australiancountry.net.au 135supposed to be red river gums, but they turned out to
be everything but,” he says. “It’s turned out for the best
as the random selection looks more natural.” The island
in the centre is home to both wild and domestic ducks
and, as with the rest of the garden, a beacon for birds.
Along with magpies, kookaburras and pitwits, fi nches,
wrens, parrots and rosellas have made Banna Billa
their home.
“The downside is that hundreds of swallows also pit
stop here,” Fred says. “As fellow aviators, I have to admire
them. They can build a nest in a day. It’s perfectly clean
inside and lined with duck feathers. They will be here in
their hundreds one day and the next, off on the next part
of their migration.”
A historic farm hut makes a talking point at the back
of the homestead. “When this country was fi rst taken up,
it had to be occupied,” he explains. “These rudimentary
ripple iron huts fulfi lled that obligation. I took the brick
fi replace from an original homestead on the property,
cleaned it up and rebuilt it in the hut.”
While Fred employs a farmhand to help out several
days a week, most evenings he can be found in the
garden dealing with whatever needs attention. “It’s my
relaxation,” he explains. “It really is a privilege to live
here and watch the passage of the seasons. The garden
really comes into its own when family and friends visit.
I have to admit,I’ma box job. This is unquestionably my
forever home.”