With a 140-year history and an exciting future ahead, Eurilla Estate in the Adelaide Hills plays host to a stunning sunset soireé.
Words Zoe Rice | Photographs Brad Griffin
Eurilla Estate’s bright red and blue flag is flying high atop the tower against a backdrop of the cloudless sky. This historic property is the setting for tonight’s dinner party, hosted by owner Jacquie Ganzis.
As far as garden party locations go, you really can’t top these two stunning hectares of Eurilla. We’re on the croquet lawn in front of the grand old 1884 homestead, shaded by a towering oak tree to one side, the Piccadilly Valley blanketing the landscape on the other.
The croquet lawn is being put to its intended use, with a game set up next to the bar.
Soon, guests have Bollinger in hand, lounging on the Modern Party Hire couch, with others nearby having a hit with the mallets.
The historic 1884 homestead was the backdrop for the dinner party, with table design by Amanda Swale from One Rundle Trading Co.
This evening’s activities are a dress rehearsal of sorts given Jacquie has decided to open up the property to the public, welcoming bookings for events.
Over the 25 years she has owned Eurilla, she has played host to a few weddings of close friends and family, but now is throwing open the gates for official bookings.
The stylistic spearhead of tonight’s festivities is Amanda Swale of One Rundle Trading Co, who has pulled together some of her favourite vendors to showcase just how spectacular an evening at Eurilla can be.
Across the lawn, a long table is adorned with flowers arranged by Amanda, whose most recent addition to her business is The Flower Bar by One Rundle.
Eurilla Estate’s grounds are filled with a perfect mixture of formal manicured spaces, carpets of beautiful blooms and the shade of countless trees.
There are other arrangements dotted around the setting that have been plucked from the grounds of Eurilla. There are camellias, rhododendron leaves, hydrangeas, Japanese maple and magnolia.
Amanda has brought along husband Adrian, as well as sister Jo and Jo’s husband Andrew. Also here tonight are Tan and John Colley, and Michelle and Andy Madgwick.
Over on the couch, talk turns to their children; there are 11 between them, and one grandchild. Michelle tells us she’s only just become a grandmother this week – and she’s smitten.
The group of friends have known each other for years, and Tan is now even working at One Rundle.
Adrian Swale takes his hit as his competitors look on.
Tonight, Jacquie has prepared two of her favourite things – cheese and Champagne, while she’s left the rest of the menu to Anna Gerlach’s team at Indulgence Food Design.
Dinner tonight is baked flathead and rare barbecue rib eye, along with an impressive list of sides – glazed fig with goat curd whip, creamed spinach and green kofta, potato galette, and Scottish bap rolls. For dessert, it’s a tray of delicate petit fours.
The stunning home was built in 1884 for spirits merchant Sir William Milne, before becoming the summer residence for former Adelaide Lord Mayor Sir Lavington Bonython, whose son, Kym, sold the property in the 1980s shortly after the devastating Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983. Eurilla changed owners a couple of times before Jacqui and her family became the current custodians.
The property has been a hive of activity since Jacquie took ownership 25 years ago.
Chandeliers from Venue Productions and furniture from Modern Party Hire help create the atmosphere at the event.
“It was burnt down to almost a ruin and only partially restored. It may have scared people off to think it could happen again,” Jacquie says.
“It would’ve been fine at the time but they had seaweed as insulation and a spark from the fire came up and got in the eaves and set it on fire.
“Not everyone looked at this and saw the potential – we’ve basically committed our whole lives to the journey.
“You just need to go into it eyes wide open and know what you’re committing to.
“We see ourselves as custodians – we wander around with a coffee and look at it, feeling really fortunate to be able to keep it alive and keep it in its glory.”
What motivates Jacquie is seeing the plants she’s propagated grow and thrive, every little planting adding to the story that
is Eurilla.
Of course, this job is a big one, so a gardener comes in to help four times a week to take care of hedging and bigger pruning tasks.
“Over the years, we’ve learnt to balance and manage it. We try to tackle the garden rooms and what needs to be done throughout the seasons,” Jacquie says.
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“It’s a labour of love – we’re always out doing things, but some of it actually is quite self-sufficient.
“We’re out here doing something most weekends. We get up early, get it done and then relax and enjoy it by about dusk. But it’s rewarding.”
Jacquie has raised Thomas, now 22, and Gracie, 19, in these gorgeous surrounds, and the property has grown with the family. While renovating, Jacquie struck up a friendship with Kym Bonython, who spent much of his childhood in the home.
When they took on the project of re-building the destroyed upper storey, the couple planned to install a more modern staircase, but received something special that changed their minds.
“Kym sent us a picture of the original staircase with a photo of him and (wife) Julie standing there and a Post-it note saying, ‘Heard you were building up’.
“How could we not restore it to the way it was?”
An original baluster from when the fire burnt the staircase was found and they had it resized for today’s standards and had 70 or so made.
After the couple had finished renovating, they felt as if there was no more to do and perhaps it was time to move on, so they put it on the market.
“We had an overseas offer and they wanted to develop it for tourism,” she explains. “My husband and I had a walk around the garden and realised how much we loved it and would miss it terribly. I just couldn’t do it.
“We have so many special family memories that we have created here – so we took it off the market. We had a bottle of champers and called the agent and decided we just needed another project.”
That project came in the form of the old stables near the northern entry to the property. Once a home for the horses, the outbuilding has been transformed into Carriage House. It’s now luxury lodge accommodation with every detail considered carefully, from the carpet selected from Scotland to acknowledge the Bonython heritage, to the Ralph Lauren tartan wallpaper and soft furnishings.
Tonight, as the caterers run back and forth between the kitchen, with its beautiful old black Aga, and the outdoor setting, guests take their seats as a chill descends along with the sun.
Dusk sets in, illuminating the setting with lighting from Venue Productions. Chandeliers suspended from above glisten onto the plates, gilded with the homestead’s name.
It’s a beautiful scene, and once the sun sets and the stunning food is devoured, the party retires to the grand old homestead to sip port and muscat by the crackling open fire.
This article first appeared in the May 2024 issue of SALIFE magazine.
