Heronswood Harvest Festival

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Posted 2014-03-11 by Nadine Cresswell-Myatt ⇒ follow

Sat 15 Mar 2014

Heronswood thinks it has a nice garden and it does. In fact it is one of the most beautiful gardens in all of Victoria with wonderful views, two hectares of grounds and mature trees--some dating back to the 1800s.

But it is the house that has always fascinated me. It is a brooding Gothic squat construction with eye-like windows which look out over the vast blue reaches of Port Phillip Bay.

Designed in 1866, it was built from granite blocks quarried from the nearby Arthurs Seat and was the seaside seat for William Hearn the first law professor at the then tiny Melbourne University.

It was eventually passed down to H. B. Higgins. Hearn famously wrote the Harvester Judgement , at Heronswood, which is the basis of the Australian arbitration system. This document ensured Australian workers a fair basic wage.

Higgins is buried in the Dromana cemetery next to his wife Mary Alice Higgins. Touchingly their son Mervyn, who was killed in action in Egypt in 1916, is buried between them.

As you can see there is a lot of important history relating to this old house. It is rarely open to the public but will be open for the which is coming up on the weekend of the 15th and 16th of March.

It is a chance not only to peek inside history but to view the gorgeous gardens which are home to the 'The Diggers Club'. This club, formed in the 1970s, sells most of its seeds through a catalogue but also has a quaint nursery at Heronswood that stocks heirloom seeds and plants. Significantly the club also fights against the introduction of GE (genetically engineered) seeds to protect Australian's food security.

Members receive catalogues, discounted seeds and free entry to these beautiful gardens. For membership click here .

There is also a restaurant on the property 'Fork to Fork' which uses produce grown in Heronswood's gardens.

This restaurant had an amazing European style thatched roof which sadly burnt down in a recent fire . But there is a temporary restaurant up and running.

The cafe will be cooking up a gourmet BBQ on the pool lawn where you can relax and enjoy a coffee or a glass of local Mornington Peninsula wine, beer or cider whilst listening to music by guitarist Joe Brady.

There will also be a number of free workshops on throughout the day:

12.30pm Companion Planting;
1.30pm Autumn Seed Sowing;
3.00pm Growing Garlic.

There will also be garden tours at 11am & 2pm, heirloom tomato tastings from 11am-3pm and wine tastings with wine from Elgee Park - the James Halliday 'Red 5 Star'-rated Mornington Peninsula winery.

As well as plants and seeds for sale there will also be a number of produce stalls such Ridge Estate Olive Oil, Peninsula Fudge, The Little Alpaca Shop and Lavender Hill Herbals.

The kids will enjoy the alpacas and chooks at close range. On Sunday, children will also be entertained with storytelling and face-painting by the Moth Fairy 11am–3pm.

Heronswood House will be open between 9.30am and 4pm on both days. An additional entry fee of $3 applies to view the house and the money raised will be donated to Friends of Lospalos, a local charity helping the Lospalos community in East Timor.

So come, celebrate the harvest. But also take up this rare opportunity to see inside this historic home.