A verdant handkerchief of manicured grounds laid out in the NSW Central Tablelands, Mayfield Garden is an exquisite estate of horticultural mastery open to all garden lovers.

Singular in its vision and scale, the privately owned Mayfield Garden in Oberon, is a highlight on any horticulturalist’s hit list. Rambling across 65 hectares, the cool-climate garden is an astonishing example of how a landscape can be tamed and shaped to take new, artful forms.

Once a dry pasture for sheep, this cascade of themed gardenscapes draws multitudes of visitors each year who come to revel in the tranquil scenery and draw inspiration for their own spaces.

Of course, you needn’t be a plant enthusiast to enjoy this curated estate, anyone will enjoy the beauty of the generations-long project and respect the joy it brings. Here’s everything you need to know to plan a visit to the garden.

The backstory of Mayfield Garden

It’s hard to believe that the 65 hectares of lush, sculptured and manicured lawns that make up Mayfield Garden were little more than a barren, rambling sheep farm when first acquired by the Hawkins family in 1984.

Initially, the family never intended to create a sprawling horticulturalist’s nirvana of international note here – they simply set out to build a family retreat. But ‘simple’ evidently wasn’t in patriarch, Garrick Hawkins, wheelhouse. Instead, the word spectacular springs to mind.

Beginning with the building of the main lake in 1987, followed by the Chinese pagoda eight years later, then steadily expanding with one beautifully executed landscape feature after another, it became apparent that Mayfield was something to share with the world.

In 2008, the gardens were opened to the public for a charitable event, and once the cat was out of the bag, it was no longer possible to contain it. Eventually, the ever-expanding Mayfield Garden was opened every day of the year (bar two) for people to bask in the splendour of 15 hectares of European-influenced showpiece gardens.

Best things to do at Mayfield Garden

Even if you’re not an avid viewer of Gardening Australia, you’re going to find a profound appreciation for the work and dedication these gardens require. From horticulture and hospitality to marketing and masonry, the estate employs around 50 people to keep the Mayfield in awe-inspiring condition. Keep that in mind as you tour the estate, because you’ll no doubt find yourself exclaiming at the detail of the stonework or the meticulously trimmed hedges.

The gardens are divided into two separate parts. First is the public access to Mayfield Garden, open 363 days a year and rambling across 15 hectares. The second is the 50-hectare Hawkins’ Family Estate, which is only open during the four seasonal festivals each year, each running for around three to four weeks.

Begin a day at Mayfield Garden with a coffee in the restaurant, from there a leisurely pace will ensure you take in everything, but be sure you don’t miss the Bluestone Bridge, water garden and the grotto – all non-negotiable. To really soak up the magnitude of the achievement here, head to the Sandstone Gallery for the complete Hawkins Family and Mayfield Garden backstory. The Iron and Stone Arbour and Wisteria Walk are ripe for selfie-snapping and the Valley of the Five Ponds is perfect for a tranquil rest.

If your visit coincides with a garden festival that unlocks access to the Hawkins’ Private Family Garden, you’ll need to direct yourself to Australia’s largest private box hedge maze. The croquet court and rose garden will have you feeling like you’ve tripped into a Jane Austen dimension, and the Chinese pagoda and Mayfield Lake make for a romantic spot to linger. The newest feature of the garden and the latest must-see is the Herbaceous Border designed by celebrated garden designer Paul Bangay.

Mayfield Garden restaurant

It makes good sense to make proper use of produce from the surrounding regions, thus most dishes at the onsite restaurant are beautifully fresh, seasonally inspired and made with local harvests. Garden-goers can pre-load with breakfast calories for a day roaming the property, pause their tour of the grounds for lunch, or finish the day with a sweet treat.

Depending on the season, you might be tucking into a warm winter salad, house-made granola or a Rueben sandwich. But with idyllic spots ripe for unfurling a rug under a verdant canopy, you could bypass dining in and, instead, order a picnic box from the restaurant. You can even add a bottle of wine or Champagne if things are headed in a celebratory direction.

The best time to visit Mayfield Garden

A cool-climate garden ensures each season delivers a sensationally different experience, so given the garden is open most days of the year (it’s only closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day), when you go depends largely on your preference for foliage and blooms.

In summer, it’s a lovely spot for a picnic under a shady tree and the waterlilies are flowering in the ponds; spring brings a chorus of colourful blooms and tender new leaves; autumn is cool and crisp with deciduous trees providing sunset-coloured canopies; and come winter, the garden is iced in frost and bareboned, but still lovely in its quietude.

However, if you’re keen to free-range through 50 hectares of the Hawkins’ Family Private Garden, you’ll need to coincide your visit with one of the four seasonal festivals.

Tickets and entry fees

Keen garden lovers can sprig for an annual membership that includes two-hour garden access, every day for a year (should you wish), for only $40. Otherwise, casual visits that take in 15 hectares of the garden cost $15.

Come the seasonal festivals, for the same price, entry includes access to the 50-hectare Hawkins’ Family Private Garden and extends to five-hour sessions.

Got a gang of flower fanatics? Group tours also cost $15 per person, but come with access to the entire 65 hectares over four hours.

Getting to Mayfield Garden

You’ll find Mayfield Garden just 10 minutes out of town from beautiful Oberon, which is a relatively easy stretch from Sydney, accessed in under three hours along the Great Western Highway.

From Katoomba, it’s a 75-minute drive and it’s 40 minutes from Bathurst. Both Mudgee (north) and Cowra (south west) are two hours’ drive away, while Lithgow is less than an hour away.

Mayfield Garden accommodation

There’s no permanent accommodation at Mayfield Garden, however, the onsite glampsite is open a few times a year to coincide with seasonal festivals in spring, summer and autumn. Glamping packages include garden access, luxe tent interiors, a pamper pack and a three-course dinner for two. You can also opt-in for breakfast delivered to your tent, which is pitched by the Obelisk Pond. One night costs $475.

Should you miss out on a garden-side glamp, your next closest option for consecutive days roaming Mayfield is to book into accommodation at Oberon. From cosy Beaconsfield Cottage or country chic Little Brundah to the more rustic Abercrombie Caves Campground or the luxe Lake Oberon Estate, there’s something to suit every budding horticulturalist’s budget.