Two decades after it was first created, Kojonup’s unique Australian Rose Maze is being lovingly reinvigorated.
Story Suzannah Marshall Macbeth Photo Nick Wright
For 9 months of the year, the dark green palette of the WA Wheatbelt town of Kojonup has an array of colour at its centre: a picturesque maze that pays homage to Australia’s rose-growing history and helps tell a cross-cultural story of local life in the 20th century.
One hundred varieties of rose, all bred in Australia between 1900 and 2000, edge the circular pathways and frame the wooden pergolas of The Kodja Place Australian Rose Maze. Most are classics bred by amateur and professional rose growers, while a few are ‘sports’ – delightful accidents of hybridisation.
Like all gardens, the maze is ever-changing, and now it’s in the midst of its first major redesign.
This story excerpt is from Issue #151
Outback Magazine: Oct/Nov 2023
