Arthurs Seat Maze is set on the hillside in the middle of Arthurs Seat National Park on the Mornington Peninsula near Dromana, Victoria. It has been created by Michael and Sally Savage and opened to the public in November 1997. There are three permanent mazes, a temporary Maize Maze and display gardens all dotted with sculpture and artwork from local and overseas artists, there is also a restaurant for visitors.
Maize Maze
The Maize Maze is described as a piece of performance art on a grand scale and it is the largest maze that has ever been constructed in Australia. Maize mazes only started about eight to ten years ago in the USA and Great Britain and the one at Arthurs Seat Maze took only four months to grow. The area had been cleared and the entire hillside was planted with maize (corn). Once the maize had grown to a height of about 1m (3′) string lines and stakes were set up according to the maze plan and the hundreds of unwanted maize plants were uprooted and removed to create the intricate pattern. From ground level it is difficult to see the pattern but from above in a helicopter it is spectacular. Kids and adults alike would enjoy getting lost in the now 180cm (6′) tall maize maze. The temporary maze is only open to the public for 11 weeks from mid February to late April. Then the corn maze is mulched and taken to The Melbourne Zoo and fed to the elephants.
Permanent mazes
The three permanent mazes include the more conventional type of maze designed with a 2m (6’6″) high hedge of Cypress ‘Leighton Green’ that features a Japanese garden at the centre. Turf mazes were used by monks in Medieval times to wander along as they read. The turf maze at Arthurs Seat Maze is over 450 lineal metres long winding around itself and is made from paving bricks, edged with grass. In the centre is a pond with a topiary Loch Ness serpent in it. The third permanent maze is a children’s maze which contains lots of different examples of fun things to do in the garden for kids.
Display gardens
The fantastic range of display gardens give any potential gardener a good idea of what gardens can look like. There’s the informal cottage garden or the more formal parterre garden of low box hedge filled with red petunias or less conventional knot garden where all the hedges appear to be tied in knots. There is a potager or kitchen garden full of fruit trees and other produce, also a conifer garden and various children’s gardens with a topiary dinosaur, and a Christmas garden with reindeers pulling Santa’s sleigh. There is even a Japanese garden which is minimalist with a collection of varieties of gravel raked to perfection, an arrangement of rocks and a single, gnarled tree. It’s a great idea to look at all the display gardens and work out what sort of garden would suit your home and your tastes. An innovative idea is to grow native grass like Poa in geometric patterns to add texture and interest to the garden.
Further information
Arthurs Seat Maze, Purves Road, Arthurs Seat, Victoria, 3936, phone: (03) 5981 8449 is open daily from 10am-6pm. The Maize Maze will be open during the Festival of the Maze from mid February to late April. Admission costs are $11 for adults, $7 for children (5-15 years), $9 for seniors and $32 for families.
