One of the Adelaide Hills’ most spectacular autumn gardens with a colourful canopy of burnished copper, scarlet and golden leaves

The Aldgate creek winds through the property and the trees shade the massed hydrangeas that line its banks, and the labelled collection of 750 camellias. In April, the sasanqua camellias with their profusion of delicately perfumed blooms in shades of white, pinks and red are outstanding.

The historic property was developed in the 1940s by the Rev Raymond Cornish and his wife Gwyneth as their retirement project. Influenced by the English artist and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll and with the help of Elsie Cornish, a well-known Adelaide garden designer, they laid out the 4.5 acres in a romantic woodland style with a series of lawn terraces either side of the creek.

In 1970, the property was bequeathed to the National Trust and the garden has since been cared for by a team of volunteers. The camellias were planted and are cared for by the Camellia Society of SA. In 2012 Stangate was awarded the distinction of being a camellia garden of international significance, one of only three in Australia.

A huge old English oak tree, Quercus robur is around 170 years old and listed on the National Register of Big Trees as the second largest in Australia. Mystery surrounds the planting of this oak but there is no doubt that it is an awe-inspiring specimen that has become a favourite backdrop for weddings and picnics.