A secret garden hidden beyond the walls of an architecturally designed home in Chifley is now open for all to see as the much-admired residence is listed on the market.
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The modest exterior of the house at 14 Warren Place hides decades of masterful creation and the very green thumbs of Dr Ric Shand and his wife Tonia.
Canberrans have occasionally had the chance over the years to visit the magnificent outdoor areas of the property as part of Australia's Open Gardens Scheme.
And those who have admired the gardens now have a chance to buy them and the original Pettit and Sevitt-designed and later extended home for a mere $1.5 million.
Rocky waterfalls, ponds with fountains, fish and flowers can be discovered among exotic and native plants.
Natural roofs of twisted wisteria vines cover entertaining areas and secluded spots can be found all over the property, including a hidden vegetable garden.
Artfully complementing the tennis court and swimming pool are a series of themed gardens including a Japanese-inspired Zen garden.
An abstract sculpture-turned-water fountain from Melbourne artist Judy Columbo is the centrepiece of a formal courtyard featuring tiered pools.
Dr Shand, a distinguished economist who was formally the executive director of ANU’s Australia South Asia Research Centre, said the couple had purchased the almost 3000-square-metre block in 1966 for $2000 when the suburb was just dirt.
''We spied this block and thought it would give us everything we wanted – and it has for the last 50 years,'' he said.
''It was very attractive to us because it gave such a wide vista of sky and it wasn’t too steep like a lot of blocks were.''
The couple had extensions completed on the original Sydney-based Pettit and Sevitt modular house to accommodate family and friends, with an eight-metre-long glass walkway separating what became two properties in an H shape.
The original part of the home features polished cypress pine floors, raked ceilings, timber detailing and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Dr Shand said the travels the couple had shared over the years had inspired the gardens and treasured collectables and artwork from countries such as Papua New Guinea, India and Sri Lanka are found throughout the home.
The walled courtyard beyond the main bedroom has blue tiles brought back from Delhi and Mughal ceramic-pierced windows.
While Dr Shand travelled widely for his work in development economics and agriculture his wife Tonia was in the Foreign Service and served – among other roles – as Australia’s high commissioner to Sri Lanka.
The couple share fond memories of their house and will be sad to leave it as they move to a smaller home.
They won't miss participating in the open gardens scheme as much.
''It’s a very good scheme that we admire, but it takes a hell of a lot of work to bring the garden up to scratch,'' Dr Shand said.
Agent Maureen Dwyer said the block was likely to be one of the largest in Chifley and offered some of the best views across the suburbs to the Mitchell Hills.
