Moidart - Garden

The name 'Moidart' comes from a district on the west coast of Scotland. Built by Mr. James Burns in the early 1930s, Moidart remains in the family to this day.

The garden at Moidart was started at the same time as the house and remains true to the original design of the landscape gardener Mr. Buckingham and the designer of the house, Mr. Laidley Dowling. Selection of the tree species for the garden was made by family friend and amateur botanist, Mr. D.W.C. Shiress.

Many of the trees in the garden were planted by long time Mittagong resident, the late Clarrie Worner. He tells the story of digging a small hole, throwing in a stick of dynamite, and "running like hell".

This broke up the solid layer of shale under the surface, and judging by the size of the trees after 60 years this method of planting was very successful. The classic layout of Moidart's gardens has attracted visitors from all over the world.