Cruden Farm

We'd seen this place, Cruden Farm, featured one time on Gardening Australia and at the time thought it a place worthy of a visit if we were ever in the vicinity of the Mornington Peninsula. As it happened the route from Phillip Island to Mornington, our destination on a recent road trip, pretty much ran past the front gates of the property so it seemed a perfect stopover point.

One of its many highlights was the main entranceway- a fabulous stand of lemon-scented gum trees curving off the the road. 

Cute Koala fountain in the sunken garden at Cruden Farm.
Photo by Natalie Hitchens

Autumn
Photo by Natalie Hitchens

Willows surrounding the Farm's large lake
Photo by Natalie Hitchens

Photos by Natalie Hitchens

Photo by Natalie Hitchens

Photo by Natalie Hitchens

Photo by Natalie Hitchens

Photo by Natalie Hitchens

Photo by Natalie Hitchens

Two more (HDR) shots of the lake area in the quite extensive Cruden Farm gardens. A nice autumnal scene with loads of ducks and some nice colour. (I processed these using Luminar NEO).

Tough at the top - an HDR shot of the stables at the back of the main house.

A frontal shot of the house which is kind of modelled on one of those typical Louisiana Plantation houses (re: Gone with the Wind) but I don't think it works. The gardens were far more interesting (and it's not open to the public anyway). 
The farm was given to Dame Elizabeth Murdoch as a wedding present by her husband Keith Murdoch in 1928. The original cottage that was on the property was subsequently (heavily) modified by noted architect Harold Desbrowe-Annear, including the addition of tall pillars at the front (see the last image in this post) and it is said that Dame Elizabeth didn't like the modifications at all so she spent the next half century or so trying to "bury the house in the garden", which she did quite successfully.