Planetrees Estate

About Planetrees Estate

Planetrees is more than an accommodation choice – it has been created to foster your wellbeing through calming and private surrounds, creative and quality decor, landscaped gardens, luxurious facilities and simple natural beauty.

A sunlit garden at Planetrees Estate with tall trees, lush green plants, potted flowers, and garden chairs on a gravel path.
An outdoor dining area under a wooden pergola with string lights, a long table set with plates, glasses, candles, and pink flowers in vases, surrounded by greenery and brick pillars.
A garden filled with pink and red flowers, including lilies, poppies, and other colorful blooms.

The Gardens

Inspired by European garden design, Planetrees features a two hectare exhibition garden showcasing many exotic floral planting and over 350 mostly deciduous trees alongside productive olives, citrus and fruit trees.

The gardens are thoughtfully arranged into terraces and rooms defined by bold hedges, sculptural elements, tinkling fountains and dense perennial borders celebrating colour, texture and scent in every season. There are many exotic plantings featured including peony roses, hellebores, dahlias, viburnums, flowering bulbs, climbers, water lilies, and special grasses, to mention a few.

A productive vegetable garden allows guests to pick fresh produce and herbs during their stay. The garden attracts visiting groups and is open to the public biannually, reflecting its significance as a horticultural destination in the northeast region.

Learn More

A cozy outdoor garden seating area with a glass table and wrought iron chairs surrounded by lush green bushes, plants, and trees on a sunny day.
Outdoor garden seating area with a curved white concrete bench, pastel cushions, a black umbrella, and a fire pit, surrounded by lush greenery including shrubs, trees, and flowering plants.
Aerial view of Planetrees Estate, a lush green yard with multiple structures, including a house with solar panels, a swimming pool, and a large circular lawn area surrounded by trees.
Outdoor garden with green grass, white patio furniture, pink flowers in the foreground, and tall trees under a partly cloudy sky.
A garden patio with wrought iron furniture including chairs and a round table, surrounded by lush green trees, bushes, and colorful plants, under a clear blue sky.
Two lounge chairs on a gravel path in a lush, green garden with trees, shrubs, and sunlight filtering through the leaves.
A lush garden with various flowering plants, a small gravel path, a brick-edged flower bed, and green trees in the background, illuminated by sunny weather.
Arrangement of bright pink and red flowers in a decorative dark green vase with two small statues of figures on either side, set against a purple wall and a framed picture in the background.
Colorful flowers in a lush garden under a clear blue sky with trees in the background.
Close-up of bright red poppy flowers with black and yellow centers among green foliage and other small purple and pink flowers in a garden.
Large pink peony flower surrounded by orange poppies and green foliage.
Pink and purple clematis flowers blooming on green foliage in a garden during daytime.

The Natural Pool

Nestled within the estate's gardens, our natural swimming pool offers a unique and serene swimming experience surrounded by native beauty. Unlike traditional chlorinated pools, this European inspired design uses an organic self cleansing system with a regeneration zone planted with water lilies, irises and bullrushes.

Set within wide lawns edged with exotic flowers and overhanging decking, the pool feels immersed in nature with dragonflies darting across the water and frogs providing evening serenades.

Year round, the pool offers different pleasures: summer swims in pristine waters two metres deep, or cooler months relaxing on the deck with wine and a book.

Designed and built by leading Austrian company BIOTOP, Planetrees' pool was their first creation in Australia. BIOTOP are the world leaders in Natural Swimming pools industry with over 85 partners across the globe.

Planetrees Estate gardens with a rectangular natural pool with water lilies, surrounded by lush green trees and plants, with a patio area featuring lounge chairs and a red umbrella.
Two children sitting on a dock by Planetrees Estate natural pool, surrounded by lush greenery and tall trees, with chairs and towels in the foreground.
A serene garden scene featuring a narrow waterway with water lilies and yellow flowers along the banks, surrounded by lush green plants and trees, including two tall cypress trees and various other foliage, under sunlight.
aerial view of Planetrees Estate with a rectangular natural pool, surrounded by lush trees, shrubs, and garden beds, with a wooden deck and outdoor lounge chairs.
View of Planetrees Estate garden with a swimming pool, surrounded by trees and lush greenery, with a wooden deck and lounge chairs.
A bucket filled with bottles of champagne on ice on a wooden deck overlooking a lush, green natural pool with lily pads and trees surrounding it under a clear blue sky.
Person diving into a natural pool at Planetrees Estate surrounded by lily pads, with a backyard deck, red umbrella, lounge chairs, and lush green trees in the background.
The natural pool at Planetrees Estate surrounded by lush green plants and trees. There are three lounge chairs and an umbrella on a deck in the background. A metal heron sculpture stands in the shallow part of the pool in the foreground.
An outdoor giant chessboard with large black and white chess pieces, surrounded by green bushes and trees on a sunny day.
A lush garden at Planetrees Estate with various green trees and bushes, colourful flowers, a sandy pathway, and benches under shaded areas on a sunny day.
Silhouette of a person standing outdoors at night, gazing at a star-filled sky with many visible stars and a faint outline of mountains or trees in the background.

The Outdoor Games

Add a playful dimension to your stay with outdoor bocce and giant chess on the estate grounds. Whether you're enjoying friendly competition with family and friends or simply embracing the relaxed pace of garden games, these activities offer the perfect way to spend afternoons surrounded by nature.

Children and adults are inspired to take a rest from their tech devices to create games exploring the myriad of garden spaces. The huge round lawn is perfect for a cricket or soccer game.

Gather on the lawns, enjoy a glass of wine, and create memorable moments in the heart of your private retreat.

Nearby there are beautiful nature walks and cycle tracks around the village. Visit the local farm gates to pick berries in season and buy delicious Stanley apples and nuts. 

Our huge dark skies are perfect for star gazing and learning about the universe overhead. For family fun, download an app like Stellarium Mobile or Night Sky to Identify planets and constellations. 

A story to share

Planetrees encompasses many rich stories including remnants of Gold Rush history and the operation of a timber milling property for 100 years. The Lodge, once a rustic handcrafted cabin, displays a distinctive character by its local oregon timber and adobe construction now upgraded to comfortable and modern accommodation.

The materials featured in the Tuscan farmhouse style building housing the Arts Suite display unique character through the use of rare recycled materials including huge timber beams from old Nagamgbi bridges, windows and doors from the Narandra maternity hospital, and bricks salvaged from other heritage buildings.

The creation of the garden holds a host of later stories. Motivated by a desire to create a legacy project to regenerate this depleted landscape Genevieve’s inspiration for the vision drew from her many years of touring and researching European and Australian gardens. From beginnings as a mostly-bare paddock with little top soil, mapping of a detailed masterplan for the garden was undertaken followed by major structural groundwork with a 20 ton excavator in 2009.

Several structures and established trees were relocated and over 350 new deciduous trees planted. Thousands of shrubs and plants have been introduced, sourced from myriad nurseries around the country, many suited only to this cool/wet highland climate. Over the following fifteen years Planetrees transformed to become a lush oasis in the mediterranean style that is a highlight in the region.

Stone entrance with a sign reading "Planetrees Estate" and the website "planetrees.com.au." A tree, a house, and greenery are visible in the background.

Meet Your Planetrees Hosts

Planetrees Estate today is the vision and passion of it most recent custodian, Genevieve Milham. A designer and lapsed architect she was inspired by the challenge to undertake such a bold vision project. Through creating and managing Planetrees over the past seventeen years Genevieve has now became a courageous garden designer and a generous and dedicated host for the hundreds of guests who have sought an experience that is unique in the High Country.

Genevieve is dedicated to providing a welcoming sanctuary where guests experience the best of nature, creativity and relaxation. She is enthusiastic in providing guidance to her guests for exploring the best of region and she takes genuine pleasure in hosting personal and memorable stays at Planetrees.

Of course every stay is complimented with special greetings and entertainment provided by her energetic twin dachshunds, Daphne and Violet!

Planetrees Estate owner, Genevieve Milham, holding a pink pot of red flowers in front of a flower shop with various colourful flowers on display.
Two black and tan dachshund puppies resting inside a beige plastic tub outdoors.

Daphne and Violet
The princesses of Planetreees