2012 - The Barn Palais
History and garden of the 2012 Conference Venue.
The Barn Palais has been a prominent landmark in the Mount Gambier region since its inception in 1877. Originally a barn for farming activities, it was opened in 1937 as a Barn Palais for dances and concerts, with 1,000 people flocking to its opening.
From then it has gone from strength to strength, with the present owners, Dale and Marianne Cleves, taking over from Dale’s father in 1965. It is used now for a variety of functions, especially jazz concerts as Dale Cleves is a very gifted musician.
Marianne was fortunate in inheriting some magnificent and historically important trees as a backbone to the garden which she has lovingly developed into the showplace it is today. Trees such as a rare Turkey oak, a magnificent tulip tree, ginkgo, linden, a pink and white horse chestnut and an avenue of London plane trees lining the original entrance all give a grandeur to the parklike setting of the garden. Extensive beds of perennials give interest all year round, while masses of roses make November and December a blaze of colour – roses such as ‘Golden Wings’, ‘Dupontii’, ‘Belle Isis’, 'Agnes', ‘Martin Frobisher’, ‘Mrs BR Cant’, ‘Gruss an Aachen’ and lots of Austins.
Species lilacs bought in Tasmania are scattered throughout the garden, and the coral-barked maple makes a feature at all times of the year.
When the homestead was originally built, extensive cypress hedges were planted to give protection from the bitterly cold southerlies blowing directly from the coast not far away. These grew into a substantial barrier surrounding both the homestead and The Barn itself. After eighty years sections were dying out, creating a potential fire risk, and so the difficult decision was made to get rid of the entire hedge, thus opening the garden as well as the buildings to the elements. Marianne rose to the challenge and planted a whole new range of plants able to cope with the extra sunlight and wind. Hedges now include Myrtus luma bordering the main Nelson Road and a variety of viburnums planted as a tapestry hedge along the southern side of the property. A row of mop-top robinias make a statement along the northern boundary. Shielding The Barn itself on its western side is an array of apricot tonings. ‘Twilight Glow’ is trained along the wall with pillars of ‘Crépuscule’ in front interspersed with shrub roses and perennials. ‘Mrs Oakley Fisher’ is used extensively, with a bed of forty plants sweeping around the corner.
New motel units opened in 2009 have large picture windows looking out on the beautiful gardens that Marianne has developed. Groups of roses, both modern and heritage, are softened with masses of perennials, especially salvias. Cineraria cirrus makes a silver edge which is complemented by background plantings of Victoria Blue salvia and Sedum Autumn Joy. Height is achieved by rows of ornamental pears – Aristocrat – and Malus trilobata. An impressive fountain makes a grand entrance statement to the
motel and steakhouse reception area.
At the back of the property are Marianne’s potting sheds and glass houses where she grows many of the rare and beautiful plants one finds in her garden. A huge organic vegetable garden and a variety of fruit trees feed the Cleves family and the dinner guests at the Barn Steakhouse. Chooks and a huge compost bin help with recycling. A hedge of ‘Sparrieshoop’ and ‘Blossomtime’ gives colour to the fence line.
The homestead itself has been given a new lease of life, now that the gloomy cypress hedge has gone and a deep grey picket fence has taken its place. The front garden has a simple formality, a blue and white garden edged with Japanese box. A feature has been made of George Thomson’s rose ‘65 Roses’, a pretty single white flower with lovely scent, named for the Cystic Fibrosis Association. ‘Moonlight’, ‘G Nabonnand’, ‘Fimbriata’ and ‘White Wings’ flourish along with white hydrangeas, white daphne, an unusual white alstroemeria and lots of iris. Covering the pillars and walls of the house are climbers such as ‘Pierre de Ronsard’, ‘Meg’, ‘Mme Butterfly’, ‘Sombreuil’, ‘Mme Caroline Testout’, ‘Mme Gregoire Staechelin’ and ‘Zéphirine Drouhin’. The Barn complex covers about five acres in all, the gardens tying everything together into a harmonious whole.
Sue Zwar, based on information from www.barn.com.au.