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Bebeah is one of the original large garden estates of Mt Wilson, having been built by Edward Cox in 1880. The name 'Bebeah' is believed to be an Aboriginal word meaning 'a place where stone axes are found'.
Today, this garden has been completely rejuvenated, restored and reshaped under the caring hand of Barry Byrne, the current owner for the last nineteen years, into an important and rare Australian example of a formal country garden estate of imposing scale and a grand sense of design.
The garden sprawls over 12 acres (5 hectares) where the precise geometry of tightly clipped hedges of azaleas, camellias, box and laurel merges seamlessly with sweeping grassy expanses, broad arcs of white gravel drives and pathways, gently weathered classical statuary and enticing glimpses of immaculately framed vistas.
Magnificent specimen trees, some 120 years old, abound: oaks, magnolias, elm, conifers, cherries, dogwoods (there are two such trees near the main lawn that are reputed to be the first such specimens planted in Australia).
At the geographic and spiritual centre of the garden is a large lake, bound on three sides by tiered plantings of wide varieties, colours and textures. As is often the case in this garden, tantalizing flashes to the lake are proffered to the visitor before it suddenly and unexpectedly unfolds.
The main house, like the garden, has been given a new lease of life; its late Victorian Gothic weatherboards now resplendent with an oyster green colour that blends perfectly with the surrounding landscapes.
Two small cottages - one of which is available for rent - are nestled on the eastern boundary, under the shelter of ancient gnarled oaks and edged by a clipped laurel hedge of enormous length.
