Travel Autumn gardens
As the leaves turn gold, there’s no better time to visit our historic National Trust heritage sites
EVERGLADES HOUSE & GARDENS – Leura, NSW
Nestled among Blue Mountains bushland with captivating vistas of Mount Solitary and the vast Jamison Valley, Everglades House & Gardens was designed in the 1930s as a mountain retreat. While the art deco house remains as beautiful as ever, it’s the expansive and spectacular cool-climate gardens – cultivated in the 1930s by Danish-born landscaper Paul Sorensen – that continue to win the hearts of garden enthusiasts from across the globe. Stroll along winding paths and discover formal European-style lawns and rose-lined terraces, the weeping Japanese cherry tree terrace, as well as fountains and the calming grotto. The Tea Rooms offer Devonshire tea, or you can picnic in the grounds. For details, phone (02) 4784 1938
THE HEIGHTS HERITAGE HOUSE & GARDEN – Newtown, Vic
You’ll agree the one-hour drive from Melbourne to Geelong is worth the trip when you see this property from 1854. The Heights House is the biggest prefab weatherboard home standing in Victoria. While the gardens can be a little hot to explore at length in the summer months, autumn is the ideal time to visit. With uninterrupted views of the You Yangs Regional Park, the extensive grounds remain much as they were in the 19th century, featuring luscious plantings dating back to the 1860s. Aged oaks and Australian conifers are highlights, but also check out the stables, water tower, bluestone groom’s cottage and dovecote – all in original condition. For details, phone (03) 5221 3510
GAMBLE COTTAGE & GARDEN – Blackwood, SA
Maintained by volunteers, the Gamble Garden in the Adelaide foothills is a stunning example of a genuine cottage garden. Delight in an ever-fragrant floral feast – everything from tree daisies to white-and-pink geraniums, roses, irises, violas and ginger lilies. In late autumn, you may see persimmons and vivid pink dombeyas, as well as sun-kissed matchstick bromeliads. There’s also a flourishing fruit orchard with pomegranate, orange, chestnut and walnut trees. The garden is always open to visitors, and the Gamble Cottage – built in 1902 for Joseph Gamble and his family – is open the third Sunday of the month, February to November, 2pm to 4pm. gamblegarden.org.au
OLD FARM – Strawberry Hill, WA
The first fifirst European farm in Western Australia, Australia the Old Farm was w planted with experimental crops in 1827 as part of the settlement at King George Sound. Given the history, it’s unsurprising to learn the house there contains a chest of drawers that belonged to Napoleon. Less than a decade later, the farm was producing grapes, gooseberries, raspberries, blood oranges, figs, almonds and more. Take a stroll through the remarkable gardens, and make sure to take time out under the oldest bay tree in Albany, and to see what is being grown at
the farm today. For details, phone (08) 9841 3735
WOLSTON FARMHOUSE – Wacol, Qld
Overlooking lush emerald farmland on Brisbane’s fringe is the city’s oldest residential farmhouse. Built on 258ha in 1852 for one of Queensland’s first magistrates, Dr Stephen Simpson, this lovingly restored gem on the Brisbane River contains a myriad of stunning century-old furnishings and artefacts. At the heart of the garden, reflect under the shade of a 160-year-old fig and look out for kangaroos in nearby paddocks. For details, phone (07) 3088 8133