The gardens that Ursula planned.
Carrick Hill had been the private home of Edward and Ursula Hayward. Both Edward and Ursula came from prominent (read wealthy) South Australian families, Ursula's were pastoralists and landowners and her father gave the couple the land as a wedding gift.
They built the house in the years 1937 to 39 and during the same period Ursula planned the garden.
Momotaro
The statue of Momotaro wasn't one of the Hayward's acquisitions but rather comes from the time that the state government accepted the bequest of the Carrick Hill estate and open it to the public.
The statue was presented by the city of Okayama on the occasion of Adelaide's 150 anniversary of white settlement in 1986. (Which is also when the estate was officially opened to visitors, Edward Hayward having died in 1983, Ursula in 1972. Information from helpful pamphlet when you enter the house!)
The statue is of the character Momotaro (Peach Boy) who set off to defeat the ogres who were terrifying people. Along the way, he met up with a dog, a monkey and a pheasant (on his shoulder) and together they defeated the ogres on Ogres Isle. The city of Okayama has a special connection with Momotaro and I've seen various displays in the main part of the city. Not sure why Okayama presented the city of Adelaide with something at the time of the Sesquicentenary, as another city, Himeji is Adelaide's sister city.
Ursula planned that the house would be surrounded by a large hedge which would help protect it from strong winds and enclose the garden.
The cutting garden was used to provide flowers for the house, florists weren't around and so wealthy estates had 'cutting gardens' where flowers were cut and brought into the house. The internal floral displays are still made from flowers found in the garden. (Not necessarily the cutting garden)
The garden has sweeping lawns, which are very popular as picnic areas on nice days. It also has winding paths through different sections of the garden.
Outside the main garden area there are the stables. I had originally thought it a bit strange that there were stables as the house was built in the late 1930s when the motorcar was very well established. It turns out that Edward Hayward was a polo player and the stables were for his polo ponies.
The Museum of Gardening can be found in the end stable with a display of some old tools.
The Carrick Hill estate has 20 hectares of natural bushland surrounding the formal gardens and the house. There are walking trails through the bushland. There are also sculptures dotted around the estate for people to discover, I like the elephants that greet you as you drive in.
The gardens and the bushland are free to enter and make for a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. There is a cafe on site and accessible from the gardens.
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