Government House
Government House Sydney
Location
Gadigal Country
Sydney, NSW
For
Government House Sydney
Design Team
Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture
Competitions
Sitting on a rocky sandstone headland with views over the waters of Farm Cove, the gardens of Government House capture the quintessential cultural landscape character of Sydney. Shaped by successive Governors and their partners since Macquarie, the gardens reflect the tastes of individuals and the aesthetic of the times. Today, the strong framework that reflects major interventions that have structured the gardens remains – the mature trees that shape the broad spatial character, and Eastern Terrace that has retained the character of an outdoor room or parlour.
JILA was engaged late in 2018 to undertake a revitalisation of the formal Eastern Terraces as well as an overarching strong and coordinated plan for garden maintenance and management in the form of an Asset Management Plan.
JILA reimagined the exotic garden beds of the Eastern Terrace, working with native plant specialists at Sydney Wildflower Nursery to make a uniquely Australian interpretation of traditional English perennial garden beds. These gardens reflect contemporary thinking about landscapes, with references to past indigenous landscapes, a sustainable base, and floristic diversity that supports wildlife.
