For the first time on Saturday and Sunday, October 29 and 30, two very different gardens will be open to the public.
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The Queanbeyan Lions Club Burra Open Gardens event will feature the historic Lagoon and brilliant Lavender Hill properties, along with four other spectacular gardens.
Lavender Hill is a work in progress, with new owners Debbie Tibbles and John Convine only just beginning to add their own style and enthusiasm.
The new owners are building on the unique garden environment of the magnificent property, originally created by the previous owners.
As you enter Lavender Hill you walk along the meandering driveway past the dam surrounded by willows and poplars, to open paddocks with large aged gums and the golden blooms of wattle.
Tin Hut Creek with its weir and dam winds its way through the bottom of the garden with native trees providing a relaxing backdrop. Surrounding the house is a large array of dry stone walls separating themed garden beds.
The gardens have a collection of native and exotic plants and flowers providing a kaleidoscope of colours and textures throughout the four seasons.
The orchard consists of two dozen varieties of fruit trees including a small olive grove nearby and the tiered vegetable beds provide delicious home grown produce.
As for the historic Lagoon, the property has been held in the same family for six generations, and is still a working farm today.
It was purchased by James Moore in 1860 and now, 156 years later, is owned by Tom and Therese Moore.
While this is not a large garden, it features an avenue of flowering plum trees, a unique Chinese Weeping Cypress (Chinese Funeral Tree), various water features including an enclosed gazebo, an enormous Box Elder and a sustainable living vegetable garden plus much more.
Sections of the original house are still functional today. The grounds have been landscaped to cater for family functions and include mature fruit trees for shade and food.
Due to its central location, Lagoon became the social meeting place for the valley. This may have had something to do with the hospitality shown to locals and visitors by the Moore family, and has shaped the use of the garden to cater for large groups.
There are many locals that have enjoyed a Lagoon party gathering.
Feel the history as you walk by the original homesteads picket fence now incorporated into the garden.
The Burra Open Gardens weekend will be held on October 29 and 30. Gardens are open each day from 10am to 5pm.
Tickets are $25 for all six gardens. Single garden ticket, $10. Children under 15 are free.
For more information, visit queanbeyan.nsw.lions.org.au
