Government House Billiard Room

When you first enter the Billiard Room your eyes are immediately drawn onto the magnificent full-size Alcock John Roberts billiard table which was installed at the time the House was built. Alcock and Company also made the revolving cue rack.Decorating the Billiard Room walls are portraits of former Governors and their spouses, dating back to Victoria's first Superintendent and Lieutenant-Governor, Charles La Trobe. There are also portraits of Lord and Lady Loch, and the spades used to plant commemorative trees at Government House by the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1983, and Prince William in 2010.There's a glass-fronted cedar bookcase, with intricate carvings, made for Victoria’s first Governor, Charles Hotham, by George Thwaites and son and was among the furniture moved from the Governor’s former residence in Toorak House in 1876.A distinctive feature of the Billiard Room is its octagonal timber-lined roof. The V-jointed boards slope upwards to form a roof lantern, providing natural light over the billiard table.The Billiard Room is used for a variety of purposes, including as a waiting room, a meeting room, a reception room and an alternate dining space when required.The famous billiards' player, Walter Lindrum, who was World Professional Billiards Champion from 1933-1950, was a regular visitor to Government House in his retirement. Lindrum played billiards with the then Governor Sir Dallas Brooks (1949-1963).