Sunnymeade is a Great Ocean Road garden jewel.
Set amongst mature messmate gums the garden is a model of what can be achieved by retaining existing vegetation and planning a garden and home with minimal impact on the environment.
The house is purposefully sited to the rear enabling sculptural messmate gums to spread their branches wide. An interesting feature are the grassy knowls formed from random undulating mounds, they add flair by playing with a green element that under ordinary conditions would have been ‘just another green lawn’.
The planting is coastal, tolerant of salty winds and long dry spells, it is predominantly planted with indigenous species and hardy native inserts. Sunnymeade is an inspiring garden that demonstrates what can be achieved with careful use of plant material and respect for the coastal environment.
The top three photos were taken by Claire Takacs, and the bottom six were taken by S. Griffiths.
Peter Shaw is a renowned landscape designer, and along with his wife Simone Shaw, they own Landscape Design & Garden Construction - Geelong, Surf Coast & Torquay.
Sunnymeade featured in The Design Files, Wonderground, and has been on Dream Gardens and Better Homes and Gardens. It also featured on Gardening Australia in 2019. In 2014 Sunnymeade won the Victorian Landscape Awards - Plants in Landscape.
Peter is the author of Soulscape: Connecting Gardens to Landscape takes which readers on a journey through ten gardens located along the world-famous Great Ocean Road in Australia.
Sunnymeade is located on the lands of the Wadawurrung people. Open Gardens Victoria wishes to acknowledge the Traditional custodians of this land and we pay respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging.
Extra activities in the area:
Road Trip to Lorne along Great Ocean Road
Paddle boats on the Anglesea River
Garden Notes TBC
Strictly only opening 10am to 4.30pm on the dates listed above. Please respect the garden owners' privacy and visit only during opening hours. There will be no early entries.
Entry: $10 Adults, $6 Students (with ID card), Free for visitors under 18 or students who have purchased an annual Student Pass (with ID).
Tickets can be booked and pre-paid online via TryBooking. You can also pay on the day.
Sustainable practices are important to OGV, therefore where possible please either print your own garden notes or save them for viewing on your mobile device.
If you’re a tertiary student, why not purchase our OGV Student Pass, providing you with entry to all our garden openings for the year for just $25. Find out more and purchase your pass via TryBooking.
Become a Friend of OGV and receive two x 2 for the price of 1 garden passes, plus a one off 10% discount to some of Victoria's best garden centres via Trybooking.
Please stay at home if you're unwell
