Mulberry Hill is a National Trust property situated at Langwarrin, near the Mornington Peninsula, the former home of Sir Daryl and Lady Lindsay. The property is cared for by Cara-Ann Simpson who also lives there in the caretaker's cottage. The house is American Colonial Style designed by Harold Desbrowe-Annear and there is a mulberry tree in the backyard that's over a hundred years old, which the property is named after. The Lindsay's were not well off and it was interesting to know that the verandah columns, roof slates and windows and doors all came from Whelan the Wrecker.
Daryl came from the famous Lindsay family of artists and was an excellent artist in his own right. He was Director of the National Gallery of Victoria between 1941-56, and was also responsible for starting the National Trust in Victoria. Joan, nee A'Beckett Weigall, was an artist and writer. She wrote a number of books but her most famous one is Picnic at Hanging Rock, 1967, after which the film by the same name was based (directed by Peter Weir, 1975)
It's been 40 years since the film Picnic at Hanging Rock was released and Cara has curated an exhibition to celebrate this anniversary called Return to Hanging Rock. Within the house you'll find pieces that are noticeable but others are placed discretely in a way that you come upon them with a sense of surprise. The house is full of art and Cara's curatorial placements fit perfectly with the works that is always on display.
The artists involved are - Deborah Klein, Paul Compton, Shane Jones, Robyn Rich, Malte Wagenfeld, John Dyer Baizley, Leslie Rice, Sharon Blance, Danie Mellor, Julia deVille, Jason Farmington and Robert Crispe.
Mulberry Hill has its own website, so for further exploration of this unique property, visit HERE
Below are some photographs taken by Deborah Klein, which gives an excellent sense of our trip and our experiences of Sir Daryl and Lady Lindsay's legacy.
Arriving at Mulberry Hill. Cara-Ann Simpson is on the right
Front of Mulberry Hill
The grand old mulberry tree after which the property is named.
The guest bedroom
The Kitchen
Dining room
Daryl Lindsay's studio
Daryl Lindsay's studio
Joan Lindsay's room where she wrote Picnic at Hanging Rock
The main bedroom
My trompe l'oeil painting of the DVD Picnic at Hanging Rock, 2010
oil on MDF, 19 x 13.5 cm
The position of the painting at the top of the stairs
Artist and painting
Deborah and her work, Cabinet of Moth Masks, 2010-13,
acrylic on miniature plaster masks and timber cabinet
Detail of Cabinet of Moth Masks
Deborah's other work, Vignette Vitrine, 2012, acrylic on canvas
and cabinet
Paul Compton with his book titled Secret Flowerings, 2015
ink, paper, Chelsea cloth
A page in Secret Flowerings
Robin Rich's work of a box of chocolates.
A trompe l'oeil made from fabric
Looking at Daryl's painting titled, The Almond Tree, 1961
oil on canvas and Henry Tonks pastel portrait
of Joan Lindsay, 1922
