Miss Fisher of Ripponlea

I have a confession to make: I have never watched the "Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries", nor have I read the books by Kerry Greenwood upon which the ABC series is based. Furthermore, I have not visited Ripponlea Estate, even though I lived next door in Elsternwick from 1971-1973. All very remiss of me, I am sure. However, I rectified that during my recent visit to Melbourne. And, of course, I only covered a small portion of this National Trust managed estate, so shall have to return during my next visit. Designed in 1868, the mansion is floridly ornate, but standing within its own 14 acres of lush, manicured gardens, all the aspects of the estate meld into a feast for the eye, and a balm for the weary soul. The estate was "given" to the National Trust in 1972, and entered upon the National Hertitage List in 2006.

For this first post on Ripponlea, I show the heritage orchard, which would have delighted my old, and deceased fruiterer father. There are dozens of apple and pear trees, the vast majority of which are totally new to me. And they are not manicured to within an inch of their life, but left to grow all higgedly-piggedly, as nature intended. At the end of the orchard, just before the hedged lanes into the fernery, there is a restored windmill, which affords a grand vista back over the orchard. And a peak at the mansion from the rear. More in my next post.