We Acknowledge
The Visionary and the Project Manager (brothers Matt and John Dillon)
Matt was inspired to create his garden as a balm for a career spent in two of Asia’s largest cities. With a vision tantalising his mind, he turned to his younger brother John for the skills and the ability to bring together teams of experts to execute a plan vast in time and scope. Together they created the modern Pirramimma Garden Estate.
Collaboration
The creation of modern Pirramimma has been a labour of passion and collaboration between the current custodians and energetic and talented experts. Where possible, local skills and expertise were harnessed.
The current custodians thank:
CAB Consulting, Simon Bass Landscapes, Peter Stutchbury Architecture, Max Irvine Engineering, Yuncken Construction, Jeffrey Broadfield,
APO Constructions, Hi-Tech Precision Engineering, Bates Landscape, Earthscape Horticultural Services, Intree Solutions, A & S Bushcare Services and teams of tradespeople, ateliers and artisans who created bespoke solutions.
Simon Bass Landscapes
Pirramimma is maintained by Simon Bass and his team under the direction of the current custodians, the Dillon family. Simon’s connection with Pirramimma started when he was a young employee of John Gaibor, local nurseryman. Simon took over Gaibor’s mantle at Pirramimma while it was under Reg Livermore’s custodianship and later continued to provide the work ethic that has helped make the modern Pirramimma. Simon has amassed an unsurpassed level of local knowledge regarding gardening and landscaping in the Upper Mountains and holds an encyclopaedic knowledge of the trees and plants on the property.
Transition
Pirramimma has its own history and a story to tell which is still unfolding. The current custodians thank all those who have helped create Pirramimma Garden Estate.
We have much to give the next custodian: an archive of historical, photographic and documentary records; consultancy reports by experts; conservation and management assessments and plans; surveys and maps; and, not least, our trust that you will carry forward Pirramimma’s banner.
Traditional Custodians
We acknowledge the Gundungurra and Darug people, Traditional Custodians of the Blue Mountains region.
National Library of Australia nla obj-134296148
Augustus Earle’s painting Waterfall in Australia, circa 1830, shows Wentworth Falls with a notable landscape feature: the grassy field at the top right of the waterfall. This resulted from indigenous land management using fire and knowledge of the life cycle of plants to lure kangaroos to green pick and waiting hunters. The area was completely treed-over by 1889.
For information about how Aboriginal people created park-like landscapes, akin to country estates in England, with extensive grassy patches and pathways, open woodlands and abundant wildlife, we thank Professor Bill Gammage for his book The Biggest Estate on Earth – How Aborigines Made Australia.
This painting, testament to millennia of land management by Traditional Custodians at Wentworth Falls, is part of the Australian National Library’s Rex Nan Kivell collection and is currently on loan to the National Gallery of Australia.