixty-nine of our members and their partners attended and were enthralled by the humour and knowledge that Daniel imparted during his welcome in the Gallery, tour of the Cottage and finale back in the Gallery after a sumptuous lunch in the restaurant.
And there was tour of the garden tour where the spring growth was abundant plus time in the cellar to partake of Coomb's finest vintages.
It was fascinating to learn about the life and times of one of the world’s greatest operatic sopranos of the late Victorian era and the early 20 th century and visiting her home was a capsule in time. Dame Nellie Melba (1861-1931), was born Helen Porter Mitchell and was acknowledged as not merely a brilliant singer but a dramatic soprano, famous for more
than 40 years as the greatest singer of her generation, and her century, not only Europe but throughout the world.
Our own Peter Rogers presented a short history of the personal and business relationship John Monash had with David Mitchell, the father of Dame Nellie which lead in 1901 to the formation of the Monier Pipe Company.
Daniel was born in London, studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and worked in London for Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana as Operations Manager. Prior to arriving at Coombe Yarra Valley, Daniel was Estate Manager of Ardgowan Estate Castle Glasgow.
Daniel came to Australia 16 years ago and has been Managing Coombe the Melba Estate for the last 15 years. He spent the first 8 years at Coombe with Lady Vestey, Melba’s Granddaughter and during that period gained an enormous insight into the family history and provenance of this unique property.
Upon Lady Vestey’s death, Daniel created the brand Coombe Yarra Valley and designed a business model that would facilitate the fiscal preservation of the Melba legacy. Daniel was responsible for the architectural design and development of the clocktower and outbuildings into the restaurant, gallery and cellar door. The aesthetic, design ethos and brand creation of the development were a direct result of his appreciation and understanding of these structures, garnered over his time spent there.
Coombe, the Melba Estate opened to the public in 2014. Daniel continues to be responsible for all facilities and estate management of the 76-acre site including the 7 acres of landscaped gardens, the rectification of the historic homestead and any further development of the property.
Our thanks to Daniel and his team at Coombe for such a memorable experience.
