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Getting Around The Garden
"Live every day as your last, because one of these days, it will be."
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- Jonathan Swift.
Donkey Hill
This is a little grass pocket park area situated to the side of the driveway entrance. It is a lovely shade area flanked on two sides with a Cypress hedge and a row of Silver Birch Trees.
Named in memory of all the hard-working coal mine donkeys that gathered at the top of Rees Road, which in days gone by, was known as Donkey Hill.
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The Japanese Garden
​Adjacent to Donkey Hill is the gate arbor entrance to the Japanese Garden. This is guarded by two armed emperors. The arbor is made from very old railway line sleepers. The upright sleepers weighted 100kg each and the top sleeper weighed in at 60kg.
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The raised wooden walkway will lead you to a small bridge over Poddle stream. The stream is feed from water cascading from the rock pool at the top of the stream. The raised walkway leads through to Longwood.
Longwood
​​You can enter Longwood from the Japanese Garden or via one of the two bridges crossing Poddle Stream or at
the top end from Gulliver's Walk.
This is a larger park area shaded by several trees. The air is so much cooler here on a hot day. ​The park is named after the town Longwood, in Castlerickard, Ireland, where Godwin Swift (Uncle of Jonathon Swift) is buried at the Castlerickard Church cemetery.
Gulliver's Walk
​This is one of three main grass walkways that meander through the garden. The pathway begins after crossing the second driveway bridge over Poddle stream and slowly rises towards The Lionsden.
The Lionsden
​The cabin is nestled into the southern Cypress boundary hedge. It looks over the Lionsden staircase that is guarded by two lions. It is named after the Lionsden House in Longwood County Meath, the home of Godwin Swifte (Swift) who was the uncle and benefactor of Jonathan Swift.
Lionsden Staircase
​The staircase descends from the Lionsden cabin intersecting with Wisteria Avenue, down to the Rose Garden forecourt.
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At the intersection with Wisteria Lane, if you look towards your right you will see the Wisteria Archway.
Lionsden Rose Garden
At the base of the Lionsden staircase is the small half circle forecourt flanked with a row of red Camp David and
Mr. Lincoln perfumed standard roses, a second row of white Iceberg rose bushes and a third row of white flowering camellias.
Lilliput Lane
The arch way is covered by a rambling climbing red rose and is the gateway to Lilliput Lane, a grass pathway which takes you downwards through to the eastern end of the garden past Panwa and ends at The Hut.
Panwa
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Wisteria Avenue
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The Hut
Built in 2023 The Hut is actually a facade with a little leadlight window and patio. It is nestled in the far southeast corner of the property amongst the tall gum trees at the intersection of Lilliput Lane and Narnia Ridge.
Narnia Ridge
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Wombat Track
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Scooter Hill
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Eastern Terrace
We built this staircase in 2022 to replace two thirds of the old Scooter Hill which was a steep grass corridor. The top of the staircase joins the old section of Scooter Hill and leads down to Biddys Path and Mine Road.
Loughcrew
The circular rose garden shaped with English Box hedge. It has three grass path entrances that lead to the middle pond and horseshoe sphere sculpture. The garden is named after the historical monument in Loughcrew Cairns, Oldfield, Ireland.
Biddy's Path
This now grass pathway use to be a gravel dirt path from the early 1900's that lead to the Miners Huts that were nestled in the hillside.
The path is named in memory of one of the residents "Biddy" and the story is she use to walk home, sometimes inebriated, with the help of the local policeman from the Jumbunna Hotel.
Reflection Point
Our quiet space in the garden where we can sit on the memorial park bench that looks out towards the valley and reflect on loved ones that have passed on.
Mine Road Look Out
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Reg's Lookout
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The Pond
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Apple Berry Boulevard
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The Veggie Patch
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The Aviary
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Mine Road
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The Dark Forrest
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The Secret Garden
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Weston Green
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