A former dairy farm in the Darling Downs high country has grown into a welcome haven for anyone seeking the charm and calm of a lovely rural garden.
Story + Photos Paula Heelan
Country charm exudes from the moment you pass through Bunnyconnellen’s front gate. After a year of wonderful rain, parched land and dormant gardens are once again flourishing. The long entrance is framed with olive trees and there is a scattering of rustic corrugated-iron sheds and timeworn machinery. Rambling gardens contain a profusion of fragrant flowers, seasonal vegetables, creeping vines, herb plots and lots of well-placed potted plants. Vintage containers bursting with foliage, arbours draped in wisteria and ornamental grapevines, garden retreats and water features are sprinkled throughout the grounds, and towering trees beckon in the distance. A spacious chicken coop runs along the garden edge and pathways are packed with a mix of fragrant roses, lavender, geraniums and jasmine. Brightly coloured flowers frame neutral shades of native shrubs and flowers of softer, pastel hues. The magnificent, sprawling lawns are shaded by century-old Moreton Bay figs, lemon-scented gums, liquidambars, magnolias, citrus trees, grevilleas and bay trees.
This story excerpt is from Issue #142
Outback Magazine: April/May 2022
