Gardens of History and Imagination GROWING NEW SOUTH WALES

ii Illustrations

Where indicated by their individual catalogue numbers, illustrations are from the Mitchell Library, Dixson Library and the Dixson Galleries Collection, State Li- brary of NSW, Sydney. Illustrations are also drawn from the Daniel Solander Library, Royal Botanic Gardens and from private collections as indicated. Rosebank, Woolloomooloo, the Residence of James Laidley (detail), 1840, by Conrad Martens, ML DG V* / Sp Coll / Martens / 5 Digitalis purpurea, in William Curtis, Flora Londinensis, 1777, Daniel Solander Library, RBG Castle Hill, ca 1806. Watercolour, ML PX*D 379 Map. The City of Sydney, 1888, Hill, ML M3 811.17s/1888 Map. ‘County of Cumberland’, ca 1868, in Atlas of the Settled Counties of New South Wales, Basch, 1872, ML F981.01/B 1 Rosebank, Woolloomooloo, the Residence of James Laidley, 1840, by Con- rad Martens, ML DG V* / Sp Coll / Martens / 5 2 Aboriginal Fisheries, Darling River, New South Wales, ML PXA 434/12 3 Japanese garden, Hiroshima-ken, Gaynor Macdonald, 1988 4 Rainbow, Turill, Wonnarua Country, Gaynor Macdonald, 2009 5 Panoramic Views of Port Jackson, ca 1821, drawn by Major James Taylor, engraved by R Havell & Sons, Colnaghi, London, ca 1823, ML V1 / ca 1821 /6 6 Frog Rock, Wiradjuri Country, Gaynor Macdonald, 2005 7 State Ball in Australia. Kangaroo Dance, in Native Scenes, 1840–1849?, P H F Phelps, DL PX 58 8 Hand Stencils, in Album Including Drawings of Snakes and Aboriginal Rock Art, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, 1876–1897, by J S Bray, ML PXA 192 9 Pteris tremula, in Item 07: Dried Specimens of Ferns, ca 1860–1872, by Louisa Atkinson, ML R 815 10 Yulgilbar, by Rose Elizabeth Selwyn, DL PX 62

iii Illustrations 11 Yulgilbar Station, by Ellen Bundock, ML PXA 2693 12 Salisbury Court, New England, by Conrad Martens, ML PXC 973 13 Seed Annual, Arthur Yates & Co, ML Q635.05/6 1898–99 14 Governor’s House at Sydney, Port Jackson, 1791, by William Bradley, in William Bradley—Drawings from His Journal ‘A Voyage to New South Wales’, 1802+, ML Safe 1 / 14 15 General Catalogue, J & W Gelding, ML 635.96905/13 16 Gelding’s Victoria Nursery, Summer Hill, Illustrated Sydney News, 1 September 1883, p 9 17 Pymble, 1887, photographer unknown, ML SPF / Sydney — Suburbs — Pymble, 1887 (2) 69 18 Pelargonium australe (Geranium), by John Lewin, in Botanical Sketches of Australian Plants, 1803–1806, SAFE / PXC 304 19 The Peppermint Tree, in John White, Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, Appendix, Plate 23, J E Smith, 1790, ML Rare Books MRB/Q991/2A2 20 Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove), in William Curtis, Flora Londinensis, 1777, Daniel Solander Library, RBG 21 Tarmons, Woolloomooloo, Sydney, Residence of Sir Maurice O’Connell, 1845, by G E Peacock, ML 148 22 Couple on the Front Veranda of Their Shingle Roof, Rendered House with Front Garden, Hill End, by American & Australasian Photographic Com- pany, ML ON 4 Box 10 No 70163 23 The Tea Tree of New South Wales, in John White, Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, Appendix, Plate 24, J E Smith, 1790, ML Rare Books MRB/ Q991/2A2 24 Interior of the Exhibition Building Prince Alfred Park, 1870 exhibition, Illustrated Sydney News, 6 September 1870, p 4 25 Horticultural Society’s Flower Show in Botanical Gardens, Illustrated Sydney News, 16 November 1866, p 1 26 The 1869 Metropolitan Intercolonial Exhibition, Illustrated Sydney News, 9 June 1869, p 208 117 27 The Agricultural Society’s 1870 Exhibition in Prince Alfred Park, Illus- trated Sydney News, 6 September 1870, p 37 28 Giant bamboo at Bronte House, by Georgiana Lowe, ca 1842–1850. Georgiana Lowe—Album of Drawings of New South Wales, ca 1842–1850, ML SAFE / PXD 390 29 Elizabeth Heneretta [sic] Villa …, 1820, by R Read, ML V1A/P Pip/2 30 View of Vaucluse House, Illustrated Sydney News, 22 October 1869 31 Government House, Sydney, ca 1850, by G E Peacock, ML ZDG 206 32 Wotonga, by M F Moresby, 1858, in Photographic Views of Sydney, Vol 3, 1858–1941, ML PX*D 305 33 Daceyville Garden Suburb, ca 1911, ML GPO 1 — 38467

iv Illustrations 34 Lynch’s Court, off Clarence Street, Sydney, ca 1875, ML SPF / 525 35 Daceyville Garden Suburb—The Entrance, ML GPO 1 — 30618 36 Matraville Soldier Settlement, ML GPO 1 — 38587 37 Australian Agricultural Company’s Estate—Hamilton, 1914, ML TP/ N20/1 38 Panoramic View of Hyde Park & Elizabeth St, Sydney, 1871, American & Australasian Photographic Company, ML SPF / 220 39 The Garden, Hospital for the Insane, Gladesville, in Scenes of Gladesville Hospital, ca 1900–1927, ML PXA 635 / 283-286 40 Sabal Mexicana Princeps, Taken in Botanical Gardens for Mr Maiden, ML GPO 1 — 34606 41 Robinson, The Sub-Tropical Garden, 2nd edn, 1879, cover 42 Seaforthia elegans (Conservatory Palm), in Robinson, The Sub-Tropical Garden, 2nd edn, 1879 43 Interior of Bush House, 1916, ML GPO 1 — 31846 44 Eveline Alice Rogers (1881–1946), ca 1900, Rogers Family Archives, Collection Catherine Rogers 45 ‘Open Sewer’, Howard St Ultimo Before Resumption by Council, Sam Hood, ca 1906, ML Home and Away — 7388 46 Magrath’s Lane, Kent Street, Sydney, December 1875, ML SPF / 524 47 Hollywood Viewed from William Street, Burwood, mid-1880s, Rogers Family Archives, Collection Catherine Rogers 48 The Backyard of Hollywood, Looking North West, ca 1906, Rogers Fam- ily Archives, Collection Catherine Rogers 49 (Francis) Cecil Rogers, Alice’s younger brother, Hollywood, ca 1896, Rogers Family Archives, Collection Catherine Rogers 50 Retford Park House with the Cottages, Stables and Coach House, in Hordern Family—Photographic Albums, ca 1865–1925, ML PXA 918 / vol 10 51 Carriageway, Retford Park House, in Hordern Family—Photographic Al- bums, ca 1865–1925, ML PXA 918 / vol 8 52 Motorists in Front of Retford Park House, in Hordern Fam- ily—Photographic Albums, ca 1865–1925, ML PXA 918 / vol 8 53 Disused Service Road to Retford Park House, Sue Rosen, 2011

v GARDENS OF HISTORY AND IMAGI- NATION Gardens of History and Imagination GROWING NEW SOUTH WALES

Edited by Gretchen Poiner and Sybil Jack Copyright

Published by Sydney University Press The University of Sydney Library www.sydney.edu.au/sup Copyright © 2016 Sydney University Press Copyright of the original text of individual chapters is retained by their authors. Reproduction and communication for other purposes: Except as permitted under the Act, no part of this edition may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or communicated in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All requests for reproduction or communication should be made to Sydney University Press at the address below: Sydney University Press Fisher Library F03 The University of Sydney NSW 2006 Australia Email: [email protected] National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

Title: Gardens of history and imagination: growing New South Wales / edited by Gretchen Poiner and Sybil Jack. ISBN: 9781743324561 (paperback) ISBN: 9781743324578 (ebook: epub) ISBN: 9781743324585 (ebook: Kindle) Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Subjects: Gardens—Social aspects—New South Wales. Gardening—Social aspects—New South Wales. Gardening—History—New South Wales. Frontier and pioneer life—New South Wales New South Wales—Social conditions—1788–1900. New South Wales—Economic conditions—1788–1900. New South Wales—History—1788–1900.

viii Copyright

Dewey 994.02 Number: Other Creators /Contributors: Poiner, Gretchen, editor. Jack, Sybil M, editor. Design & layout: Catherine Rogers Layout & production: Sue Wiles This project has been undertaken by members of the New South Wales Chapter of the Independent Scholars Association of Australia Inc., www.isaa.org.au. Cover illustration: Rosebank, Woolloomooloo, the Residence of James Laidley (detail), 1840. Watercolour by Conrad Martens. Inside front and back covers: Castle Hill, ca 1806. Watercolour, unsigned and undated. Back cover: Digitalis purpurea (detail), 1777. Hand-coloured copperplate print.

ix The editors gratefully acknowledge the permission granted to reproduce extracts from the following works: A D Hope, ‘A Letter from Rome’, from Collected Poems 1930–1970, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1975. Reproduced by arrangement with the licensor, the A D Hope Estate, c/- Curtis Brown (Aust) Pty Ltd. Barry Maitland, Bright Air, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, 2009. Repro- duced by permission of the publisher. Les Murray, ‘The Idyll Wheel’, from Dog Fox Field, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1990. Reproduced by permission of Margaret Connolly and Associates. Kenneth Slessor, ‘Chokers Lane’, from Darlinghurst Nights and Morning Glories, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1933. Reproduced by permission of ETT Imprint, Sydney. Judith Wright, ‘The Forest’, from Judith Wright Selected Poems, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1963. Reproduced by permission of the Judith Wright Estate.

x The Botanic Garden of Sydney is certainly one of the finest features of the town … I have no hesitation in say- ing that I have seen no botanic garden in Europe kept in better order. John Gould Veitch

But an idyll of land had brought us here in ships from the far side of the year. In the evening of our youth we’d stand in good broad cloth, the spokes of one hand on our belly, beneath oaks of a vast idea … Les Murray

Yet there is something strange I would agree In those dumb continents below the line. The roots are European but the tree Grows to a different pattern and design: Where the fruit gets his flavour I’m not sure, From native soil or overseas manure. A D Hope

When I first knew this forest Its flowers were strange. Their different forms and faces changed with the season’s change— white violets smudged with purple, the wild-ginger spray, ground-orchids small and single haunted my day; the thick-fleshed Murray-lily, flame-tree’s bright blood, and where the creek runs shallow, the cunjevoi’s green hood. Judith Wright

xi xii Contents

1 Gardens, Landscapes, Wilderness: Ways of seeing ourselves 1 2 A Sense of Place 24 3 Garden Elements: Seeds, plants and their sources in colonial New South Wales 48 4 Cultivating Wellbeing: Gardens and health in colonial New South Wales 74 5 Exhibiting Gardening 99 6 Riverine Gardens of Sydney Waterways 121 7 Garden Suburbs for the People: The movement from late nineteenth-century New South Wales 146 8 Planting New South Wales: The role of the Sydney Botanic Garden 176 9 Hollywood in Burwood: The transformation of a suburban backyard to a garden 193 10 The Evolving Meanings of Retford Park: From the Horderns to Fairfax, 1885 to the present 212

Abbreviations 224 Notes 225 Bibliography 259 About the Contributors 280 Index 283

xiii Illustrations

xiv Illustrations 11 Yulgilbar Station, by Ellen Bundock, ML PXA 2693 12 Salisbury Court, New England, by Conrad Martens, ML PXC 973 13 Seed Annual, Arthur Yates & Co, ML Q635.05/6 1898–99 14 Governor’s House at Sydney, Port Jackson, 1791, by William Bradley, in William Bradley—Drawings from His Journal ‘A Voyage to New South Wales’, 1802+, ML Safe 1 / 14 15 General Catalogue, J & W Gelding, ML 635.96905/13 16 Gelding’s Victoria Nursery, Summer Hill, Illustrated Sydney News, 1 September 1883, p 9 17 Pymble, 1887, photographer unknown, ML SPF / Sydney — Suburbs — Pymble, 1887 (2) 69 18 Pelargonium australe (Geranium), by John Lewin, in Botanical Sketches of Australian Plants, 1803–1806, SAFE / PXC 304 19 The Peppermint Tree, in John White, Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, Appendix, Plate 23, J E Smith, 1790, ML Rare Books MRB/Q991/2A2 20 Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove), in William Curtis, Flora Londinensis, 1777, Daniel Solander Library, RBG 21 Tarmons, Woolloomooloo, Sydney, Residence of Sir Maurice O’Connell, 1845, by G E Peacock, ML 148 22 Couple on the Front Veranda of Their Shingle Roof, Rendered House with Front Garden, Hill End, by American & Australasian Photographic Com- pany, ML ON 4 Box 10 No 70163 23 The Tea Tree of New South Wales, in John White, Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, Appendix, Plate 24, J E Smith, 1790, ML Rare Books MRB/ Q991/2A2 24 Interior of the Exhibition Building Prince Alfred Park, 1870 exhibition, Illustrated Sydney News, 6 September 1870, p 4 25 Horticultural Society’s Flower Show in Botanical Gardens, Illustrated Sydney News, 16 November 1866, p 1 26 The 1869 Metropolitan Intercolonial Exhibition, Illustrated Sydney News, 9 June 1869, p 208 117 27 The Agricultural Society’s 1870 Exhibition in Prince Alfred Park, Illus- trated Sydney News, 6 September 1870, p 37 28 Giant bamboo at Bronte House, by Georgiana Lowe, ca 1842–1850. Georgiana Lowe—Album of Drawings of New South Wales, ca 1842–1850, ML SAFE / PXD 390 29 Elizabeth Heneretta [sic] Villa …, 1820, by R Read, ML V1A/P Pip/2 30 View of Vaucluse House, Illustrated Sydney News, 22 October 1869 31 Government House, Sydney, ca 1850, by G E Peacock, ML ZDG 206 32 Wotonga, by M F Moresby, 1858, in Photographic Views of Sydney, Vol 3, 1858–1941, ML PX*D 305 33 Daceyville Garden Suburb, ca 1911, ML GPO 1 — 38467

xv Illustrations 34 Lynch’s Court, off Clarence Street, Sydney, ca 1875, ML SPF / 525 35 Daceyville Garden Suburb—The Entrance, ML GPO 1 — 30618 36 Matraville Soldier Settlement, ML GPO 1 — 38587 37 Australian Agricultural Company’s Estate—Hamilton, 1914, ML TP/ N20/1 38 Panoramic View of Hyde Park & Elizabeth St, Sydney, 1871, American & Australasian Photographic Company, ML SPF / 220 39 The Garden, Hospital for the Insane, Gladesville, in Scenes of Gladesville Hospital, ca 1900–1927, ML PXA 635 / 283-286 40 Sabal Mexicana Princeps, Taken in Botanical Gardens for Mr Maiden, ML GPO 1 — 34606 41 Robinson, The Sub-Tropical Garden, 2nd edn, 1879, cover 42 Seaforthia elegans (Conservatory Palm), in Robinson, The Sub-Tropical Garden, 2nd edn, 1879 43 Interior of Bush House, 1916, ML GPO 1 — 31846 44 Eveline Alice Rogers (1881–1946), ca 1900, Rogers Family Archives, Collection Catherine Rogers 45 ‘Open Sewer’, Howard St Ultimo Before Resumption by Council, Sam Hood, ca 1906, ML Home and Away — 7388 46 Magrath’s Lane, Kent Street, Sydney, December 1875, ML SPF / 524 47 Hollywood Viewed from William Street, Burwood, mid-1880s, Rogers Family Archives, Collection Catherine Rogers 48 The Backyard of Hollywood, Looking North West, ca 1906, Rogers Fam- ily Archives, Collection Catherine Rogers 49 (Francis) Cecil Rogers, Alice’s younger brother, Hollywood, ca 1896, Rogers Family Archives, Collection Catherine Rogers 50 Retford Park House with the Cottages, Stables and Coach House, in Hordern Family—Photographic Albums, ca 1865–1925, ML PXA 918 / vol 10 51 Carriageway, Retford Park House, in Hordern Family—Photographic Al- bums, ca 1865–1925, ML PXA 918 / vol 8 52 Motorists in Front of Retford Park House, in Hordern Fam- ily—Photographic Albums, ca 1865–1925, ML PXA 918 / vol 8 53 Disused Service Road to Retford Park House, Sue Rosen, 2011

xvi Forewords

Gardening is by its very nature an optimistic pursuit—planting trees and other plants that you may not live to see reach full glory might seem counterintuitive to some. Multiply this concept logarithmically and you get a sense of the feeling that those planning, designing and planting what we now know as the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney must have felt in 1816. Little did they know that the Garden would develop into a multifaceted scientific organisation in a locality that would turn out to be one of the most desirable sites for a botanic garden in the world. Over the 200 years of their life the Garden has been a reflection of Sydney and Australian society—the changes in society reflected in design and plantings in the Garden but also in the way in which the Garden is utilised and loved (or neglected!). Prior to 1788, of course, the site was an important place to the Cadi- gal, who used the tidal area along Woccanmagully (Farm Cove) for an initiation ground and the ‘Kangaroo and Dog Dance’. As the Garden matured it moved away from being an attempt to reflect gardens in the United Kingdom, then as a site for the acclimatisation of exotic species in Australia that might benefit the colony, to playing a role in the explo- ration and use of Australian plants both here and overseas. It is Australia’s oldest existing scientific organisation and continues to play a role in documenting and discovering the botanical wonders of this continent and now in conserving that flora from the ravages of humanity and a changing climate. In this fascinating book, each author has written about the role of gardens and horticulture in the development of Sydney and Australia, taking as their in- spiration the celebration of the bicentenary of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. The role of gardens, and even specific plant species, in defining a ‘place’ is often underplayed by those with a focus on infrastructure and development. However, if you speak to visitors to Sydney often one of the overwhelming responses about the character of this city will relate to plants, greenery or the flowering of an iconic species en masse. Interestingly, each author has taken a different perspective, whether it be the role of gardens in amenity landscapes across the city and state, the development

xvii Forewords of a specific suburb, a unique garden or different styles of horticulture. As such, Gardens of History and Imagination exemplifies how we all view gardens and our environment in different ways and highlights why growing plants will con- tinue to fascinate us.

Dr Brett Summerell Director Science and Conservation Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust August 2015

xviii Gardens are so ubiquitous, and so embedded in our comprehension of the landscapes we inhabit, that we are blind to their artifice. The gardens of the North Shore of Sydney, which seem so permanent and authentic—the very feature that defines the ‘leafy’ North Shore itself and sells its residential desirability—are for the most part little more than 100 years old. Indeed it is always surprising to see photographs of Wahroonga taken around 1900, which reveal scrubby under- growth dominated by Blue Gum forests. There is not an azalea or camellia, or even a box hedge, in sight. Gardens of History and Imagination is a salutary reminder of the very particular human dimension attributed to the Australian landscape, since European settlement in 1788. The ten essays illuminate the cultural and political dimension of gardens and garden history, and take the reader on a fascinating discursion around the construction and consumption of nature over the past two centuries. The New South Wales Chapter of the Independent Scholars Association of Australia is to be commended for its celebration of the bicentenary of the establishment of the Royal Botanic Gardens in 1816. This builds on the Association’s excellent work of 2007, with the publication of Limits of Location, which coin- cided with the centenary of David Scott Mitchell’s death and bequest to the NSW Government of his extraordinary collection, which was of course the trigger for the construction of the Mitchell Library, which opened in 1910. Both these events celebrate the importance of major state institutions to the cultural life of Australia, and importantly acknowledge the still vital and central relevance of these venerable institutions to contemporary life. The tempting as- sumption that old collections will only tell old stories is strongly challenged by Gardens of History and Imagination. It can justifiably be said that most histories of Australia—its political, economic and cultural life—must at some point reference archival and print collections such as those of the Mitchell Library. Big picture themes—such as recent Indigenous histories that have turned accepted views on their heads and influenced government policy—have been written by people who build their ar- guments on a foundation of archival and library collections. Debates about the colonisation of Australia, or the Australian ethos, or the history of political development, or an understanding of the history of gardens in Australia are debated and contested on information organised in library collections. These essays emerge from that often intoxicating alchemy that is collections, scholars, and the stimulation of colleagues, discourses and ideas. While collections themselves are static things—newspapers, books, manuscripts and pic- tures—how scholars engage with, and interpret, the information within them is what makes history. A pile of facts, a plethora of information, is not history. History is made when these facts are interpreted, contextualised, turned into an argument and

xix Forewords shaped into a narrative. The digital age does bring us new ways of discovering information, and of interrogating it, but the historian’s role in assembling and in- terpreting into a coherent tale is still absolutely central to the making of history. In his own way, David Scott Mitchell was as omnivorous as he could be with the technology he had at his disposal. He did not just acquire—although he did that prodigiously: his foundation bequest to the Mitchell Library in 1907 com- prised some 40,000 books—rather he acquired intelligently and with purpose. He did not confine himself to mainstream publishing, but assiduously searched for all kinds of documentation: ephemera, pamphlets, manuscripts, maps and so on. ‘The main thing,’ he is reputed to have said, was ‘to get the records’, which for him meant a broad and deep collecting ‘strategy’. This impulse to acquire com- prehensively across the state’s documentary heritage has been an enduring legacy built into the DNA of the Library’s acquisition policies, and is what has made the Library’s collections the finest in the country. For me, and I sense the same pleasure in the essays in Gardens of History and Imagination, the Library’s collections are uncharted terrain, navigated within the tangible embrace and goodwill of a community of scholars and librarians both past and present. The heart of the matter is that the history—or histories, because records and archives can never be read from a single perspective—of Australia cannot be written without the Library’s collections. This is why the Mitchell Li- brary matters, and it is also why the Library has been delighted to support the Independent Scholars Association in the genesis of Gardens of History and Imag- ination.

Richard Neville Mitchell Librarian and Director, Education and Scholarship November 2015

xx It was in early 2014 that, as Chief Executive Officer of the Nursery and Garden Industry Australia, I was approached by a delegation from the New South Wales chapter of the Independent Scholars Association of Australia regarding their plans to publish an account of the importance of gardens and plants to the colonisation of Australia. They made a very compelling case and the NGIA board was very supportive in the request for funding. The timing was ideal as the industry had just embarked on a new marketing position for the industry relating to the need to increase awareness of the value of plants and gardens to the development of our urban areas. While new research has been undertaken on the need for and benefits from human engagement with nature, over time this has been missing from urban planning and general living as the pressures of a modern lifestyle take hold. It is more important now as awareness increases of the increased health and wellbeing resulting from a close relationship at the household, community and city level. The authors of this publication need to be congratulated. They have shown that even two hundred years ago, Australia’s early settlers knew that the creation of ‘green space’ was critical to the establishment of a liveable community. Plants are just as important today as they were back then and this documented history will support a new generation of horticulturalists, landscapers and individuals fo- cused on the creation of liveable and sustainable environments for the future. This publication is welcomed by the board and members of the Australian Nursery and Garden Industry.

Robert Prince Nursery & Garden Industry Australia 2008–2015 Chief Executive Officer

xxi Acknowledgments

The year 2016 marks the bicentenary of the Botanic Gardens in Sydney, now the Royal Botanic Gardens. They were established just thirty years after the First Fleet dropped anchor in Sydney Cove. Those early years came with challenges, as an idea—a hope—was transformed into a functioning and ultimately thriving colony. The role of the Botanic Gardens was germinal in that success. Its far- sighted function went beyond supporting productive gardens and disseminating plant stock to developing scientific knowledge, promoting horticulture and forg- ing a particular sense of aesthetics that contributed to the emergence of a distinct national identity. It is fitting that this collection of essays, examining gardening in many of its forms in the early decades of the settlement, should be produced as part of the celebrations of the Royal Botanic Gardens bicentenary. We are grateful to Dr Brett Summerell, Director Science and Conservation, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, for opening the opportunity for us to make that con- tribution and for making available the research resources of the Gardens. We also thank Miguel Garcia in the Daniel Solander Library for directing us to some of its treasures. Our thanks go to the Mitchell Librarian, Richard Neville, for ensuring a smooth passage for so much of our research efforts. The goodwill and patience of all Mitchell librarians in offering guidance and assistance as we plumbed the Library’s rich collections have been of incalculable value. Beyond professional knowledge and ability, their interest and commitment to enquiry has made our task especially enjoyable. In particular we thank Andy Carr, Bruce Carter, Wendy Holz, Julie Sweeten and Linda West, and ask forgiveness of those whose names we have omitted. We are deeply indebted also to the Library for its ‘in kind’ con- tributions in providing images ready for publication. Histories of gardening in early New South Wales are many, reflecting a range of perspectives inviting interpretations that stimulate interest beyond the space and time constraints of this publication. We are grateful to the City of Sydney History Publication Sponsorship Program, the Australian Garden History Society—Kindred Spirits Fund and the Nursery and Garden Industry Australia,

xxii Acknowledgments as we are to the Royal Botanic Gardens, for their generous financial sponsorship of this project that has enabled us to publish this book. Their support has been most encouraging for all authors and central in the production of this book. The keen eye, the technical understanding and skill and aesthetic sensibility of Catherine Rogers have been critical in the design and physical form of the book. We are all in her debt. Great credit is also due to Sue Wiles for the talents she brings to the often unconsidered impact of layout and to her fine attention to so many aspects of editing. We are also thankful for the skills of an archivist that Christine Yeats brought to resolving a number of bibliographic problems, and we thank Neville Meaney whose clarity of thinking brought a logic to the presenta- tion of the bibliography. Goodwill and endurance have characterised Jane Burn’s approach to the ad- ministrative work necessarily underpinning the production of this book. She has been tireless in executing the responsibilities that we have loaded on her with un- shakeable good humour. For this we are most grateful. There are also thanks to be extended from essayists individually. Janet George thanks David Russell, librarian of the Royal Australian College of Physicians Library, for his support in locating and making available relevant source materials on the history of colonial medicine. Ailsa McPherson is most grateful for the knowledge and patience of the staff in the Newspaper section of the State Library of New South Wales. The archivist of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales also provided useful information. She is also indebted to Stuart Read and Sybil Jack for specific leads in research. Kathy Robson provided both much appreciated support and a critical eye on the text. Many thanks. Gretchen Poiner is most grateful for the help provided by the staff of the Mitchell Library and the Royal Botanic Gardens. But, given that research for her essay also involved a good deal of travel, her personal list of acknowledge- ments reflects these peregrinations and the people concerned: William Oates, Michael Reed, Michael McIlveen and Philip Ward from the University of New England and Regional Archives; Jillian Oppenheimer, Lynda and Bill Skipper, Owen Croft, and Margaret Griffin also from New England; Mary Anne Bunn from Braidwood and Edwina Robinson who steered her there; Angela Phippen from the Ryde Library, Jennie MacRitchie from the Botany Library, Julie Blyth from the National Trust and Stuart Read and Stuart Watters from the Office of Environment and Heritage. The time, knowledge and support that all these people gave so generously and in different ways was of inestimable help in writing her essay. She thanks them all. John Ramsland acknowledges the very supportive staff of the Newcastle Council City Library (Local Studies Collection). Catherine Rogers offers special thanks to Gretchen Poiner, Julie Marcus and Katarzyna Malicka, Librarian, Local History, Burwood Library.

xxiii Acknowledgments Sue Rosen acknowledges the support and encouragement of James Fairfax AO and his team at Retford Park.

xxiv xxv Illust. 1 View of the north face of Rosebank, painted by Conrad Martens. The villa was originally built for Deputy Commissary-General James Laidley (1786–1835) in 1831 and demolished in the early 1920s. Sydney Town’s first ‘genteel’ suburb was on Wool- loomooloo Hill (later Potts Point). Suburban villas like Rosebank sprang up as the self- styled gentry, generally government officials, built grand homes a little away from the city. ‘The enjoyments to be derived from a suburban villa,’ John Claudius Loudon wrote, ‘depend principally on a knowledge of the resources which a garden, however, small, is capable of affording.’

xxvi