For those who haven’t the time or money to travel the world to visit the great gardens of Europe there is a solution right here in the New South Wales tablelands near Oberon - its called Mayfield Gardens.

After a three hour drive from Sydney through some of the most stunning rolling countryside, you’ll arrive at the world’s newest ‘Great Garden’ at Mayfield.

This awe-inspiring 65 hectare undertaking has been meticulously planned, fastidiously constructed and is now immaculately manicured by a full time team of landscapers, horticulturalists and artisan craftsmen.

It boasts just about all of the key features you’ll find in the other ‘Great Gardens’ overseas:-

# Like The Giant 80 metre Cascade – reminiscent of Chatsworth House in England.

# There are vast sweeping landscaped, earthworks creating naturalistic rolling ridges and verdant valleys all planted with an impressive mix of cool climate trees and shrubs. These surround a variety of lakes and ponds that are dotted with follies and grottoes – this time redolent of Stourhead and Stowe in the UK.

# Rose gardens, sunken gardens, croquet lawns, walled kitchen garden and avenues of autumn colour trees remind us of Sissinghurst.

# A Stumpery built around a tangled array of tree stumps was inspired by Prince Charles’s own private garden at Highgrove near Tetbury in England.

# While the crisp topiary and parterre gardens are reminiscent of Villandry and Chenonceau in the Loire Valley in France.

# But the largest single feature of Mayfield is the new Water Gardens covering 36 acres that are dotted with streams , lakes and ponds all lined with gloriously colourful spring shrubs and autumn colour trees. 

Watch out Butchart Gardens in Victoria Canada, you have a new competitor!

But most of these great overseas gardens feature historical buildings, chateaus, grand mansions, outhouses and barns to add splendour to the natural beauty, but as we know Australian history just can’t compete . . . . until now. 

Mayfield makes up for its youth with a dedication to constructing gracefully curving steps, features, bridges, walls, paths and amenity buildings with vast quantities of local blue granite, all finished beautifully and with crisp precision by local craftsmen.

Billionaire owner Garrick Hawkins realised that it wasn’t enough to have Napoleonic ambitions unless he ensured that all tiny details were as magnificent as the grand scheme. 

It is as if he has channeled the great garden builders of the 18th and 19th centuries and decided to reflect every last detail – even as far as erecting a 60metre obelisk in one of the vast, fountain sprayed ponds.

We are lucky to have witnessed the early birth stages of something as grand and ambitious as Mayfield Garden. 

It has taken vast amounts of vision, energy, commitment and money to get this far and it will take as much again and more to get to a point when the Hawkins family say ‘OK that's it….. that’ll do nicely thanks.’

Spring is perhaps the optimum time to visit Mayfield as many cool climate shrubs are in bloom, the rhododendron, camellia, viburnum, hydrangea and bulbs bringing great swathes of colour to the landscape. 

But autumn is also a very special season too as the world’s largest privately owned cool climate garden turns on the afterburners with every shade of yellows and ambers through burnt gold to the deepest of reds to delight the eye.

It is not often we can see a Great Garden in its infancy and are able to watch it grow and mature through adolescence, but with this garden we are privileged to be able to do so and will keep wanting to return to follow its development.

N.B. originally written in 2014 when the gardens first opened.