From Chelsea to Koala Creek: Longleat to Rehome Australian Show Garden After RHS Chelsea Flower Show

An Australian inspired show garden created for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is to be rebuilt at Longleat this summer beside the safari park’s koala habitat.

The garden, Journey Beyond the Tracks: From Adelaide to Perth, will move from Chelsea to Wiltshire following this year’s show, creating what Longleat believes will be one of the UK’s few permanent Australian themed gardens linked directly to koala conservation.

The new installation will sit near Koala Creek, home to the only Southern Koalas in Europe, as part of Longleat’s wider celebrations marking 60 years since becoming the first drive through safari park outside Africa.

While the original flora used at Chelsea will be replanted in Kensington Gardens, Longleat will work with the garden’s creators to source alternative planting better suited to the heavy clay soils and landscape conditions of the Wiltshire estate.

The garden has been designed using reclaimed timber, ochre toned eco concrete, natural stone and low carbon materials inspired by the colours and textures of the Australian outback.

“We are really excited to be part of this project and to give the garden a long-term future here at Longleat as part of our 60th anniversary year,” said James Dare, Head of Facilities at Longleat.

“To have an Australian inspired garden become part of the walking safari is something genuinely different for us and ties in naturally with our long-standing involvement in koala conservation work in South Australia.

“The conditions at Longleat are obviously very different from Chelsea, so we will be adapting parts of the planting palette for the Wiltshire environment while keeping the same overall atmosphere and character of the original design.”

The garden forms part of a collaboration between Journey Beyond, South Australian Tourism and Tourism Western Australia, inspired by the Indian Pacific rail journey linking Adelaide and Perth.

Designer Max Parker-Smith said the relocation would allow the project to continue beyond the five day flower show.

“The relocation plan allows the garden’s themes around conservation, climate resilience and Australian landscapes to continue long after Chelsea finishes. It also creates a meaningful permanent connection between the garden and Longleat’s conservation work.”

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show runs from 19 to 23 May, with the recreated garden expected to open at Longleat later this summer.