Most Victorians are unaware that our first Lieutenant-Governor, Charles Joseph La Trobe, developed a beautiful garden around his 12½ acre Jolimont estate during the nearly 15 years he spent in Victoria.
This talk takes you on a tour of the garden using detailed drawings by Edward La Trobe Bateman completed in 1853.
The drawings, plotted on an 1853 map of the estate, and extracts from letters La Trobe wrote to his daughter describing his house and garden give a flavour of the little every-day matters of life at Jolimont in its hey-day.
Presenter: Helen Botham
Helen carried out research into garden history for the National Trust and the Australian Garden History Society, and was a researcher and contributor to The Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens.
Being a member of the La Trobe Society and founding Chair of the Friends of La Trobe’s Cottage, she has a particular interest in the garden La Trobe created at Jolimont and now coordinates the La Trobe’s Cottage garden volunteer group.
Contact Helen for information and booking.