A dream turned reality: Southern Tableland’s Willowtree Sculpture Garden on the market

It’s a true rarity for a property like Willowtree Sculpture Garden to come onto the market, one that so seemingly dances off the pages of your favourite fantasy novel.

 So rare that owners Anna Pye and Rachael Mayne have held onto their very own “secret garden” for 19 years, and as the garden bloomed so did the magic that lies within.

When you walk through the wooden arch doors, you’ll feel a sense of allure in the air.

Nestled in the quaint village of Laggan, in the Southern Tablelands, Willowtree houses a humble four-bedroom home that sits at the entrance of the property.

From the porch, you’ll spot a wooden picnic table where just enough sun washes over it with a golden glow, and come winter you can imagine the sugar-frosted dew coating the surrounding grassland.

Surrounded by luscious greenery and soaring trees that sway with the wind and provide plenty of privacy and shady pockets waiting to be explored, the estate at 2 Redground Heights Road has been a part of the community for many years. 

The residence was built in 1957 as the presbytery for the local Catholic church, which still stands today. In 1977, the 7165 square metres of land – including the home – was surveyed and sold to the public.

Since then, it has passed through many hands and served as a loving home to several owners including Ms Pye and Ms Mayne who bought the property in 2001.

Ms Pye has been a sculptor for many years and always dreamed of building a sculpture garden of her own, to showcase her work and works of local Australian artists. So when 2 Redground Heights Road came on the market, she knew she had to have it.

“She found the property online and just fell in love with it … one day, Anna hopped in the car and drove two hours from Kangaroo Valley to Laggan to view the property and she just knew it was the one,” Ms Mayne said.

“She made an offer on the spot and walked away with the keys.”

For 11 painstaking years, the pair worked on the gardens, installing garden beds around the property and injecting TLC until they decided to enlist the help of a local landscaper and designer who developed a plan for the land.

It took another year for the garden to come to full fruition. After installing strong edging, an irrigation system and gravel pathways that run the length of the property, Willowtree Sculpture Garden came to life.

The first sculpture was a majestic angel that overlooks a stone wall made by Ms Pye, and from here Willowtree began to play host to myriad exhibitions and workshops open to the community and public showcasing sculptures from across Australia.

“We dreamed of supporting local artisans and providing a space where they could teach their skills to the community,” Ms Mayne said.

Over the years, more works were added to the garden by local sculptors including Alan Somerville, who is also behind the iconic First World War Digger on Sydney’s Anzac Bridge.

When you wander deep into the gardens you’ll find a surprise around every corner, including an intriguing, tiny wooden door that was inspired by the film The Hobbit.

“I’m from New Zealand where The Hobbit was filmed and when I met Anna, I was researching this story every night … so I wanted to be able to create a hobbit front door that’s landscaped under a hill,” Ms Mayne said.

“We always laugh and talk about what hobbits may come to Laggan.

“We’ve always been that house where everyone drops by to say hello and soon they knew us as the owners of the ‘little hobbit house’ which serves as our tool shed at the moment, but can also be a bunker and safe space.”

It also has its own kitchen and bathroom.

Maintaining Willowtree for all these years was a labour of love for the couple who are now selling to be closer to family. Ms Mayne said it was a bittersweet farewell.

“This home and garden need someone to give it the love and care it deserves,” Ms Mayne said.

“It is such a special property and because it has been a part of the community for so long, it needs someone to be there all the time. It doesn’t do it justice for us to come and go.”

Ms Mayne said nine sculptures, including eight by Ms Pye, would be part of the sale, with 21 other sculptures sold separately by the sculptors themselves.