OPEN HOUSE PERTH - 5 - BISHOPS GARDENS & PERTH CITY FARM

The last post about the Open House Perth is about two totally different types of gardens - The Gardens at Bishops See and Perth City Farm.

Almost across the road from the QV1 building in St George's Terrace you can reach Bishop's Gardens from a side road next to an office tower.
The formal gardens surround a Victorian two storey house built in 1859 for Bishop Hale, the first Anglican Bishop of Western Australia. 
The land known as Bishop's See, (originally 5 allotments) was bought with the Bishop's own money, and is located between St. George's Terrace and Mounts Bay Road at the west end of Perth's CBD.
Great care went into the planning of the gardens, with the planting of ornamental trees in the front garden and a fruit garden at the back of the house.
Later a small cottage was built as the Bishop's office and to house visiting clergymen.
In 1875 Bishop Hale took up a post as Bishop of Brisbane, and handed his properties to the Perth Diocesan Trust. Over the years other Bishops took over the occupancy of the house until 1959.
In 1999, this heritage listed property was sold, and subsequently two office towers were built next to Bishop's House (a nine storey and a twenty seven storey building).
In 2010, the Victorian house was converted into an upmarket restaurant - Lamont's Bishop's House.

The gardens are still well cared for and are another green oasis in the city of Perth, and the house and gardens are one of Perth's oldest icons.

The formal garden

Bishop's House - Now Lamont's Restaurant

One of the office towers that was built next to the Gardens

A huge mirror next to the wall that divides the restaurant garden from the upper formal
garden

The back of the house faces Mounts Bay Road

The gardens on the Mounts Bay Road side have a modern sculpture

Perth City Farm was founded in 1994, located on eastern edge of the Perth Central Business District, next to Claisebrook train station, in the site of a former scrap yard and battery recycling centre. 
The site was heavily polluted but was rehabilitated and is now organic certified. It is now a model for environmental sustainability and community engagement, allowing people to come and relax and connect to the land.
There is a mushroom farm, composting facilities, nursery, chicken coops, a Cafe where people meet and talk. They also have a venue they hire for weddings or other functions.
On weekends a farmer's market is held to sell the produce from the farm.
The can be reached via the Yellow cat bus or by taking the train to Claisebrook station, just 2 stations out of the city on the Armadale train line.

Chickens produce eggs and eat produce leftovers

A sculpture and pond at the entrance

Lots of Kale and other leafy green were growing here

Hope you enjoyed the Open House tours to the various places I showed you.

These were my last visits of the day and I hope to be able to visit different places next year. I too got to know a bit more about Perth and it's architecture and special buildings.

Hope you had a nice weekend, it was a hot weekend in Perth, cooling down slightly during the next week.