Maryborough Country Gardens - 4

 We had to drive several miles to the northern side of the Mary River to get to the next garden. A crow would have had a much shorter journey.

It became obvious that this would be a popular garden based on the number of parked cars. We entered through this gate near the house.

You might notice the nest on the left side of the tree. We did not see any sign of an inhabitant.

This was probably built in the 1950's or earlier and I suspect this family has been gardening continually since the house was built.

I really liked the three-dimensional aspect of this plant.

Quite a large pond.

A ferocious sculpture.

This shed by the pond was intriguing.

It turned out to be a very welcoming spot where we could relax in comfy armchairs. I would have turned it all into my listening room where I could turn up the volume without worrying about neighbours.

A lady started to play the piano which was surprisingly in tune considering the outside location.

This was obviously a well-cared-for garden that had been around for some time.

Eddie was just outside a small shed that had been built out of recycled timber from the Maryborough Flour Mill that had been demolished. It used to be the most northerly flour mill in Australia and I once got a tour of it when I was a boy.

The shed had a small kitchen where you could buy a small lunch of a sandwich, a piece of lemon cake with lemon icing, and two Anzac biscuits washed down with a cup of tea or coffee. The Australia of over 50 years ago is still on the go and it is lovely to re-experience it. We sat for quite a while enjoying a cool breeze.

Eventually, we continued on exploring this extensive garden. With the strong sun in Summer, shade is a very desirable quality.

Another shady nook where you could sit and relax.

The shed with the piano.

We climbed a small hill that was made from the excavation of the pond.

I told Marianne that I liked the colours of these plants and she took great joy in telling me that there were quite a few of them growing beside the path that we take to get into our unit. She was right!

Most Australian gardeners have moved away from European plants and now cultivate native Australian plants that can tolerate the heat and long dry spells.

A small Japanese garden.

Rusty objects are apparently needed in all gardens these days.

The name of the locality is thought to mean 'go away'. There was an abattoir and a sugar mill located in Yengarie in the 19th century.

In Queensland, a suitcase is called a port, short for portmanteau.

More about the rusty truck which was a 1937 Chevrolet Coupe.

Another view of the piano shed.

I suspect this is a children's play house.

An old wooden boat. The owners are obviously very keen gardeners but I suspect they would need help to keep everything looking good. It was a really interesting garden to visit. However, it was time to go home and have a well-deserved nap.

Maryborough Country Gardens - 3

 The third garden was only a couple of miles from the second.

The driveway to the house which was a fair distance from the entrance. Properties in this area are a few acres and while a lot of effort had gone into planting, it was obvious that the density of planting would be much less than in town properties.

They had recently bought in fresh loads of mulch, which you would expect since Spring is just around the corner.

We liked these spiky plants.

Any serious gardener needs a decent collection of pots.

A small bottle tree.

The ranch-style house. Note the deep verandahs which would be needed to cope with the hot sun in the north. This area would get quite hot in summer.

I love Aussie gum trees.

Tanks for collecting rainwater.

A play set for the daughter who was helping her father greet visitors.

Most of these country properties have a pond or dam for water storage. There is no town water in this area. The grass would normally be quite brown at this time of year but we have had so much rain this year that everything is lush and green.

So it's early days for this garden and when it becomes established it will be a huge amount of work to keep it in fine fettle. Fifty years ago, there was very little in this area other than trees and paddocks.

On the way out, I noticed a flattened cane toad which would be very common in this area since there are cane fields all over the place.