Award-winning landscape designer Peter Shaw and his wife Simone first walked onto their quarter-acre bush block in Anglesea one quiet Sunday in 2000.
They had a young child and another on the way.
The block quickly stole their hearts, and has been a part of theirs – and their children’s lives – for more than 25 years.
“When we walked in, we just felt really a strong connection to that spot,” Peter said.
“This one felt more like a family space… there was a lot of indigenous plants existing still, and the trees were the same as the trees that are in the forest just up the road.”
An old real estate board at the Anglesea Historical Society later inspired the family to give the property the name “Sunnymeade”. The area had once been marketed as Sunnymeade Estate.
“Down the road, there’s a beach called Sunnymead Beach, so it’s got some connections with the area. And so that’s how we arrived at Sunnymeade,” Peter said.
Peter and Simone Shaw have tended to Sunnymeade since they bought the bush block back in 2000. Photo: S Griffiths.
From the outset, the Shaws were determined to keep the existing gums and work around them. While most houses in the street sit at the top of their blocks, they pushed their home to the back.
“We felt strongly that the front of the block was really important to keep intact,” Peter said, explaining they wanted visitors to arrive under the trees rather than to a driveway and facade.
Over more than two decades the garden has grown and evolved alongside the family. There were tree houses, cubbies and a flying fox when the children were small, later dismantled and recycled into other parts of the garden as the kids grew up.
“It’s always evolving and changing. We never see it as finished,” Peter said.
He describes the upkeep as a mix of routine and reflection: mowing and leaf-clearing alongside bigger decisions about when to thin, replant or start again.
“You don’t want it to look too neat,” Peter said. “It’s got to look a little bit flowing and natural.”
One area, known as the Sacred Garden, preserves the feel of the original bush block.
The garden has grown and changed with the family as their children have grown up. Photo: S Griffiths.
The Shaws kept machinery out of that strip along the driveway and it is home to many indigenous species.
“That one section… remained largely untouched,” Peter said. “If we’re putting anything in, we won’t just put anything, we’ll put a plant that belonged in the area.”
For visitors, Sunnymeade is also a gentle encouragement to loosen up in their own gardens.
“There are no rules,” Peter said. “You can find something quirky and hang it in a tree, and that’s perfectly fine if that makes you happy.
“Don’t be afraid to sort of do things a bit differently.”
Sunnymeade first opened to the public about 12 years ago through the old Open Gardens Australia scheme, and the Shaws have continued to work with its successor, Open Gardens Victoria.
Peter and Simone have both brought their experience in landscape design and gardening to the garden, providing a place for them to experiment and enjoy creating in. Photo: Claire Takacs.
Opening the garden, Peter said, is a way to see the place through other people’s eyes.
“It helps us keep the garden fresh,” he said.
Sunnymeade will again open to the public between 10-12 April, with a special twilight evening event on Friday on offer.
Visitors will arrive in daylight and leave after dark, with lights, lanterns, fire pits, food, wine and readings woven through the garden.
Keen gardeners will also get the opportunity to purchase Peter’s book, Soulscape, featuring Sunnymeade and nine other gardens across the Great Ocean Road.
To learn more, head to opengardensvictoria.org.au
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