Gardens

Coombe Estate · The Garden of Dame Nellie Melba

Today we visit the garden of one of Australia’s most celebrated icons, Dame Nellie Melba! In 1909, after twenty years touring the world with her marvellous voice, our first lady of opera returned home to Australia. Upon her arrival she purchased a property in Coldstream, Victoria, and built her home and a garden shortly after.

A century has passed since then, and through the collaborative efforts of Dame Nellie Melba’s family, a team of expert gardeners and the estate’s property manager Daniel Sinclair Johnson, the garden remains intact and has been largely preserved in its original state. Coombe Estate now hosts daily garden tours, with its vineyard and restaurant located next door – the perfect summer day trip!

Story by our gardens columnist, Georgina Reid of The Planthunter.

Written
by
Georgina Reid

The garden at Coombe Estate is nestled amongst the lush farmland and vineyards of the Yarra Valley. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

The garden at Coombe Estate, looking out to the the Yarra Valley. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

A voluptuous wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) winds its way around the verandah of Coombe Cottage. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

The driveway entrance to Melba Estate. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

A huge old oak tree at Melba Estate. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

The native garden, built by Dame Nellie Melba’s only granddaughter Pamela, known as Lady Vestey, who lived at Coombe Estate in recent years before passing away in 2011. Lady Vestey was the guardian of Coombe Estate, and worked closely with the estate’s property manager Daniel Sinclair Johnson to create the Native Garden. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

The frog pond, framed by a pair of red flowering camellias (Camellia japonica cvs). Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

A voluptuous wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) winds its way around the verandah of Coombe Cottage. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

The huge hedge provides a strong backdrop to the garden. A mix of perennial plants and shrubs such as lavender, peony, irises, shasta daisies, and more form a wide border planting. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Bluebells! (Hyacinthoides non-scripta). Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

A peony plant (Paeonia spp.). Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

The cypress hedge was apparently planted by ​Dame Nellie Melba herself, in around 1909. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

The garden at Coombe is broken up into a series of rooms, each with a different feel. This gateway leads to the swimming pool, surrounded by ornamental fruit trees, in full blossom at the time of this shoot! Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Prunus trees flower in front of the infamous hedge. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

The garden at Coombe is around 100 years old. ​Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

An avenue of pine trees frames one of the roads within the estate. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Writer
Georgina Reid
21st of December 2015

In 1909, after nearly 20 years of international success, Australia’s first lady of opera, Dame Nellie Melba returned to Australia and bought a property in Coldstream, Victoria. She built a house, calling it Coombe Cottage, and the garden soon followed. A grand cypress hedge was planted, enclosing the property, and creating a sense of intrigue and mystery that has lasted the past 100 years. In 2014, the gardens hidden behind the hedge were opened to the public for the first time.

Coombe is still owned by Dame Nellie Melba’s descendants, the Vestey family. Lady Pamela Vestey, Melba’s granddaughter, lived on the estate from the 1970s until her death in 2011. The property is now owned by Lady Vestey’s two sons, Lords Sam and Mark Vestey, and has been managed by a passionate estate manager, Daniel Sinclair Johnson, for the last 12 years. Daniel spends his days running tours of the gardens, managing the six gardeners, and overlooking The Melba Collection of artworks, gifts, jewellery and personal effects.

‘The estate houses some of the most beautiful internationally-inspired gardens in Victoria’, says Daniel. The seven acres of gardens consist of an Italianate garden and pool, a French style rose garden, an English herbaceous border, a native garden, and a kitchen garden. The different areas of the garden are surrounded by the famous 10 metre high hedge, running 700 meters around the garden’s perimeter. The hedge is part of the original design, and according to Daniel was recorded in paintings by Hans Heysen in 1914.

Daniel’s favourite part of the garden is slightly newer than the iconic hedge. ‘I love the native garden and pond,’ he says. ‘This was created on what used to be a tennis court, played on by a former Wimbledon winner! Lady Vestey and I planted the natives and built the frog pond ten years ago, and it has now matured and softened to become a highlight of the formal gardens.’

Perhaps due to the mystery suggested by the tall hedges, or to the celebrity of garden’s former owner, there are plenty of stories about Coombe. One is the story about the 20,000 daffodils sent from the Blue Mountains of NSW to Coombe as payment for a performance by Melba. Another is story about Charlie Chaplin in the swimming pool, which is alleged to be the first swimming pool ever built in Victoria!

One story we do know to be fact, though, is the one about Lady Pamela Vestey being christened in the bird-bath in the garden! ‘This is typical of the true nature of Melba,’ Daniel says. ‘Her humour resounds throughout the property. The garden is a place of fun and relaxation, a happy place.’

Coombe Yarra Valley garden tours operate from Monday to Saturday. Visit their website for more info and bookings.

A voluptuous wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) winds its way around the verandah of Coombe Cottage. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

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