allendale gardens

As mentioned by previous reviewers this has been a labour of love for Loraine and Max who have built this garden from nothing over 20 + years. It is a gigantic achievement and with them maintaining the gardens alone it is a marvellous experience for all apart from if you do not like peacocks! They freely roam the gardens but are entirely non threatening. The garden contains wonderful trees and herbaceous borders - do not miss this gem!

I loved this place. The natural forest was tranquil, silent and atmospheric, and indeed the large ferms 'stole the show'! Truly spectacular, as was the number of very large old trees. In the area of the cultivated gardens, many beautiful peacocks roamed, including a white one. The gardens were lovely, in sight and smell ... beautiful varieties of lilies added to the sensory delight with their perfume. The whole area had the ambiance of the loving care which Loraine and Max have bestowed on this place, and one could feel the result of their living in harmony with all these beautiful plants. Don't miss the chance to have a delicious Devonshire tea, with homemade scones, jam and cream, with your tea. An enchanting place.

We visited these wonderful gardens Feb 24th 2015.The host Loraine & Max ,could not have been more helpful if they tried.. The picture perfect gardens are an absolute credit to the owners.the layout with meandering pathways through beautiful flower gardens, that led across several lovely bridges with names like " Bridge of the Whispering Pines " Bridge d' Amour" . The beautiful Mother Garden......the delightful Rambling Rose Walk. The abundant bird life, we saw so many peacocks of all colours many walking with babies under the care ......even Old Man Emu came meandering along with us ,he has been there 33 years & what could be the finish to a couple of relaxing hours then to sit in the lovely quaint cottage tea café. sipping hot brewed tea & devouring freshly made exquisite scones, spread thickly with homemade hand picked blackberry jam & cream,just scrumptious........the perfect end to a lovely walk. Congratulations to Loraine & Max for their 33 three years of tireless work, their passion truly shows their devotion. .......Just Lovely........ Bruce & Doreen

This is a beautifully presented garden which was obviously made with love. Not any of the flashy commercialism or touristy crap. Just a stunning garden and down to earth owners. If you love gardens, this is a must. Unfortunately the toilets were in need of a good clean. The tea and scones are an absolute MUST HAVE. Worth the visit

We were doing a tour of the gardens of North West Tasmania in the spring and this garden was on the list. The gardens were magnificent in all their spring splendour and obviously a labour of love for the owners Max and Loraine Cross. There were plenty of birds including peacocks, (both coloured and white) ducks and swans. The rain forest walk was magic. The devonshire tea was delicious and reasonably priced. We will be back.

We are newcomers to Tasmania (couple of years now) and have had lots of guests come and visit.Allendale Gardens is always on the list to take people to see!It never fails to amaze me the incredible work this couple have done... and continue to do in their bit of paradise!Every time I go there is something new blooming to see. Its lovely seeing all the birds roaming around, and fun to collect peacock feathers if that takes your fancy! Then you have the complete contrast of the rainforest walk to enjoy, before coming back to enjoy coffee or tea, gorgeous scones with home made jam.Lorraine and Max are kind, interesting, hard working and talented people and its always great to chat, ask questions and hear stories.I love adding to my collection of photos of the flowers and grounds at this place!It's a really great way to spend some peaceful and inspirational time!(on a note to reply to MissGall, I truly hope they don't "update" We have enough slick coffee shop, corporate run attractions out there. This is a private couple doing what they love and offering it up to the public to enjoy as well. Sure it won't be everyones 'thing' (Especially if you are mortally afraid of birds and crave everything to be 'modern') )(Also a pot of coffee and a huge scone with homemade jam and cream is $7.50, which I thought very reasonable and happily get one each time I go!)

Went here unexpectedly and unplanned, although it had been recommended to us by our parents. We saw white peacocks when we arrived and screeching big regular peacocks at the entrance. They were beautiful and the owner Max told us that if you whistle when they are showing off their tails they will turn around for photos. And they did so we got lots of great shots. The walking was leisurely and a surprise around each corner, pretty flowers of white and purple and all different shades of blue and pink, etc. An apple orchard, cows in the paddock behind, piped music to make it all magical and then top it off with a walk through the forest. This is a must do and we were happy to have done it.

Definitely not one for those who are scared of birds. It was $10 per adult to get into the farm- when we arrived there was no one at the front dining area so we went through to the gardens. Two dogs were walking around and they looked very sick. We did the walks, which were fine. Some nice gardens, but in every nook and cranny a bird would appear. From hens to white peacocks. They made the most terrible cooing sounds. I didn't want to pass them on the way out, almost tried to climb the barbed wire fence! When I exited back through the dining area, the lady asked me to pay, but I was with mum and dad and didn't have any money, I tried to pay via eftpos but they only took cash. Very old fashioned dining area. Reminded me of picnic at hanging rock with all the wind pipe music. And tacky screen savers. Best to save your money and not go here, unless they update, which I doubt they will! I understand that they have put work and time into this venture, but it seems as though they are living on another planet/ 30 years in the past!

We travelled to the gardens after hearing 'must see' reports. It certainly is a credit to Lorraine and her husband to see what they have done over the years. I think the fact that we called in after a lot of rain, did not help with our perceptions - the gardens were in need of attention but that would have been difficult considering the recent rains. I was a little surprised at the cost of the Devonshire tea - $15 for 1 pot of tea and 2 scones - mind you - the scones were lovely - the cream was real cream and the jam was yummy - but the $15 left a bit of a bad taste for us - this was too expensive. We did buy a DVD of the gardens and can see that there are stunning views throughout the seasons.... unfortunately we did not get to see it at its best.

We travelled to Smithton mainly to see these gardens, without realising that they were closed on Sundays. However, I rang early, and Lorraine was kind enough to invite us to visit after 3 o'çlock. There were a few other visitors when we arrived. The gardens and the native forest are wonderful. It was a delight to see their group of peacocks - some white, and others the more usual colour. We also noted wrens, and spotted a couple of fairies hiding in the forest. The Huon pine, and the 500 year-old "Öld Man Tree" were impressive, but the ferns steal the show. The only place I've seen with more beautiful ferns are the Dandenongs.

Tucked away near Edith Creek in the North West of Tasmania, Aus is Allendale Gardens, a wonderful, charming, very natural place to visit. Landscape gardens over 6 acres adjoining 16 acres of cool temperate rainforest. We went there in Feb 2013 as two couples (60+) intending to spend an hour or two looking at the gardens and maybe have coffee/tea. We ended up spending three and a half hours wandering the various areas including the Rainforest Walk. This area was my favourite, a natural path (easy to walk) wandered through the many Tree Ferns, Blackwood and Eucalypts. Lots of wildlife; birdsong and wallabies bouncing through the ferns.The landscaped gardens were wonderful (we were told every month had a different aspect), the Rose garden should not be missed. Roaming the gardens were peacocks and Guinea Fowl and a cute breed of chook, Silkie!?We finished our walk and came back to the tea room where we ordered tea and coffee and scones and cream. This came as pots of tea and pots of coffee, more than enough for two cups each... and were told these came as 'bottomless'. The scones were large, homemade and so good. As well as cream they came with home made blackberry jam which was also delicious (told the blackberries were still on the brambles 3 days prior)Entrance fee was modest, it wasnt difficult to see that all funds went straight back into the gardens. Allendale is run by a wonderful couple as a personal treasure shared to others.Cant recommend it highly enough!!This is their website, lots of info and photos: http://www.allendalegardens.com.au/home_page.htm