Paul Bangay, Creightons Creek

2022:  267 Longwood Gobur Rd. Creightons Creek

Designer
 

Note: This garden was opened in 2022

Bryan and Paula Gurry purchased 320 acres of the Killeen sheep property in 2000. Over a period of time they established a thoroughbred agistment property to complement  their family owned “Fulmen Park” property 4 kilometres away.

In 2007 the Gurry’s built the first stage of their residence, built their barn in 2011 and built the second stage of their residence in 2013.

In 2009 Paul Bangay was commissioned to design their garden of three acres, in part, inspired by Paul’s then property St. Andrews farm in Woodend which Paul established in 2005.

The main drive is flanked by horse paddocks and turns right over a scenic lagoon before travelling uphill through a long avenue of plane trees to arrive into a forecourt bordered by a retaining wall hedged with rosemary

A pebble walkway extends the length of the residence with long garden beds full of catmint, English lavender and rosemary with crap apple trees interspaced along the beds.

The residence faces in a northerly direction and overlooks a large lawn with views to the lagoon, horse paddocks and the distant hills.   An arched hawthorn hedge separates further lawns to either side of the driveway intercepted with rows of crab apple trees

To the rear of the residence is the first of the four ‘rooms’, each different in content but all bordered by Portuguese laurel hedging. The pool garden is surrounded with pleached Manchurian pear trees and the laurel hedge is bordered with a lower rosemary hedge.

The “lily pond garden” to the side of the residence comprises Rugosa roses and , bordure blanche roses, English lavender, Salvia, Shasta daisies with feature pear trees positioned in the lawn. The lily pond has a beautiful show of water lillies in the summer.

A pavilion bordered with wisteria separates this room from the “round garden” which has a very large circular lawn with surrounding garden beds. This garden features banks of Russian sage, penstemons, rosemary, French lavender and feature apple trees

The fourth room is a “hedged orchard” with various fruit trees situated within a meadow like pasture.   The fruit trees are complemented by wild iris which are planted at the base of each tree

Other features include a large vegetable garden, a fig grove, orange grove, an avenue of plain trees and an avenue of Manchurian and Bradford pear trees.