Australian Country Homes – September 2019

(Chris Devlin) #1

62 Australian Country HOMES


This page: Edwina and John are the seventh generation of Macarthurs to have lived at Camden Park.

was probably the most important plant
nursery in Australia,” Edwina says. “In
addition to the table and wine grapes, the
orchard contained 47 diff erent varieties
of apple, 23 kinds of quince, as well as
apricot, plum, pear, cherry, chestnut, fi g,
hazelnut, mulberry, peach, nectarine,
guava, loquat, almond and all manner of
citrus trees.”
Even today, Camden Park’s garden
remains one of this country’s most
important and well preserved colonial
exemplars and still spreads over 16
acres (6.5ha). Notable among its many

exotic plantings is the Camellia japonica
Aneomifl ora, also known as the Camden
Park, or Waratah, camellia, which is
Australia’s oldest surviving camellia. The
grounds are maintained by a devoted
group of green thumbs, which includes
three part-time employees and an
affi liation of volunteer locals, family
members and former employees, some of
whom visit weekly and all of whom join
a three-weekly working bee. The Camden
Park Preservation Committee, another
voluntary body of experts in everything
from colonial history, architecture and


gardening to archiving and cataloguing,
also helps John and Edwina manage the
property and its collections.
“We are extremely lucky to be
supported by a great sense of community
and respect for what Camden Park
represents,” John says. “It’s the
combination of the architecture of the
house, the historic grounds including
outbuildings, furniture, household items,
the library and the fact that it has been
continuously lived in by the family for
all these years, that makes the property
truly exceptional.”
The library alone is remarkable for
the breadth of its contents ranging
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