George Tindale Memorial Gardens

The Dandenong Ranges are spectacular at any time of year but spring and autumn bring a whole new dimension to the beauty of the area and it’s my two favourite times to visit. Both spring and autumn are bursting with colour with the deciduous trees beaming with bright yellows, reds and oranges. In spring it’s the flowers time to shine and what a display they put on with rows and rows of azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, waratahs, ground coverings of hellebores, spring bulbs and much more.

After visiting the Rhododendron Garden last weekend with massive crowds, we decided to visit the George Tindale Memorial Garden for a picnic lunch, surprisingly we were one of only two families there, yet the other nearby gardens were over flowing with traffic and people.

Although the George Tindale garden seems to be the lesser known garden, it’s one of the most spectacular in spring and the lack of crowds add to it’s appeal.

The gardens begin with lush lawns near the former home and are thoughtfully planted around the edges allowing space to picnic and offers a place to relax and enjoy the surrounds.

Further into the gardens it becomes more dense and has many meandering paths that zig zag throughout the garden. Azaleas line the paths with the most amazing colours on display, behind the azaleas are taller rhododendrons and camellias that are set within a natural forest of tall trees and ferns.

Although the garden its self isn’t huge at 8.4 acres, it feels bigger with so many little pathways filled with thousands of exotic, rare and native plants.

It’s such a delight to be in these gardens, with such magnificent colour variety and sweeping lawns at the entrance and along the side of the property. The towering mountain ash fill over half the property and are under planted with azaleas and rhododendron.

Off course these gardens were the creation of George Tindale (1903 – 1977) and his wife Margaret Adams.

George was an agricultural scientist and horticulturist and enjoyed spending weekends at his 400 acre (162ha) sheep farm in Woori Yallock. His passion of ornamental horticulture led him to buy Pallants Hill ( now the George Tindal Memorial Garden) in 1958.

In 1961 George married Margaret Adams who was an artist. She added several of her sculptures to the garden and helped design the rockery and pathways.

George retired in 1968 and spent much time in the garden, turning it into one of the district’s finest. He died at Pallants Hill in 1977.

Margaret managed the gardens until 1980 before giving it to the Victorian Conservation Trust. This in turn allows the public to visit these beautiful gardens and enjoy the work that George and Margaret have put into creating this spectacular garden.

If you would like to visit the George Tindale Memorial Garden it’s open daily (except Christmas) between 10am – 5pm and is located at 33 Sherbrooke Rd, Sherbrooke.

Please note that the gardens will be closed in extreme weather conditions for the safety of the public.

Weddings can be held in the garden by filling out an application form and a fee of $482.70 to Parks Victoria is payable for a two hour period. Wedding photography in the gardens also requires an application and fee payable.