Five country gardens open their gates for a local cause

Five private country gardens across Murrumburrah, Nubba and Wombat will open their gates next month for the first Nubba Open Gardens, raising money for the Young Crisis Accommodation Centre (YCAC). The event on Sunday 11 October will give visitors the chance to explore gardens that have taken decades to establish, each shaped by its setting, history and the people who have tended it. Along the way there will be Devonshire tea, lunch, live music, plein air artists, plants and gardening books, with all proceeds supporting YCAC’s work with people experiencing homelessness, domestic and family violence and financial crisis. Organiser Debbie Knapman said keeping the money raised within the local community was important. “As the event is being held in the Hilltops area, it was important to us that the money raised stays local and benefits people in our own community,” she said. “We also hope the event will help raise awareness of the invaluable work YCAC does.” The five gardens offer very different experiences. At Sunshine Woods in Murrumburrah, beside Murrimboolah Creek, the garden has been taking shape for 20 years. Influenced by the work of Australian garden designer Edna Walling and Mediterranean planting styles, it has developed into a peaceful garden that also provides habitat for local wildlife. Even its name has a story. Sunshine Woods is a tribute to neighbour Les Woods, whose help was invaluable during the garden’s early years - despite his insistence that the only good flower was a cauliflower. At Pilkena in Nubba, what was once a bare block has become a colourful cottage garden filled with roses, fruit trees, native plants, herbs and bulbs. A rose arbour and stone pathway lead through the garden, where established plantings include everything from apples, pears, olives and citrus to melaleuca, grevillea and rosemary. Despite the abundance, organisers say the garden is hardly ever watered. The property will also be the location for the drawing of the event raffle. A short distance away, Cooringle Cottage combines garden interest with a piece of Nubba history. Built in 1878 as the residence for the Nubba Public School headmaster, the cottage sits above the surrounding valley. Its garden includes a terraced formal area and historic fountain, an heirloom apricot tree shading the rear patio, a wisteria-covered retreat, kitchen garden, fruit orchard and a 120-year-old Moreton Bay fig. Visitors will also be able to stop there for Devonshire tea on the lawn and browse a gardening book stall. At Wyona in Nubba, the garden has grown alongside the home and family for almost four decades. When Mark and Jo Hawker took on their stone cottage as newlyweds 38 years ago, the garden became part of the transformation. Some plants remain from the original garden dating back to the late 1800s, while others carry family stories from much further afield. A golden elm began life in Jo’s mother’s garden at Dirranbandi in Queensland, while a Chinese weeping elm from Quambone was planted to mark their daughter Lucy’s birth 34 years ago. Live music and plein air artists will feature at Wyona during the day, along with a stall from Pink Pot Garden Spot. The suggested route finishes at Tumbleton in Wombat, where a grape-covered courtyard leads into winding gravel paths and a series of garden rooms. Perennial, exotic and native plantings are framed by hedges and mature trees, while granite retaining walls and steps lead visitors through different levels of the garden. Lunch will be available on the lawn. Visitors do not need to follow the suggested route and can begin at any of the five properties. Those setting out in the morning can travel from Sunshine Woods through to Tumbleton, stopping for Devonshire tea before finishing with lunch. Those arriving later can reverse the route and begin with lunch before working their way back through the gardens. The gardens will be open from 10am to 4pm on Sunday, October 11. Entry is $6 for a single garden or $25 for an all-gardens pass, with children under 12 free. Garden addresses will be provided to ticket holders closer to the day. Devonshire tea will be available for $6 and lunch for $10. A fundraising raffle will also be held, with more than $3,800 worth of prizes on offer. Tickets are available through Humanitix by searching Nubba Open Gardens. For one day, five very different private gardens will become shared spaces — giving visitors a look behind the garden gate while helping support people in the local community facing some of their most difficult circumstances.