Murrumbateman, New South Wales

Our home is in Merryville Estate, just to the west of Murrumbateman village. We have a 2-acre block which adjoins one of the 5 ‘commons’ in the estate. The area used to be sheep paddocks and when we moved in some 3 years ago, the previous owners had done almost nothing on the block, giving us a ‘blank canvas’ to work with. Weatherwise the winters seem not as cold as Canberra, and the maximums in summer are not quite as hot. The downside is the relentless wind.

The soil is generally light clay which is quite friable unless really dried out. The top layer is mainly a light-brown friable clay, but deeper down are areas of red clay (which can get rock-solid when very dry), and a powdery white clay. A seam of rock outcrops runs across part of the block, and there were also quite a few iceberg rocks which have now been dug out. Apart from the rock seam, there are no rocks within 0.5m of the surface. The soil responds very well to applications of mulch from the Murrumbateman or Yass tips.

Each lot on the estate is provided with bore water for the garden. This reliable and inexpensive water supply is a huge asset and we have maximised its use with drip irrigation to the garden beds.

Dave Herald and Margaret Streamer

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For more information on this garden see Garden Design Study Group Newsletter 87, August 2014, p. 18