There's a big wide world out there…..

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 d...

Everglades House and Garden, Blue Mountains

A National Trust property I took the train to the Blue Mountains from Sydney and planned it as a day trip. Katoomba was my gateway to the Blue Mountains and once there I opted to get a ticket on the Hop on Hop Off bus. It just seemed the easiest way to cover the main stops I wanted. There was an added bonus too and that was it introduced me to a few other places I hadn't been aware of. One of those places was Everglades House and Gardens at Leura. It's a National Trust property to free entry to Trust members. Out come my membership card and in I went! Unlike most National Trust Properties Everglades wasn't established as a permanent home, it was to be a weekend retreat. Once rail access was established to the Blue Mountains, wealthy Sydneysiders bought properties in the Blue Mountains to escape to on the weekend. In 1932 industrialist Henri Van de Velde bought the Everglades site which had great views over the Jamison Valley. He commissioned a landscape designer c...

Carrick Hill, Adelaide

Looking inside the house The Carrick Hill house and gardens had been closed for a few months with some work happening inside the house and I was curious to see what had changed. The house itself isn't that old, having been built in 1937 to 39, it's what inside the house that makes it historically interesting. The young couple Edward and Ursula Hayward were given the land as a wedding present and then travelled to the UK for a year long honeymoon. It was during their time there they attended a salvage sale of a stately home. Beaudesert House was owned by the Marquess of Anglesey, it had been a Tudor mansion. The house was set to be demolished as the Depression had left the family with huge depts and the house was uneconomical to run. In July 1935 the Haywards had bought the windows, doors, fireplaces, oak panelling and the staircase. It was then all shipped back to Adelaide and an architect who was a family friend set about designing the house around these items, the h...

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