The Gardens

Both the formal gardens and the buildings of the Abbotsford Convent are of national heritage significance due to their historic, landscape and architectural values and are recorded on the Registrar of National Estate and the Victorian Heritage Register and are classified by the National Trust Australia (Vic).

When the Abbotsford Convent Foundation took possession of the precinct in 2004, the garden was totally overgrown with weeds and blackberries. A team of dedicated volunteers and a Green Corp program helped to transform the gardens, which date from around 1902.

The garden has undergone major changes and restoration work under the guidance of heritage garden specialist Pamela Jellie.

The most structured part of the garden is the heritage-listed formal garden, dating from around 1902. The garden still retains elements from an even earlier Abbotsford House garden, including two oaks, Quercus ilex (Holm Oak) and Quercus robur (English Oak). The garden structure has survived almost intact with the rotunda, rock edging to the bads, many fine old trees and original encircling edges still evident. Volunteers are now helping to restore the garden as it would have been around 1963.

The design of the formal garden is reminiscent of the naturalistic style popular at the time in England and Australia and seen in Guilfoyle's layout of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. The perimeter path provides a series of controlled view and suprise vistas. Early photographs show the presence of many upright conifers such as the Italian cypress as well as a large number of radiata pine, Chinese fan pines and Canary Island palms. There are a number of trees of cultural significance, including a silky oak, a common alder, a white poplar and a honey locust.

An English Oak is thought to have been planted by Edward Curr, known as 'The Father of Separation', as early as 1850 in the garden of the original St Heliers House. This tree could be regarded as Victoria's Separation Tree and is included on the National Trust's Register of Significant Trees. In a protected environment, it has retained it's natural form of low sweeping branches. Here also are rare cork oaks and polar and elm avenues. The area south of the convent, down to the Yarra River (Birrarung), was originally used by the Sisters as extensive market gardens and vegetable plots.

The gardening volunteers meet on the 1st Wednesday of each month. If you would like to join this band of dedicated and lovely people, contact Pamela Jellie on (03) 9836 1881.