General News
24 November, 2022
Local gardens in full bloom for open weekend
The inaugural Maryborough Open Garden Weekend will kick off this weekend, with the gates of nine local gardens being thrown open in what’s hoped will be a boost to tourism and local groups. Originally slated to take place last year but postponed...
The inaugural Maryborough Open Garden Weekend will kick off this weekend, with the gates of nine local gardens being thrown open in what’s hoped will be a boost to tourism and local groups.
Originally slated to take place last year but postponed due to the pandemic, the event will showcase local gardens in Maryborough, Talbot and Wareek this Saturday and Sunday, with proceeds going towards community groups and organisations.
Organised by avid Maryborough gardeners Adrian Masterman-Smith and Lowen Clarke in a bid to reignite local tourism, the weekend is supported by Open Gardens Victoria, a not-for-profit organisation assisting gardening and horticultural events, and Adrian said it’s looking to be a hit.
“When COVID hit, local tourism really crashed and it was a case of what we could do to support the industry and local businesses,” he said.
“There are plenty of beautiful gardens around so having an open garden weekend was a low hanging fruit and an obvious opportunity.
“What happens with open gardens is yes, you’ll open up for the weekend but then you’ll have garden clubs from all over the place coming to visit throughout the year.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to bring new people into the community and showcase what we have to offer — everyone is working to make this happen.”
The largest garden to open on the weekend is at Norwood, an estate dating back to the 1860s and located at 380 Norwood Road, Wareek.
A heritage listed house surrounded by 10 acres of parkland with an extensive garden, Norwood also features a number of heritage listed trees with a frontage to the Bet Bet Creek.
Opening from 10 am until 5 pm on Saturday, November 26, entry to the garden is $10 for adults and free for children, with all funds raised going to the Maryborough Ambulance Auxiliary.
The Maryborough Brass Band will be performing throughout the day, with a barbecue and coffee van also present as well as a plant sale and raffle.
Other gardens taking part in the weekend include:
• Mill House, 88-90 Burke Street, Maryborough
• Phillips Gardens, Alma Street, Maryborough
• London House, 42 Scandinavian Crescent, Talbot
• Woodhatch Garden, 126 Majorca Road, Maryborough
• Alva Brea Farm, 247 Bung Bong-Longs Road, Wareek
These gardens will be open between 10 am and 4.30 pm on the weekend.
While Norwood will be the headline garden of the weekend on Saturday, on Sunday all eyes will be on Adrian and Lowen’s garden at the former 1918 butter factory at 165 Railway Street, Maryborough, which was also recently showcased in the Gardening Australia Magazine.
The garden space has been transformed from a concrete car park and is filled with drought tolerant and hardy plants.
“We’re very lucky we have the setting of a 1918 butter factory which means we’ve got a good bit of architecture and a nice garden that works with that,” Adrian said.
“All the plants in our garden are drought tolerant, we very much went with the trend of being more responsible in terms of water usage and we made a garden that’s quite sustainable.”
Entry to the garden is $10, with all proceeds supporting Mill House.
For more information on the open garden weekend, head to the Open Garden Victoria website.