Mawollok, Western District, Victoria
- jamessnow321
- Apr 8, 2019
- 1 min read
Mawallok station, in Victoria’s Western District, has one of the most significant historic gardens in Australia. Owned by the Russell family since 1847, the 2428ha pastoral property near Beaufort was bought by Jocelyn and Peter Mitchell in 1980. And in a neat twist, their son Stephen married Serena, whose grandmother was a Russell – so that when the couple took over in 2009, ownership came full circle.
“It was a daunting prospect taking on Mawallok,” says Serena. Her family property was nearby and she fondly remembers playing in Mawallok’s garden as a child. “Stephen and I both deeply love the place but the garden has been a steep learning curve for me. My mother-in-law has been an amazing inspiration.”
Contract arborists help maintain the precious trees. With the garden now into its second century, succession planting is a constant for future generations.
“Our eldest son at 20 is starting to appreciate what we’re doing,” says Serena. “We recently had to remove a huge number of old pines along the drive. He said it made him realise that when he is our age the avenue of oaks we planted will be beautiful, established trees.”
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