There's a positive in all of this at Heronswood

For those who do not know, Heronswood is the home of The Diggers Club. The garden is a living catalogue of the evergreen fruits and vegetables described in their catalogues and books that get distributed to over 65,000 followers around Australia. The buildings and grounds are cherished and hold significant historical and architectural value. At Heronswood, they have the largest collection of fruit and vegetables for gardeners – the garden is the first in Australia to be certified organic and on top of this is listed in the Oxford Companion to Gardens as one of only four Victorian gardens, alongside the Melbourne Botanical Gardens, Mawallock and Ripponlea. We are so fortunate that such a place exists here, in the Pen, so when a fire ripped through the property recently, many held their breath and hoped for the best.

Like anything, it could have been be worse. The good news is, nobody got hurt, most of the gardens and the iconic yet historic house was saved. The bad news – the restaurant “Fork to Fork” and the executive offices housed above it, in the thatched roof, were burnt to the ground. Whilst a building was lost , time will heal all wounds and like the Phoenix, Heronswood, Fork-to-Fork and new executive offices will rise to fly higher, faster and longer. Until then, it’s important that”Penites” visit Heronswood to show their appreciation, and support. With this in mind, a “pop-up” Fork-to-Fork has reopened on the pool lawn with incredible, billion dollar views, beautiful surrounding gardens, pool, umbrellas and marque for cover. It’s definitely our new – not-so-secret – spot to go to for lunch, coffee or rendezvous with special friends on the Pen. Below are some snaps taken today, Thursday, 23 January 2014. Stay tuned for more updates in the months to come.