Date: 8-9th December 2021
Travelled: 330 kms from Junee to Oberon, New South Wales.
Visited: Oberon and Mayfield.
Stayed: Wallace Lake Recreation Area, free, limited services. S33.41415, E150.07094
Budget: 20 days @ $0 per day.
After a swim and breakfast we start the long drive to Oberon. We plan on a visit to Mayfield Garden tomorrow and Oberon is a convenient overnight stop around 10 kms from Mayfield.
As you know Pam is always looking for the perfectly timed picture of a passing truck and this picture would normally go in the bin. Having a closer look we realised the trucks load. We donโt know what happens to old mattresses, but this guy must know.
Glimpses of Lake Oberon
Its been a long day and weโve driven through all sorts of weather. The GPS takes us straight to the Oberon Showgrounds where they have a campground. Itโs very wet underfoot and Iโm not at all sure about taking the Jayco onto the grass. So after a chat with the caretaker we find a small patch of gravel handstand and set the Jayco up for the evening. The weather app tells us it only 13 degrees so we may give the heater a run before having a night in.
Nice to see the sun again this morning, so after we do the usual jobs we drive out to have a look at the dam wall. Itโs only a couple of kms from the town centre and there is a small picnic area and some parking, so itโs an easy stop..
The lake is full and the spillways running. 
Lake Oberon looks particularly good with a little sun and no wind.
We where pleasantly surprised by Oberon, the town centre is a bustling place and there are no closed shop fronts here. Anyway itโs time to head the 10 kms out to Mayfield and do some exploring of the gardens.
Not the easiest place to find when you GPS isnโt co-operating. We arrive at Mayfield Gardens to find only a hand full of cars in the very big carpark. After hitting them for the pensioner discount, we used one of our Service NSW discover voucher, which reduced the cost of entry to $11.
Mayfield was established by the Hawkins Family in 1985. The original sheep farm has been transformed gradually into the worldโs largest privately owned cold climate garden. Mayfield Gardens and the Hawkinsโ family garden now cover 75 hectares.
Little point me commenting on each photo as we feel they speak for themselves.
It takes us less than two hours to walk the gardens which are amazing. The Japanese Maples in particular add a richness of colour. Next time we visit, weโll make sure it coincides with the opening of the private family gardens and do a tour.
Anyway its time to continue on to Wallace Lake near Wallerawang and our overnight stop. We return to the Great Western Hwy via Rydal which is a picturesque drive but the road is not the best. Arriving at the lake we find a surprising number of motorhomes and a couple of caravans. As itโs free it popular.
This is our final blog for this trip as we go on to visit grandchildren from here and eventually make our way home. Thanks for taking this trip with us.
Michael + Pam
One thought on “Mayfield Gardens, New South Wales ๐ฆ๐บ 2021”
75 hectares!!!! Gee I hope they have a good ride on & blower vac !! Thanks for the ride once again, it’s been travelling with you ๐