A historic old property, built only six years after South Australia was settled, with a rambling and relaxed garden, unchanged since its early days.

Marybank Estate sits on the hills face with views through massive old red gums to Adelaide. The Heritage Listed, picturesque Georgian house was built in 1842 and named for Mary, the original lady of the house. The property was sold in 1853 to Arthur Fox, and now, 7 generations later, it is still owned by his descendants.

Although reduced in size, Marybank still operates as a working farm, and there is a 7-acre vineyard planted in the late 1990s with Shiraz cuttings from the Penfolds Magill Estate.

A large lawn and traditional garden beds surround the house, and roses and perennials border a long straight path to the vineyard. From a seat at the end of the path, there are stunning views back to the house with the imposing form of Black Hill in the background. Beds planted with ranunculi, dahlias, chrysanthemums and annuals provide flowers for picking throughout the seasons, and there are several raised beds of vegetables. The charming old barn now used as a wedding venue is draped with a Banksia rose, a breathtaking sight in early spring when it is smothered in pretty, pale primrose-coloured flowers.

The older, outer parts of the garden are interesting to walk through - almost unchanged since the 1800s, they are relaxed and rambling, with hardy, resilient species surviving and thriving with no supplementary water. Very old trees include a Port Jackson fig, Shinus polygama (Chilean pepper tree), and several Picconia excelsa, an attractive and very rare tree related to the olive and now endangered in its homeland, the Canary Islands.

Throughout the garden there are links with the past, but particularly interesting are a pair of old slate troughs built well before concrete and iron tanks were available. The troughs were used for water storage in the early days when a spring on the property was the sole source of water.