A former orchard farm in Palmwoods has been transformed into a popular garden oasis and tourist destination thanks to 35 years’ work by its owners.

Max Carmichael and a silent partner bought the property in 1987 and Max has been living in the original homestead for 22 years nurturing the former citrus orchard into a botanical gardens set out in eight unique, hand-manicured areas. A stunning cafe and bar overlook  serene ponds. They named it Stonebridge Gardens after the hand-laid stone bridges that adorn the property. 

Max said he’d been through 1000 ton of rocks, three cement mixers and six hospitalisations (back, ankles, knees) in realising the dream. 

“They say that you should build it and they will come,” Max said. “I didn’t know who would come, or when they’d come, or even if they’d come. But it was all about ‘just do it’. So you put your faith in the amount of work you do and have faith that people will appreciate what you’ve done just as much as you appreciate it yourself.”

And now, looking back on his achievement, it was all worthwhile.

“It’s a lifetime’s work,” said Max. “If, at the end of it all, you’re not pleased with what you’ve done, it’d be a terrible disappointment.  But it’s highly successful at the moment because of numbers of people that are coming here. The car park’s full just about every day that we’re open and the place is booked out. You can’t ask for better than that!

“It’s about management from here on and it’s about having people use the gardens as we originally designed them as we open them up for weddings and functions and grand occasions.”

The property used to be a citrus orchard and in 1987 Max and his business partner wanted to open a nursery but the plan evolved as that industry declined.

“The old lemon trees were something like 20 to 25 years old and they’d had it. So, I pulled them out with the old tractor.

“We cleaned up for two years just getting rid of all the rubbish around the dams, so you could actually see water,” he said. 

Max did most of the maintenance work on the gardens until 12 months ago. “Now we have two gardeners working for us, contractors, because of all the hedging. You can start one end and by the time you get around to it again, it all needs doing again. So, it’s an impossible task. Plus mowing the place takes two days alone.

“There’s spaces here for 20 metre marquees, all the way down to little areas where there’s a rock table, or whatever, for half a dozen people. And huge walkways where five people can walk abreast. Grand sets of stairs, where I’ve seen these things in Europe and America. And I wanted to replicate something wonderful that I enjoyed totally. It’s just something you don’t see in Australia. If you did, it’s probably gone and turned into a development somewhere.”

• Stonebridge Gardens is at 20 Rifle Range Road Palmwoods and is open Wednesday to Sunday 9am-3pm but you should ring to book a table and avoid disappointment on 0473 161 413.