Step Back In Time Tours will use immersive theatre to tell the story of the Gleniffer Brae Manor gardens. Photo: Wollongong City Council.
Visitors to Wollongong Botanic Garden are being invited to step back in time at Gleniffer Brae Manor, as an immersive theatrical tour brings the story of the estate’s influential former residents and legendary garden designer back to life.
Performed by Eaton Gorge Theatre Company, Step Back in Time is an interactive garden tour guided by costumed portrayals of Mrs Madge Hoskins, wife of Port Kembla Steelworks founder, and Paul Sorensen, the estate’s delightfully eccentric Scandinavian garden designer.
“It’s always fun as an actor to play a real person, and you hope you portray the person as accurately as you can,” theatre company CEO Juliet Scrine said.
“But of course, there’s a little bit of licence there.”
The 45-minute walking tours are part of Wollongong City Council’s free annual Botanic Gardens Week from 18 to 24 May, which celebrates the role plants play in people’s lives and the work the botanic gardens undertake to conserve them for future generations.
Juliet said the dramatic retelling of the vision, personalities and passion that shaped the place was originally developed by the garden’s former education officer Michael Connor more than 10 years ago.
He conducted extensive research into the history of Gleniffer Brae, the Hoskins family and the Sorensen garden, which was recognised with a NSW Blue Plaque.
Juliet said rather than a static talk, it would unfold as a moving performance with herself playing Mrs Hoskins and Ian McColm as Sorensen.
“They’ll learn a little bit about the history of the house and where the design of the house came from, and some of the requirements that the family wanted of the house. It’s got some very unique architectural things to look at,” she said.
“I’ll be talking about the house, what happened in the house and the family that lived there.
“Then they’ll meet Sorensen, who will talk about the garden, his inspiration and his signature landscape ideas.”
Ian said the performance leaned on the physical beauty and quirks of the garden.
“The drywall, the use of landscape in the overall look of things and feel, the lack of mortar, which there is now but back in the day there wasn’t, and also some of his pruning techniques with trees,” he said.
“He would lie under a tree and look up and work it out in his head.
“As a performer as well, the visual cues that you get from walking around and things that come to you are slightly different each time, but you’ll get the stories triggered by the visuals.”
Juliet said Step Back In Time was a mix of humour, history, theatre and imagination, admitting “you can’t help doing anything with Ian without there being some humour”.
Juliet Scrine as Mrs Madge Hoskins and Ian McColm as Paul Sorensen in the garden. Photo: Wollongong City Council.
However, the key was it being interactive and immersive.
“I think people learn a lot more and they become more engaged in the story,” she said.
“I think that’s really important in Wollongong, because we don’t have a lot of places that we’ve maintained historically, and I think we need to maintain that history for everyone to remember.
“The Hoskins family were incredibly generous to donate the beautiful land that we now have as the botanic gardens.
“It’s such a beautiful place that is treasured by so many people in the community, and the house, and the garden around the house, is quite spectacular.”
She said the show allowed emotional encounters for those who knew the Hoskins estate firsthand.
“We have actually met some daughters of the Hoskins before,” Juliet said.
“It’s been really fantastic to meet them and hear their stories of playing on the tennis court …
“It’s nice to bring it to life.”
Eaton Gorge Theatre Company was started in 2004 with its first play about child obesity, set in a fictional place called Eaton Gorge.
“That’s the style of theatre we are,” Juliet said, laughing.
“But a lot of our work revolves around sustainability, about the environment and around history as well,” she said.
“All of our work is pretty well bespoke. We will get people to tell stories and write scripts around important issues or stories that need to be told.”
Ian said this show had been well received in the past, which was why council had kept it alive.
Other events during Botanic Gardens Week that align to the theme “When Your Health Grows”, include Tai Chi, putty printing, and a bonsai exhibition – see the full program.
The free Step Back In Time Tours will be held 24 May at 10:15 am, 11:30 am and 1 pm at the Wollongong Botanic Garden. Places are limited to 30 participants per tour, with spaces allocated on a first‑to‑arrive basis. Participants must be able to navigate uneven terrain and stairs. Enclosed shoes are recommended.
