| Historical notes: | Aboriginal land
Gundungurra or Gandangarra people lived in the Southern Highlands area, which includes Mittagong, for many thousands of years. People who spoke the Gundungurra language lived in the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands and the Goulburn Plains of New South Wales. They lived in small groups of extended family members, who were attached to particular areas of country. After Anglo-European settlers caused displacement of Gundungurra people, they often worked on farms or grazing properties within and adjacent to their traditional land (Di Johnson: 2004 in SHR database 5045486). Gundungurra groups left archaeological evidence of their occupation throughout their traditional lands, including scarred trees where bark was removed for use as a boat or other object, grinding grooves on rocks where axes were ground, and occupation sites which include middens. Well-worn Gundungurra pathways on ridge tops were often the routes used as the first roads by colonists (Di Johnson 2004). Possibly this could have been the origin of the Old South Road which borders part of the Renwick site. (SHR database 5045486).
Gundungurra groups left archaeological evidence of their occupation throughout their traditional homelands, including scarred trees where bark was removed for use as a boat or other object, grinding grooves on rocks where axes were ground, and occupation sites which include middens. Well-worn Gundungurra pathways on ridge tops were often the routes used as the first roads by colonists (Di Johnson, 2004). Possibly this could have been the origin of the Old South Road where the Hassall and Jefferis Cottages are located.
The area is home to the Tharawal and Gungungurra people (Robinson, 2008).
Camden and the Cow Pastures:
The area is associated with the early history of the colony of New South Wales. Governor Hunter named it 'The Cowpastures' after cattle which had strayed from the Farm Cove settlement were discovered there in 1795 (to the south-west of Sydney). Due to the early European settlers, namely the Macarthurs, who established flourishing wool, wine and wheat industries here, the area is said to be the 'birthplace of the nation's wealth' (ibid, 2008).
Colonisation of Sutton Forest:
The first expedition to the area (Sutton Forest) by Europeans took place in 1798 by a party of convicts, soldiers and servants. Ex-convict John Wilson led the party, which was sent by Governor Macquarie reportedly to refute the story among the convicts that China was no more than 150 miles to the south. A second expedition was dispatched the same year in search of salt. A member of one of these expeditions reported from Mount Gingenbullen: 'We got to the top of the hill, where we had a most delightful prospect of the country and in my opinion one of the finest in the world, it certainly must be pleasing to any many to view so fine a country (Cavanough et al, 1988, 21).
By 1815, evidence suggests there were cattle belonging to Surveyor-General Lt. Oxley and William Moore grazing in the district. c.1819, Macquarie granted 1000 acres of land at Moss Vale to Dr Charles Throsby, a surgeon from Leicester, England, who had undertaken exploration in the district and surveyed a new road through the area over the Mittagong Range. This was completed by 1820 and named Argyle Road (Rappoport, 1994, 4, citing Partidge & Davies, 1989). Thosby named his estate 'Throsby Park'. In 1820 Macquarie visited the area southwest of Moss Vale with Commissioner Bigge and named it Sutton Forest after the Speaker of the British House of Commons, Charles Manners Sutton. Macquarie described the locality as 'particularly beautiful and rich - resembling a fine pleasure ground in England' (ibid, 1994, 4). He chose a site for a new town, which was to be called Bong Bong, and a Police Station and Inn called The Argyle were constructed there. However the village was never properly established on the site due to its unreliable water supply and a difficult road traverse (ibid, 2003, 4).
Further grants were made to settlers from the 1820s onwards. On 9 July 1822 James Atkinson received a grant of 800 acres, later extended to 2000 acres. Atkinson was born in Kent, England in 1795 and arrived in Sydney in 1820. From 1820-22 he was a principal clerk in the Colonial Secretary's Office. After receiving his grant he named his estate 'Oldbury' and commenced farming and flour milling. He was a progressive farmer who attempted to raise the efficiency of farming in NSW and upon returning to England for a time, wrote two books: 'An Account of the State of Agriculture & Grazing in NSW' (1826) and 'On the Expediency and Necessity of Encouraging Distilling and Brewing from Grain in NSW' (1829) (ibid, 2003, 4).
By the mid-19th century, Sutton Forest area was known as a successful farming region and considered one of the premium wheat-growing districts in the colony: 'Barley, maize, peas, potatoes and turnips were being grown in the 1830s, while beef and dairy cattle, and to a lesser extent sheep grazed the pastures' (Cavanough et al, 1988, 24). In 1863, Surveyor-General RJ Campbell visited the district and noted it was: 'a very prosperous and progressive farming district, entirely in the hands of private individuals, chief estates being Nine Lodge, Mt. Broughton, Newbury and Oldbury, allotments formerly given to veterans now in the hands of an industrious class of settlers' (ibid, 2003, 4-5, quoting Patridge & Davies, 1989).
James Atkinson died at Oldbury on 30/4/1834. His daughter Louisa Atkinson, born the same year, was considered Australia's earliest first-native-born feamel author when she published her first novel 'Gertrude, the Emigrant: a tale of Colonial Life', in 1857, at age 23. It recounts the difficult colonial life in Sutton Forest, the Shoalhaven and Sydney in the late 1830s and 1840s. She was also a noted botanical illustrator and natural history author and wrote a series of essays in the early 1860s called 'A Voice from the Country', in which she described the flora and fauna of the area at different times of the year (ibid, 1988, 24). Louisa died in 1872 at age 38 (ibid, 2003, 5).
After Dr Charles Throsby's death in 1828, his nephew Charles inherited Throsby Park Estate at Moss Vale and built a large home there in 1837. After his death, the main house was leased c1868 to the Governor of NSW, the Earl of Belmore, as a summer residence. Later it was leased by James Reading Fairfax, owner of the Sydney Morning Herald. In 1882, the NSW Government purchased the nearby residence 'Hillview', Sutton Forest, built by Richard Richardson of Richardson & Wrench (real estate agents) c1879, as a permanent summer retreat for the NSW Governor, who at the time was Lord Augustus Loftus. That residence was subsequently extensively renovated. The selection and transformation of Hillview as the Governor's summer residence facilitated a change in the nature of the district form one characterised by farms to one peppered with country retreats. The 1880s saw extensive subdivision of the early land grants. Auction posters for the subdivision of area estates advertised the presence nearby of 'His Excellency Lord Loftus' (Mt. Broughton Estate subdivision, 1882; Newbury's 1880s subdivision poster (opposite Hillview) described it as 'resembling a fine pleasure ground in England' (Patridge & Davies, 1989, in ibid, 1994, 6), forseeing its later attraction to wealthy immigrants and tourists who were keen to escape the harsh summer and recreate an English country life in Australia (ibid, 2003, 6).
Hillview:
The residence 'Hillview' is situated on land granted in two portions of 60 acres by Governor Brisbane on 9 July 1822. These were portions 47 and 48 in the County of Argyle, District of Sutton, granted to Benjamin Crews, Charles Wright and John Larkham respectively.
These properties were eventually owned by Richard Pemberton Richardson. He purchased portion 47 in 1866 but sold it back to the vendor, John Morrice, two years later. On 8 February 1872 Morrice resold a share of the property to Richardson who then gained sole rights to the land in 1875 after Morrice died. Richardson's wife purchased part of portion 48 in 1872, he was a trustee. On 17 December 1878 Richardson purchased the rest of portion 48.
Richardson had come to NSW in 1850 from Liverpool in England, where his father had trained him to be a wool merchant. He joined Mort & Co., the prominent firm of auctioneers and wool brokers in Sydney, where he soon became a valued employee and was promoted in 1855 to land manager. His work brought him to the Sutton Forest district where he met and married Violet Alston of 'Woodside', from a prosperous Moss Vale family. They lived in Sydney. At the end of 1857 he resigned from Mort & Co. and set up his own, soon building quite a reputation both for his integrity and the sound and efficient manner in which he handled his clients' affairs. In 1860 he took Edward Wrench as a partner. The firm began to specialise in stock and station sales with the emphasis on country estates. In 1866 Richardson acquired Crew's 60 acres and later bought Wright's and Larkham's acres. He called the property 'Prospect' and built a house on portion 47, previously Crews' (ibid, 2013).
It was named after his first residence in Australia, 'Prospect Cottage' at Newtown. 'Prospect' makes up part of the main house of 'Hillview'. The date of construction is most likely to date from somewhere between 1872 to 1875. It was a two storey stone house with detached stables, built from stone quarried on the property (ibid, 2013). It consisted of three main rooms, three bedrooms, a hallway and rear attached kitchen where the stairs were located. The stairs led to a seperate room upstairs. Richardson added a number of extensions in stone and timber prior to the sale to the Crown in 1882 (Partridge & Davies, 1989).
The garden was not developed until the house was erected (1872-75)(Dixon, in Aitken & Looker, 2002, 304). Richardson retired there but soon found it unsatisfying and decided to return to Richardson & Wrench (ibid, 2013).
The term 'villa' was first used in England in the 17th century, partly from the Latin and Italian 'country house, farm', perhaps derived from the stem of vicus (village). The villa was a country mansion or residence, together with a farm, farm-buildings, or other house attached, built or occupied by a person of some position and wealth. It was taken to include a country seat or estate and later a residence in the country or in the neighbourhood of a town, usually standing in its own grounds. From this is was appropriated by the middleof the 18th century to mean a residence of a superior type, in the suburbs of a town or in a residential district, such as that occupied by a person of the middle class, and also a small, better-class dwelling house, usually detached or semi-detached. The term 'villa garden' was used in the context of Hobart and Sydney residences in the 1830s, and if near the coast or harbour, the appellation 'marine villa' was often applied. Australian origins probably date from the grant conditions applied to Sydney's Woolloomooloo Hill (1827, under Governor Darling), which obligated the construction of villas fulfilling certain conditions... 'with garden like domain, and external offices for stables and domestic economy' (John Buonarotti Papworth, 1825, quoted in James Broadbent's 1997 book, 'The Australian Colonial House'). Many gardens of 19th century villas followed Gardenesque conventions, with garden ornaments often complementing the architecture of the house. The term had acquired such widespread usage by the 1850s that when Jane Loudon issued a new editiion of her husband (John Claudius Loudon)'s 'Suburban Gardener and Villa Companion' (1838) she merely entitled the revised work 'The Villa Gardener' (1850). This coincided with a growing period of suburbanisation in Australia with consequent fostering of the nursery trade... By the 1880s, descriptions of Australian villas implied sufficient room for a lawn on two or three fronts of the residence...(Aitken, 2002, 619-20).
So well did Richardson prosper that he retired from his firm in 1875 and took up residence at Prospect. By then the district had become a tourist destination because the Great Southern Railway from 1867 brought visitors attracted by the healthy climate of the highlands. Moss Vale grew into a busy town around its railway station (first called Sutton Forest North)(ibid, 2013).
Richardson sold Prospect (143 acres) to the NSW Government in 1881, returned to active business undertakings and built himself another country residence (ibid, 2013).
From the earliest days of the colony, the Governors had felt the need for a residence outside Sydney to which they could move for a change of air and relief from summer heat. Port Hacking was considered, being a seaside locale, but was a tedious trip by coach involving two river crossings (ibid, 2013).
There had been pressure from a number of New South Wales Governors to purchase a country property for their use. Government House at Parramatta was used as an alternative country residence until Governor Fitzroy (1846-55). The Earl of Belmore (1868-72) and Sir Hercules Robinson (1872-79) leased residences in the Southern Highlands while in office.
The Earl of Belmore was quick to realise the advantage that the just-opened railway line to Moss Vale provided in terms of access to the Southern Highlands area. Robinson often stayed privately in the highlands (Morton, 2013).
When Lord Augustus William Frederick Spencer Loftus was appointed in 1879 he immediately requested an alternative summer residence as he suffered from the salt air. Unable to find a suitable residence he suggested Government House at Parramatta. Loftus continued the pressure to purchase a residence but did not have the personal means to purchase a country house. This pressure was heightened in July 1881 when he was forced to extend his hospitality at Government House in Sydney to Prince Albert and Prince George who were visiting with the Royal Navy. The illness of Rear-Admiral Lord Clanwilliam for three weeks extended the visit of the fleet and the Princes continued their stay at Government House at additional cost to Lord Loftus. This proved to be a considerable financial strain for him and he wrote to Lord Kimberly in the Gladstone administration requesting action on the matter.
As a result of this and previous agitation, the government purchased 'Prospect' at Sutton Forest on 1 February 1882 out of a 100 000 pound Treasurer's advance account for expenses of an unforseen nature. Parliamentary sanction was not sought at the time. However, the government changed and vigorous debate took place in March 1883 in which it was claimed that the purchase was unconstitutional and illegal (Partridge & Davies, 1989).
Meanwhile government architect James Barnet was instructed in 1882 to propose plans for substantial additions to the house. In April that year the Under Secretary for Public Works gave his consent for the work to be carried out. This was to take place before October to allow for occupation during the summer season. Tenders were called and results reported on 23 May 1882.
The tenders made were high and a recall was made. The prices were still high and Barnet recommended declining all tenders, demolishing the building and designing a new residence. Several schemes were proposed but do not seem to have taken place. Public Works reports for the years 1881-1883 show no expenditure on 'Hillview', the records for 1884-1887 do not itemise expenditure and in 1888 and 1889 show just over 411 pounds spent on repairs and furniture. However, during 1884 the government acquired two land lots located next to 'Hillview' from the Church of England. Negotiations for the purchase had begun when the government purchased 'Hillview' but had been held up due to some problems, including the extent of land to be purchased (Patridge & Davies, 1989).
The house was extensively remodelled, with the staircases and other woodwork being done by William Barnsley of Sutton Forest. When completed in 1883 it had 46 rooms, including 9 bathrooms and over 3 acres of landscaped gardens with many trees and shrubs having been planted. The alterations cost the government 10,000 pounds - a mighty sum in thos days, which caused furious debate in the Legislative Assembly (ibid, 2013).
Loftus probably first took up residence at 'Hillview in June 1884 or the following summer (Partridge & Davies, 1989).
Hillview's garden; and its impact on the district:
A huge boost had come to the district when the NSW Governor, the Earl of Belmore decided in 1865 to lease Throsby Park, Moss Vale, as a summer residence, which he did until 1872.
From 1870 onwards the tourist trade (in the Southern Highlands) grew, and by 1890 it was said that Bowral 'held its own as a fashionable resort'. The picturesque scenery aligned itself more with the idea of the English countryside than did the invigorative and sublime scenery of the Blue Mountains, which were not so 'gentrified'. The secret lies in the foliage of the trees, that imparts a certain English look totally wanting in most Australian landscapes ('Illustrated Sydney News').
By the mid-1880s the old elitism of the gentrified squattocracy was replaced by the ostentatious extravagance of those previously unaccustomed to wealth. Evidence of prosperity was never more important than in the High Victorian era of the 1880s. Wealthy landowners sought to outdo one another by including every possible urn, fountain or folly, so that by the end of the 1870s garden layouts were starting to display signs of the eclectic fashion of High Victorian taste, made possible by the horticultural and literary boom. The Treseder Brothers of Ashfield, Sydney and W.Adamson in Melbourne, however, continued the work of Thomas Shepherd and appealed for simplicity: 'It is the common fault in designing of gardens to attempt too much, to introduce too many flower beds and walks and ornaments, to plant too largely and of kinds attaining too great a size - simplicity of garden design should always be kept in view, and it should be combined with a sufficient amount of intricacy to avoid plainness' (Adamson, 1879).
Hillview possessed the simple qualities espoused by the Treseders and Mr Adamson. Picturesque simplicity was associated with the English gentry; the Governor, whose country residence it was, was not compelled to display a lavish and pretentious garden, for his social standing was well recognised.
In 1882 'The Illustrated Sydney News' described it as 'on the summit of a hill, which overlooks the village, and hidden from sight by a clump of splendid pines, stands the summer residence of the Governor of NSW, commanding a splendid view to the north. It is no doubt greatly owing to this that Sutton Forest is alive and vigorous'. The same article went on to say that the landscape 'possesses no picturesque ravines nor thundery waterfalls to make it popular with the tourist.' (Cavanough, Prell and North, 1988).
On becoming the vice-regal summer residence in 1882 extensive timber additions were made to the house, permitting it to house up to 50 guests, 35 servants and retinue (butlers, cooks, scullery maids, stable hands, secretaries and dairy maids)(Cavanough, Prell and North, 1988). 16 Governors of NSW resided at Hillview as a summer residence from 1882-1958, each adding their touch to the garden... Situated on a hill overlooking open grazing land towards Moss Vale, the grounds were already 'beautifully laid out' (1882) when Charles Moore* superintended additional planting in keeping with their vice-regal status (Dixon, in Aitken & Looker, 2002, 304).
*Charles Moore (1820-1905) botanic gardens director (Sydney)(1848-1896) worked diligently to improve the state and the scientific focus of the gardens, gave successful public lectures (1852-82) on horticulture and botany. Moore popularised the jacaranda, pepper tree and the 'gorgeous hibiscus' and is said to have introduced Lord Howe Island palms (Howea fosteriana (Kentia palm) and H.belmoreana (curly palm)). He is remembered for... popularising the Moreton Bay fig. He did much work in developing Sydney's reserves, not only the Gardens and Domain, but the gardens of the official residences, but also Hyde, Victoria, Wentworth and Centennial Parks... In 1879 he advocated 're-foresting the country' and recommended the establishment of a government nursery. In 1884 this was set up at Badgally Rd., Campbelltown, distributing plants to public reserves, institutional gardens, cemeteries, churches and school grounds, and railway stations, NSW-wide (Gilbert, in Aitken & Looker, 2002, 414-6).
Moore provided assistance in designing the garden, which had a simple and uncluttered layout. The main elements were a long serpentine driveway, rose garden and parkland opening out to magnificent views. Moore is likely to have designed the pine avenue lining the driveway which was planted by the Earl of Jersey in the 1890s, in order to harmonise with the predominantly (Monterey) pine (Pinus radiata) shelter that was well established on the western side of the garden. Previous to this the carriage way was treeless, defined only by a white post and rail fence shown in an etching in an 1882 edition of the Illustrated Sydney News (Cavanough, Prell & North, 1988).
The major period of extensions to the house appears to have been from 1890-1899 (Partridge & Davies, 1989).
Joseph Henry Maiden took over Charles Moore's position as Director of the Sydney Botanic Gardens in 1896, after Moore's long term of 48 years. Maiden was not only responsible for the 40 acres of gardens in Sydney but also for the 763 acres of Centennial Park, 300 acres of the Governor's residence, Hillview at Sutton Forest, the State Nursery at Cambpelltown and sundry other establishments (Rost, 2012, 144).
After Queen Victoria died in 1901 there was a change in fashion and the pines were removed in favour of elms (Ulmus procera, 'English' elm). At this time the gate house stood at the western side of the entrance, which was marked by iron gates displaying the Royal cipher. The gate house was removed by Lord Wakehurst in 1938.
Further minor additions and alterations were carried out between 1900 and 1957.
Nurseryman and garden designer Claude Crowe of the Berrima Bridge Nursery was involved in contracts during World War II to grow (vegetable) seed for the 'Mother Seed Program'. The aim of this program, initiated by the Commonwealth Vegetable Seed Committee, was to produce food crop seed to be stored and protected in the event of invasion during World War II. Crowe mentioned a visit to Hillview, to inspect different cultivars of tomatoes being grown. Further research may reveal the Governor's gardeners were also involved in the same scheme (Webb, 2012, 23).
The Government decided to sell 'Hillview' after the governorship of General Northcott in 1957. This decision has been attributed to the high cost of maintenance and the brief periods of occupancy. The property went to auction and was purchased by Edwin Klein in April 1958 with a view to establishing a retreat for retired citizens. (Partridge & Davies, 1989). Klein had not intended to live at 'Hillview' but was so taken with its charm and uniqueness that he decided to use it as his residence. He set about improving the property, including landscaping, some painting and providing lookouts. Little was done to the fabric of the house or outbuildings. (Cavanough, Prell & North, 1988). Klein and his partner Walter Winley opened the 'Emma Louise Hostel' Hillview in September 1958 (Partridge & Davies, 1989).
However this project failed and the main house was for a time unoccupied, Klein living in an outbuilding that had been the ADC's quarter)(Cavanough, Prell & North, 1988).
Edward Klein was born near Parkes NSW in 1901 and brought up on a small farm. He had made his money as a builder and land developer around Shellharbour on the NSW South Coast. He paid the (pounds)35,000 asking price for Hillview in 1958 with the intention of 'creating a peaceful retreat for retired senior citizens'. The retirement home was opened in September 1968 but was not a success. Klein never lived in the main house, preferring the small aide's wing. He was a well-read and largely self taught scholar and philosopher who thought that man's greatest assets were knowledge and wisdom but that intellectual/spiritual development of mankind had not kept pace with the scientific or technological advancement resulting in human discord. He longer for improved human relations on an international scale. It is believed that his obsession with these ideas and concept of 'cultural minds wisely balanced in thought and action' was the principal reason for his creative endeavours in the garden at Hillview. He wanted to develop 'a garden of the mind for beauty, performance and perception'.
In instigating these ideas, Klein set about 'improving' the garden. He decided the grounds should be completely re-landscaped. All the unsightly fences were removed with a single skin of flat stones standing on their edges. He hardly altered the existing vice-regal garden, although he did remove 160 trees and shrubs which he considered to be insignificant, including a beautiful cypress hedge on the north-west side of the house. He furiously underplanted all that remained with camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons and oleanders and set out to create his 'show garden' with rose beds and huge displays of dahlias - 500 varieties in every conceivable colour, shape and size 'new types being raised from the gardener's own seed'. He extended the garden from 3.5 to 7 acres to allow for his dream, 'a place for contemplation and the getting of wisdom'. The design and imagery used in the garden is based on this philosophy, to create spaces and symbols for shelter, repose and to nourish the mind. Epitomised by his building of the circular 'Treasury of Wisdom' and 'The Haven'. Other structures include 2 stone archways on the entrance drive, observation/viewing platforms, contemplative pool and fish pond, brick and timber pergolas, concrete urns, low brick and stone walls, rockeries, steps and terraces all linked by concrete paths with a crazy paving motif. A number of small garden sculptures including a sculpture of Pan and various urns and ornaments providing an element of contemplation.
He tilled the 7 acres of garden almost entirely by himself, moving the soil, mulch, plants and implements in the boot of his car! He gardened at any time in a 24 hour period, by lamp at night. The neighbours always knew which part of the garden was being worked by following the movement of the lamp! Mr Klein did not believe in watering a garden: 'survival of the fittest' he said. The present water supply is joined to the local town system but the pipes around the garden are 1940s vintage and water pressure generally low. The system has a restricted life span and taps do not reach all areas of the garden. A new irrigation system is desirable (Darling, 1995).
After 1958 the size of the garden doubled under the enthusiastic guidance of owner Klein (1901-89), an eccentric, self-taught scholar and philosopher who visualised 'a place for contemplation and the getting of wisdom'. He tilled the entire 3 hectare garden by himself, often working through the night by lamplight. The existing stonework and embellishments emanate from the era, which ended when Klein gifted Hillview back to the state government (1985)(Dixon, in Aitken & Looker, 2002, 304).
In 1985 Mr Klein gifted 'Hillview' to the NSW Government on condition that he was given tenancy for the term of his life and that if the government wished to dispose of the property prior to 2005, ownership would revert to his family (Partridge & Davies, 1989).
By the mid 1990s the garden was showing neglect. All of Klein's garden sculptures were characterised by a very economical use of materials, some of his timber pergolas were constructed from recycled fence posts, the brick structures were single brick-on-edge technique and the stone buildings and walls were a single skin of flat stones standing on their edges fixed together with a minimal use of cement. The condition of structures was very poor and they required reinforcement or removal. Restoration of the garden included clearing of overgrown areas, moving of underplantings to more suitable areas, improving and mulching soil and replanting appropriate to specific areas ie the Vice-Regal area and Klein's area. The resident caretaker, Vic Tatt and his wife Helen who went to Hillview in 1987 and cared for Klein in his last 3 years have stayed on and cared for the property. They live in the cottage, originally the stableman's quarters, 1898, behind the homestead.
The Southern Highlands Branch of the Australian Garden History Society decided in 1993 to make the conservation of Hillview's garden their main project, working with the Department of Planning. All trees, shrubs and plants were recorded and assessedassessed and restoration of the garden included clearing of overgrown areas, moving of underplantings to more suitable areas, improving and mulching soil and replanting appropriate to specific areas ie the Vice-Regal area and Klein's area. Twice yearly open days were arranged when the Society opened the garden to the public in April and October. Boundary fencing was completed so the property could again be a working farm and stock kept out of the garden. A major hawthorn and Scottish broom infestation was removed from the paddocks and work undertaken restoring the garden. Many of Klein's structures were deteriorated: they were archivally recorded and demolished. It was agreed that Klein's 26 years of ownership and garden philosophy should be recognised and therefore the eastern side of the garden is to be retained as he built and planted it. Restoration works included strengthening of the viewing platforms, retaining Klein's contemplation pool, seats, pergola etc. Klein's plantings in this area were pruned, cleared and tidied up, paths and steps made safe. The rest of the garden was restored as it was in its Vice-Regal days (Partridge & Davies, 1989; D.M.Taylor Landscape Architects P/L, 1994).
In 1997 the Southern HighlandsBranch got a $7500 grant for tree care work at Hillview: tree surgery, and the establishment of a guided tree walk with permanent labels for significant trees, creating a level path through the collection, establishing new collections of trees to extend the arboretum and install tree guards for paddock trees. The Branch's working bees and open days at Hillview ceased c.2003 (Australian Garden History, 1997, 25). A plaque mounted on a stone near the driveway 'turn' to the house records this involvement. (Read, Stuart, pers.comm, 1/2009).
In the 1990s Damien Miller became intrigued with Hillview when attending an open garden day. The house was in a dilapidated state, although essential work on the roof and to meet fire safety requirements had been done and a conservation plan had been prepared. In 1999 he responded to a government advertisement calling for expressions of interest in conserving and adapting Hillview. If he undertook certain works within a certain time frame he would be rewarded with a lease. Although initially estimating the restoration would take two years it stretched on until 2005 (Australian Garden History Society, SHB newsletter, 10/2012).
The four-roomed Aide-de-Camp (ADC) Quarters was severely damaged by a fallen oak tree in storms early in 2010. The tree has mostly been removed and the building secured and repaired.
More than 150 sculpture artworks are on display in the grounds of Hillview until May 15th (Sydney Morning Herald, 7-8/5/2016). Sculpture at Hillview has been a biennial event since 2012. It has been renamed 'Hillview Sculpture Biennial' and is co-curated by Axel Arnott and Mittagong sculptor, David Ball. The 2018 event will include 100 outdoor and indoor sculptures. (Bird, 2018, 82). A 2018 advertisement noted that the sculpture park is open every weekend, 10am-4pm, or by appointment (Hillview Heritage Hotel, 10-11/2018). |