GARDENS.
The story of Wombat Park began in 1854 when grazier William Stanbridge constructed a modest timber homestead (which would later be relocated to Daylesford in the 1930s) and planted an array of exotic trees—oaks, elms, beeches, chestnuts, and walnuts. Today, the garden stands as an arboretum, home to towering specimens, including Monterey pines (Pinus radiata), Monkey Puzzle trees (Araucaria araucana), Bunya Bunya pines (Araucaria bidwillii), and majestic Himalayan cedars (Cedrus deodara). Many monumental English oaks (Quercus robur) still endure, their aged boughs weaving a story of time and nature’s resilience. A particularly enchanting feature is the thicket of Lawson’s cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), which has naturally layered into a dense grove from a single tree, creating a sheltered forest of trunks beneath a sweeping, fragrant canopy.
Originally, a tall laurel hedge shielded the house from the harsh southwesterly winds. When rediscovered in the overgrown wilderness that had once overtaken this area, it stood four meters tall, but with care and attention, it was trimmed back and restored. Today, double box hedges trace the path leading to the old homestead. Beneath the towering Monterey pines stands a notable addition: a Wollemi pine, a rare and living relic of horticultural history, once thought extinct and rediscovered in the wild in the 1990s.
In the early 20th century, renowned Victorian landscape designers Taylor and Sangster transformed the estate with their vision for a “new garden.” This phase introduced key features such as the long, elm-lined avenue of Ulmus proceraleading to the house, and a distinctive tapestry hedge—possibly crenelated—composed of Portuguese and Cherry Laurels, variegated and green holly, Pittosporum, Irish strawberry, and Lauristinus (Viburnum tinus). This remarkable hedge, along with the elms, is listed on the National Trust Register of Significant Trees.
The garden layout includes various distinctive lawns—croquet, teardrop, horseshoe, and the North lawn. At the heart of the teardrop lawn stands a large-leafed Weeping Elm (Ulmus glabra 'Pendula'), while the expansive boughs of a grand Red Oak (Quercus rubra) stretch over the horseshoe lawn. Visitors are invited to enjoy the quintessential pleasures of English country life: playing croquet beneath the shade of the “Deciduous Forest” and strolling along meandering pathways that seamlessly blend garden and farmland.
Beyond the tapestry hedge lies the sunken croquet lawn, bordered by an impressive array of deciduous trees: Liquidambars, beeches, Scarlet Oaks (Quercus coccinea), Hornbeams (Carpinus betulus), the rare Eagle Claw maple (Acer platanoides ‘Laciniatum’), Poison Oaks (Rhus succedanea), and two ancient Japanese maples (Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum atropurpureum’) transplanted from the original garden. The forest floor is carpeted with Himalayan strawberries, and the delicate wood blewits—violet-hued mushrooms—emerge beneath the hornbeams. A towering Douglas fir, planted by Stanbridge just two decades after its discovery, was struck by lightning in 2005, leaving a dramatic scar that runs all the way to its crown.
