A Tale of Three Gardens

Tuesday, Dec 20--

Today I explored Mount Dandenong--really just a big hill, but a beautiful area with lots of native vegetation. First stop was the unusual creation of Englishman William Ricketts, a sculptor who believed it was his divine mission to change the attitude of Australia's whites towards the aboriginals. In this secluded forest location, he placed almost 100 of his haunting sculptures. The statues, most of them life sized, have melded into the rock and the forest so well that the impression is of some kind of woodland spirits, an effect both moving and memorable. Ricketts was, after much effort, accepted fully into the Aboriginal culture, and he sculpted them right up until his death at age 94. I spent several hours here, almost alone among the sculptures, the echoing bird calls, and the presence of 'Brother Billy' as they called him. A unique experience indeed.

The next garden on my list, after a pleasant lunch in the touristy village of Olinda, was the garden of the late Mr. and Mrs. George Tindale. This is a very English garden, set a bit jarringly in the middle of a towering eucalyptus forest. Because of a problem with falling tree limbs, a large portion of this now-state-owned garden was fenced off, and the remainder was a bit neglected. I found the atmosphere rather sad, as it was so clearly a private garden whose owners were gone. It made me wonder how quickly my own garden would revert to bush if I left it. Nevertheless, there were some gorgeous hydrangeas in all shades of blue, plum, and pink to enjoy, again on my own, as the place was deserted.

My final stop was more positive, again a private estate now state-owned, the Alfred Nicholas Garden. This garden is built on a steep hillside, and you wind downwards on a sunken pathway lined with tree ferns to a chain of several small lakes at the bottom. Once more I was the only visitor, so I had the time and space to really enjoy the quiet loveliness of the setting, with only a mamma duck and her one tiny energetic duckling for company (see below).

So, three very different experiences--a full and enjoyable day.