Wendy Whitely's Secret Garden

Today my walking group went to Wendy Whitely's Secret Garden in Lavender Bay on the northern shore of Sydney Harbour. Wendy, herself an artist, is the widow of renowned painter, the late Brett Whitely who died in 1992. Up till then their home overlooked a small overgrown rubbish filled valley which was unused railway land. To manage her grief following Brett's death, Wendy threw herself into cleaning, clearing and rehabilitating the land, an exhausting job which had her sleeping at night.

Wendy's garden is far from manicured; rather it is whimsical, with paths winding up, down and across the sloping land. The wanderer can find places to sit and rest or contemplate around every corner. The plants are many and varied in form and colour and attract a variety of bird species. 

These days employed gardeners and volunteers maintain the garden and in 2015 it became protected when the NSW government gave North Sydney Council a 30 year renewable lease on it.

My commenting will have to take a back seat for a few days as we get ourselves and the house ready for our 12 day trip to Tasmania commencing Friday. I will still look in on journals and try to stay caught up.