TCL and Peter Elliott Architecture and Urban Design have been selected to develop a master plan for one of Victoria’s finest private gardens: Cruden Farm, home to the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch. The property near Langwarrin, Victoria was gifted to Dame Elisabeth by her husband Keith Murdoch as a wedding present in 1928, and she lived there for an impressive 80-years until her death in 2012. The heritage-listed 54-hectare estate has been lovingly tended by full-time gardener Michael Morrison, who became a close friend and confidant to Dame Elisabeth. Majestic Lemon-scented gums (Eucalyptus citriodora) line the entrance drive and are undoubtedly the garden’s most iconic vista, adorning the covers of many books, including the recently-published Cruden Farm Diaries (2017). Dame Elisabeth was a philanthropist and great patron of Australian landscape architecture and garden design, lending her name to the Chair of Landscape Architecture, which she helped to set up at Melbourne University. In recent times Cruden Farm has largely been used for community and charity functions and is often open to the public through guided tours.