AlfredNicholasGardens
VisitorGuide
AlfredNicholasGardensaretheoriginalgardensof the ‘historic Burnham Beeches’estate. TheGardensarerenownedfortheirextensive water features includinga quaint boathouse, theunusualBlackfishPondandapicturesquelake whichisfedbytwostrikingwaterfalls.
History
Land in the area was first opened for selection in 1895. Alfred Nicholas purchasedtwo ten acre selections in 1929 to build his home and then proceeded tobuysurrounding land toadd to his estate.The propertywas soon named ‘Burnham Beeches’ after the original Burnham Beeches estate in Slough, England.
Alfred Nicholasand his brother George developed the ‘Aspro’, aspirin pain killer.This wasoriginallya German discovery, but supplyhalted duringWorld War1.George Nicholas,achemist,re-discovered the formulaand after the Australian Government awarded thepatent, the Nicholas fortune began.
Alfred Nicholas travelled to Englandwhere hemetMr PercivalTrevaskiswhowas employedat Kew Gardens. Percywasoffered the position of head gardener at Burnham Beeches.
Afterarrivingin Australia,Percyset about designing the garden. The plan included rockeries,pools, waterfalls and an ornamental lake as themain features.
MrNicholas surveyed through the streets ofMelbourneinsearch of established trees thatcould be purchased for his property. A five wheel Scammel truckwas imported from England especiallyforthe task.The first treeto be loaded ontothe truckwas a Sugar Maplewhichwasso heavy that itwent through the bottom of the trucktray.
Sadly, Alfred Nicholas passedawayin 1933 before his garden creationwas complete andthe propertysoon began to decline. Isobel (Alfred’s wife) remained atBurnhamBeeches until the
outbreak of World War II. During thewar the estatewas used as a children’s hospital. Mrs Nicholas resumed living at Burnham Beeches in 1950and stayed until1954when the house and propertywere handed over totheir company and convertedtoa researchlaboratory.
In 1965 the Nicholas institute donated the gardens to the peopleof Victoria byway of the Shire ofSherbrooke.Parks Victoria currently manages the gardenwhilst Burnham Beeches is privately owned.
What to see and do
Linkingpaths through the garden take you beneath the canopy of theawesome Mountain Ash trees (Eucalyptus regnans).
Manyof the detailed plantingshave been lost over the years but the structure of the garden remains and is emphasised by the manyrockwalls,waterfalls, upper pools and the magnificent lake.
Parks Victoriahas undertaken a range ofrestorationprojects, including the rejuvenationofthe lake in 1997which involvedthe rebuilding ofthe Blackfish Pond aswellas repairs to rock walls and surrounding paths. This has dramatically improvedthe appearance of the areawhich is verypopular for picnics, quiet contemplationand familygatherings.
Anotherpoint of interest withinthe Garden isthe intriguingsculpture byMark Stoner locatednextto the gazebo.
Updated June2008
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on131963orvisitourwebsiteat
MONTROSE
OLINDA
KALORAMA
Alfred NicholasGardens
Please return this garden note to the information shelter after use so it can be used by others. Thank you.
To Melbourne
UPPER
KALLISTA
MONBULK
NATIVEFOREST
Blackfish Pond
ToFernyCreek
AlfredNicholasGardens
GardenArea
(30km) FERNTREE
GULLY
BELGRAVE
Rockery
01.53
Kilometres
EMERALD
Boathouse
NATIVEFOREST
Water Body StaffOnly
Seasonal Highlights
Spring
Rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, kalmias and flowering cherries on the lake
Summer
Hydrangeas, fuchsias, native ferns, rhododendrons and native terrestrial orchids
RestArea
Ponds
Lake
LAWNAREA
To Kallista
Car Park MajorRoad MinorRoad
WalkingTrack (Management Vehicles Only)
Main Walking Path
Autumn
Burnham Beeches
llllll
Secondary Walking Path
Foliage colour of maples, beech and the famous golden ginkgos on the lake.
Winter
Camellias and early rhododendrons
(Private Property)
UpperPools
lllllll
Steps Toilets
Park Information Drinking Fountain
CaringfortheGarden
Help us look after the garden by remembering these guidelines:
Dogsmustbecontrolledon a leash at all times
Takeallrubbishhomewith you
Donotcollectplantspecies
-leavethemforothersto
ToFernyCreek 1km
ENTRANCE
(PedestrianOnly)
ParksVictoriaOffice
LAWN AREA
WorksDepot(Staffonly)
How to get there
WeddingPhotography
Wedding photography is available with a permit (conditions apply).The permit form and other information is available online at:
Gazebo Waterfall WalkingTrack
Toilet for Disabled Sculpture
Picnic table Gate
enjoy
Updated May 2008
To Kallista 2 km
TheGardenislocatedonSherbrookeRoad, Sherbrooke.The visitor car park is opposite the main entrance.