On Thursday 18th April, 46 members set off to The Basin to visit Como Gardens, owned by George and Pam Hertel. We last visited this beautiful garden back in September 2007.
At that time Pam was in hospital, and George told us all about the property. This time however George, at 92, is now residing in care, and Pam gave us a very interesting talk about the origins of the property while we had morning tea, followed by a tour of the extensive gardens. Pam's passion is the garden and she has developed six hectares of lush garden beds and tree shaded lawns, interspersed with winding paths, a wetland and lake.
George's passion was his collection of vintage cars, but unfortunately the entire collection was sold at auction a few weeks ago. One car, however, remains. It is the first car he purchased back in 1984, a 1914 Fiat roadster.
His miniature railway winds around the property is a great way to view the garden and luckily we were able to enjoy a ride!
We left the gardens and enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Mount Dandenong Hotel. A stop at Garden Express on the way home completed our day.
Many thanks to Helen and Marilla for another fabulous outing.
