BUSH THERAPY

Joy and connection sprout among the edibles in this Rutherglen garden, which is designed as a healing experience

- STORY SHELLEY TUSTIN PHOTOGRAPHY MARNIE HAWSON

The festive season is about the joy of togetherness and it's hard to imagine a better spot to gather than Quondong Homestead in Victoria's Rutherglen region. "We have a lot of our bigger family celebrations out there," says owner Kait, who loves spending time on the property with her husband Marcus and children Oli, 10, Jack, nine, Lucy, four, and Bella, three. "There's so much space for people to come together and connect, or... go off and have fun."

That principle of connection is at the heart of Quondong – not just at Christmas, but all year round. The 30-acre property now serves a multitude of families, as the home of The Play Way, a nature-based therapeutic space where families, and particularly children with disabilities, can learn and thrive. "We know the power of getting children out in nature and how much that can support them in regulating their nervous system and... feeling their best," says Kait, an occupational therapist.

Gift of growing Shaded by river red gums, children experience the healing power of nature through the simple joy of gardening, orchestrated by occupational therapist Kait of The Play Way. Landscape designer Kathleen Murphy supplemented raised beds with rows of ground-level gardens. Excess produce is donated to the local food bank.