There's a hidden treasure in Oberon which is only visible to the public on a few days each year. It's Gairloch Garden in Blenheim Avenue, and is the work of Meg and Peter Low.
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The Lows moved back to Oberon about 40 years ago and a few years later started doing a bit of gardening. Within a few more years the garden expanded and eventually they bought the house next door to use its back yard as an extension of their own.
"We love Oberon and have never regretted moving back here," Meg Low said.
"The weather is perfect and the people are friendly. We both love gardening and there's probably no better place to do what we've done here. It started off as a hobby, but just look at it now."
From the street, it looks like a conventional house on a conventional block, but behind the house is a wonderland. It's not just a collection of well tended plants and garden beds, it's a maze of surprises.
Despite being in the space of two suburban backyards, the garden feels much bigger. This is due to clever placement of the plants and objects in the space, with paths and lawn breaking up the area and almost no straight lines anywhere. Just wandering around, visitors are continually presented with new things to look at and enjoy. It almost seems as if the plants are incidental to the experience.
One constant throughout the garden is the presence of water. There are creeks, waterfalls and other water features and the sound of running water is everywhere. The white noise of water, like the murmur of wind through pine trees, brings a sense of peace and relaxation to the garden, and there are plenty of places to just sit with a cup of tea and feel a thousand kilometres from anywhere. The water is drawn from a permanent bore on the property, so the garden can keep its beauty even in a drought.
Asked about the name Gairloch, Meg Low referred to family history.
"Both of us have Scottish ancestry and a connection to the town of Gairloch in north western Scotland and some of our relatives used the name for their houses, so it seemed natural to use the name here," she said.
Another coincidence can be found in the dogs the Lows have as pets. What could be more appropriate for people living in Blenheim Avenue than to have spaniels with the official colouring called "Blenheim"?
Gairloch Garden is only open to the public on a few days each year, with the next open days being at Easter in 2024. A small entry fee is charged.
"The money collected goes to charity," Meg Low said.
"We haven't decided who to give it to for this event but we like to support smaller charities, maybe even those set up to provide support for individual children with illnesses or disabilities."
The Lows must be congratulated for the massive amount of effort they have put in to create this amazing garden and for making their back yard available for people to enjoy, not as a business but because they love what they have created and want to share it. It's not just for the locals, either, and attracts tourists from a wide area. On the day that the Oberon Review visited there were people there who had travelled from Sydney and an hour in the garden was the perfect way to finish off a day in Oberon.
