ASHCOMBE MAZE & LAVENDER

Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Farm -located on the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne and is about a 90 minute drive. There are plenty of things to do, from beaches to cool climate wineries and farm gate properties selling their produce. Popular for sampling and purchasing Victorian gourmet treats, is the Redhill Market.

You’ll find plenty of Bed & Breakfast properties if you wish to spend a few days in the region.

As Australia’s oldest and most famous traditional Hedge Maze now standing over 3 metres high & 2 metres thick. With four mosaic flags to find in each half of the hedge maze, the hundreds of metres of winding paths take you through the South Maze into the Centre

Ashcombe Maze, Mornington Peninsula
ASHCOMBE MAZE

Garden before you tackle the North Maze. While not overly complicated it does take a little while to make your way through (some people take longer than others!) The North Maze is a totally different layout to the South Maze, so any tricks you worked out while making your way through the first part, mean absolutely nothing in the other!

The Ashcombe Hedge Maze was planted in the 1970’s with more than 1000 Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) plants. They are planted at around 1 metre intervals, and each year the hedge gets a bit bigger (and the paths get a bit narrower!) Being a drought tolerant plant the hedge only needs irrigation in extreme heat waves. It now stands more than 3m high and 2m thick.

Ashcombe Maze is open everyday (except Christmas Day) from 10am to 5pm.

What’s underneath the Onion Skin:

Other things nearby – Redhill Markets, Mornington Peninsula Wineries

Suburb/Neighbourhood: Mornignton Peninsula

Food:  The maze has its own café Ashcombe Café

How to get there: Melways reference  Map  256 E4

By Car:  

The easiest way to get to Ashcombe Maze is to follow the M1 (Monash Freeway) from Melbourne and take the Mornington Peninsula/Hastings exit. This will lead you onto the Westernport Highway (A780). Follow this Highway to Hastings, then follow the (C777) road towards “Flinders”. Travel through the small villages of Balnarring and Merricks and look out for the brown tourist Ashcombe Maze signs to guide you to Shoreham which is located 7km before the township of Flinders.

Alternatively if you commence your journey from bayside or the southern suburbs of Melbourne take the Nepean Highway (3) to the Mornington Peninsula Freeway (11) and at Frankston you will pass the BP & Shell service stations and at the next roundabout you veer left into Frankston Flinders Road (C777) and 4kms further on, turn right into Coolart Road (C785) and follow the signs to Ashcombe Maze and Flinders via Balnarring.

Location:  15 Shoreham Road, Shoreham on the Mornington Peninsula

MELBOURNE THEATRE COMPANY [MTC]

Melbourne Theatre CompanyMelbourne Theatre Company

Founded in 1953, Melbourne Theatre Company is the oldest professional theatre company in Australia. It is a semi-autonomous department of the University of Melbourne. See the current season repetoire and productions – BOOK HERE or look at the subscription season. The MTC has  a full education program and a studio program, it is not only Victoria’s major theatre company, but one of the major performing arts companies in Australia and one of the largest theatre companies in the English-speaking world.

In January 2009, the MTC Theatre, the Company’s new performance home, opened on Southbank Boulevard in the heart of Melbourne’s cultural precinct, allowing much of our season to be performed on the new 500-seat stage of the Sumner Theatre. There is also the 150-seat Lawler Studio, which will allow the Company to develop edgier works and new writers. With the Company continuing to stage works at the Arts Centre’s Playhouse (850 seats) and Fairfax Studio (350 seats), we have, for the first time in many years, access to the widest range of venue sizes to suit any play we might wish to produce.

The Company in 2009 has also moved its Headquarters from Ferrars Street, Southbank, where it has been since the 1970s, to new renovated offices and workshops in Sturt Street.

Despite all these exciting developments, the Company’s mission has not changed since the first season more than fifty years ago:

To produce classic and contemporary Australian and international theatre with style, passion and world class artistic excellence in order to entertain, challenge and enrich audiences in Melbourne, Victoria and Australia.