Owners: Bill and Belinda Pulver
www.monafarm.com.au

Open Sunday only 12pm-3.30pm

• Entry via Kings Hwy entrance, parking within grounds

• Celebrated local author Jackie French speaking on Homestead Lawn at 12.30pm

• Guided garden tours with Head Gardener Gavin Hardy 12.30pm and 2.30pm $20pp, numbers limited to 20 per tour

• Please keep away from guest houses when exploring the gardens

The history of Mona Farm, and its gardens, can be traced all the way back to Thomas Braidwood Wilson, the founder of the town. Originally known as Braidwood Farm, Wilson purchased the land now known as Mona Farm in 1824 and established the gardens with Scotch Firs, Oaks and Elms.

Subsequent owners built the Homestead, Stables, Coach House and other buildings, many of which are now converted into luxury accommodation. The Great Depression prompted the owner in 1934, Arthur E Wilton, to reduce operating costs by eradicating much of the garden. The magnificent elm trees, Victorian walls and entrance steps all survived.

Since then, the various owners of Mona Farm have resurrected the gardens and added to the estate, including the creation of Mona Lake and the Palladian Bridge. In 2018 the property was purchased by Belinda and Bill Pulver. Mona Farm is now not only a working farm and a destination wedding venue but also houses over 15 Australian and international sculptures throughout the estate.

Today the garden, designed in the style of Lancelot (Capability) Brown, welcomes guests via the original carriageway lined with Poplars to discover vast sweeping lawns, framed by an enchanting elm woodland. Grand Oak and Linden create a magnificent and commanding backdrop for more intimate garden spaces.

Head Gardener Gavin Hardy joined the Mona Farm team in November 2021, having worked at several renowned establishments in the UK over his 20-year career. Over the past two years Gavin and his team have been working on several growth projects including a wildflower meadow. Gavin says this is the type of project that works perfectly for a luxury 124 acre estate such as Mona Farm. Vibrant annuals such as red poppies and blue cornflowers slowly start to morph into a field of white late season perennials such as Yarrow and Ox-eye daisy.

When asked what his favourite part of the Mona Farm gardens are, Gavin replies that it’s ‘the mix between the arts & crafts cottage-style gardens and the more contemporary garden spaces lined with corten walls’. In other words, the fusion between the old and the new.

Things to look out for:

* The wildflower meadow

* An ‘upside down’ elm tree

* The many sculptures dotted around the estate

Photos: Kimberley Low