Beautiful gardens from the Past.

The Conservatory at Ripponlea, Melbourne, Vic.

All over the world even in the newer nations such as Australia, NZ and the US and Canada, are beautiful gardens which have been around for years and need to be restored and renovated, to their original beauty. Often this can take a lot of research and indeed money.

Delatite Station, Mansfield Victoria.

Here in Melbourne we have gardens which although they date back perhaps 200 years and generally not much further are still part of our history. Many times they are not grand estates but are private properties and those who own them may not even be aware of the historic value of the garden. The responsibility can be daunting but help is available through local historic societies, groups such as Heritage Australia or the government equivalent in your area.

Stockmans cottage in the Howqua Valley, Victoria.

If you have an old property which you believe may be of historic value dont be too daunted by the responsibility because there is advise and indeed monetory assistance available for those who wish to find it. Often the rewards can be worth the research.

Schwerkolt Cottage Mitcham Vic.

We need to take care of our heritage both structural and natural. Gardens of our past are part of that history without them our lives would be sadly lacking. There are experts who can advise about gardens and will carry out heritage impact reports and advise about acceptable ways of restoring gardens of cultural or historical significance. Here in Australia we have many gardens and parks which are protected and restored in this way. Not all are public, many are private.

Good places to start for assistance in Australia include: http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/index.html

http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/Home.aspx; http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/04_index.htm;

local Historical societies and the National trust. You can also nominate a garden or property if you feel it should be protected.