On Thursday, 20 March 2008 we travelled to the Mornington Peninsula region.
At the Briars Park, Nepean Highway, Mount Martha, after morning tea, we split into two groups. There was an excellent video outlining the history of the park and we toured the heritage listed homestead and gardens. The Briars Park homestead established in the 1840’s is one of the original pastoral properties. There is an impressive Napoleonic collection is housed within the homestead, giving us an insight into the Balcombe family’s connection with Emperor Napoleon.
We had lunch at Stella’s Dromana Hotel and then enjoyed a lovely afternoon at Herronswood, Dromana. Some of the plants in the garden at Herronswood date back to 1870. Our tour of the Herronswood gardens was a delight not only to our eyes and noses, but also our taste buds as we were treated to some harvest fresh samples.
Herronswood is home to the Digger’s Club seeds selling “heirloom” vegetable seeds. The label on one packet of bean seeds brought a few chuckles “Bean Sex without Strings” (Seeds to sow now in hot zones).
The gardens are outstanding in their display of succulents, vegetables, annual and perennial borders and sub-tropical gardens.
