"The Drip" is a 60 acre property northeast of Mudgee, Australia and adjoins the Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve which is part of the world-heritage listed Wollemi National Park ecosystem.
Settled in the early nineteenth century by descendants of James Blackman, one of the first Europeans to enter the Mudgee valley, "The Drip" was purchased by Clive Poolman and Michael Creighton in March 1992 with the intention of preserving and enhancing this unique property as a shared legacy for the Poolman and Creighton families, this custodianship to be shared in the present day and handed on to the future generations of both families.
The Present ...The Drip, named after a permanent spring that emerges from the western-most cliffs of the Great Australian Dividing Range, comprises a rich mix of natural bushland, including sandstone cliffs and ridges, plus extensive gardens and walks which have been created over many years. "The Drip" is being developed along sustainable principles with a strong emphasis on minimizing our carbon footprint through use of renewable energy sources and the design of energy-efficient twenty-first century architecture.
A series of Gardens and Walks form the basis of the landscaping. Details of this can be seen on the page Garden Design at The Drip. We are also developing an extensive garden design section of the Library, focusing on works that can inspire a philosophy of garden design and a deeper understanding of plants in all their complexity and beauty.
... and the Future
Our plan is to place The Drip into a Trust so as to protect the Gardens, Walks and Buildings that we have created for the future generations of both our families. However our shared vision transcends the use of the property as a private pleasure garden or country retreat. It is our hope that this property will prove of ongoing value to the community at large as a venue for fundraising events. In 2012 we will open our gardens to Can Assist, a group committed to assisting those in rural and regional Australia who find themselves in need of assistance to obtain the cancer treatment they need.
The spirit in which the project at The Drip was embarked upon in 1992 is expressed in a quote we found at that time. The quote below is from the Will of Theophrastus, a pupil of Plato and Aristotle and regarded as the father of botany. The words of his Will underlie the rationale of what has been built here in Mudgee over so many years. The Drip is our legacy to those who shall come later.
Our plan is to place The Drip into a Trust so as to protect the Gardens, Walks and Buildings that we have created for the future generations of both our families. However our shared vision transcends the use of the property as a private pleasure garden or country retreat. It is our hope that this property will prove of ongoing value to the community at large as a venue for fundraising events. In 2012 we will open our gardens to Can Assist, a group committed to assisting those in rural and regional Australia who find themselves in need of assistance to obtain the cancer treatment they need.
The spirit in which the project at The Drip was embarked upon in 1992 is expressed in a quote we found at that time. The quote below is from the Will of Theophrastus, a pupil of Plato and Aristotle and regarded as the father of botany. The words of his Will underlie the rationale of what has been built here in Mudgee over so many years. The Drip is our legacy to those who shall come later.
"As to my garden and these walks and my house and these colonnades I give them to those mentioned below, in order that they may continue the work we have begun here, provided that they shall not be able to alienate this property; it shall not belong to any of them individually but they shall own it in common as a sacred possession and shall care for it and enjoy it peaceably and amicably as is just and fitting; so it may pass on again to those who shall come later and receive it thus"
Theophrastus, the "father of botany", c. 371 – c. 287 BC
This bust of Theophrastus is in the Botanical Gardens of Palermo in Sicily which was visited by Clive and Michael in 1995. His will, quoted above, expresses our will and our shared dream for our two families, the Poolmans and the Creightons, working together as the future custodians of The Drip, Mudgee.
