Glorious autumn leaves and more than 770 camellias, hydrangeas and late summer perennials on display

Stangate Garden is a historic property developed in the 1940s by Rev Raymond Cornish and his wife Gwyneth as their retirement project.

With the help of Elsie Cornish, a well-known Adelaide garden designer, they laid out the 4.5-acre garden in a romantic woodland style, with a series of lawn terraces on either side of Aldgate Creek. They were followers of the English arts and crafts movement, which embraced a simple country lifestyle and a love of nature. Elsie was influenced by the English artist and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. The property was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1970, and the garden has since been cared for by a team of volunteers.

The garden contains a wonderful collection of mature ornamental trees, planted in the 1940s, including oaks, beeches, tilias, maples, elms, liquidambar and dogwoods, which present a spectacular display of autumn leaves.

The garden is well known for its extensive collection of over 770 Camellias, planted and cared for by the Camellia Society of SA over the past 40 years. In 2012, it was awarded the distinction of being a Camellia Garden of International Significance, one of only three in Australia.

In autumn, the lightly perfumed simple blooms of the sasanqua camellias complement the fading blooms of massed hydrangeas, which thrive in the dappled shade. A sunny border near the house combines late roses with asters, salvias, daylilies, kiss-me-quick and daisies.

At the bottom of the garden is a magnificent English oak, Quercus robur, the second-largest in Australia, listed on the National Register of Big Trees. The planting of this oak is a mystery, but it is undoubtedly an awe-inspiring specimen that has become a favourite backdrop for weddings and picnics.