Serenity Garden

At its heart lies a world record-breaking 22-hectare labyrinth, designed not just as a path to walk, but as a journey to awaken the senses and quiet the mind. Wander along meditation trails, explore the delicate of the Orchid House, and discover the depth of African creativity. Pause at the Viewing Platform, breathe in the stillness at the contemplation deck, and follow the gentle flow of the way of water walkways — each space crafted to restore balance and ignite inspiration.

This is not just a garden. It’s a living masterpiece — a place where innovation meets serenity, and every step reveals the extraordinary.

Eight metres beneath the earth at Brahman Hills, one of the Serenity Garden's most extraordinary spaces is beginning to reveal itself. What now appears as a vast construction pit will soon become a hidden world; a 300 m² subterranean sanctuary, where an 8-metre waterfall cascades through hundreds of orchids and more than 300 carefully selected plants.The living walls will be engineered using Terraforce and specialised planting systems, allowing orchids, ferns and other species to grow directly from the walls themselves. Towering Yellowwoods and ancient Tree Ferns will rise through the space, creating the feeling of discovering a secret forest beneath the landscape. Today, it's engineering. Soon, it will feel like discovering a place that has always existed.

Have you ever heard of an underground Orchid House? Most people have never seen anything like it... and soon, it will become one of the most extraordinary features of our Serenity Garden. Today marked a major milestone as concrete was poured for this hidden Sanctuary, concealed beneath the landscape and designed to immerse guests in a world of rare beauty, wonder, and discovery. As the heart of the Flower Route, the Orchid House will reveal itself only to those who venture below, creating an experience unlike anything else in the world. The vision is no longer just a dream. Something ground-breaking is taking shape.

A new pathway is emerging through one of the Serenity Garden’s most sensitive and beautiful landscapes.This gently flowing timber boardwalk will wind through the wetland between the African Art Museum and the Meditation Mound, allowing guests to experience the area while protecting the fragile ecosystem beneath. Elevated above the ground, it preserves natural water flows, wetland vegetation, and habitat,ensuring that access and conservation go hand in hand. Like much of the Serenity Garden, the design follows the rhythms of nature: soft curves, careful placement, and a light touch on the land.

The stone labyrinth is steadily rising — and with each passing day, its scale and character become more tangible.The structural walls are now emerging, tracing the spirals and pathways that will define this extraordinary space. Soon, these foundations will carry over 1,000 tonnes of hand-cut stone, transforming the labyrinth into a monumental landscape feature at the heart of the Serenity Garden. Equally remarkable is what will grow within it. More than 5,000 aloes are currently being cultivated specifically for the labyrinth planting palette — a living collection that will weave through the stone walls alongside grasses and succulents, creating texture, colour, and seasonal rhythm. What is taking shape is far more than a structure. It is the making of an icon — where stone, planting, and landscape come together to create one of the defining experiences within the 22-hectare Serenity Garden.

Today marks a defining moment as the plan transitions into something unmistakably real. From above, the vision is no longer imagined. It is emerging with clarity and presence.The flowing forms are now clearly defined, echoing the original design intent with remarkable precision. What once existed as lines on a masterplan is now taking shape in earth, concrete, and living landscape. The curves of the pathways, planted pockets, and sculpted terrain are beginning to read as one cohesive composition. There is a strong sense of arrival in this phase, where the scale, movement, and character of the Serenity Garden can truly be seen. Each contour and connection is starting to align, revealing how the spaces will unfold and interact. This is where the plan becomes place.

Following the recent rains, the stream flowing from the Dragon’s Eye has come to life — water finding its path, softening the landscape, and bringing a quiet energy to the valley below. Along its edges, newly planted beds are settling in, their textures and tones beginning to weave gently into the surrounding terrain.The rains have brought more than movement to the water — they’ve given life to the planting. Grasses, trees, and groundcover are responding, taking root with renewed strength, their growth already hinting at the layered beauty to come. There is a sense that the land itself is beginning to respond — not just shaped, but awakened.

This week marked the final planting of Aristida grasses across the inner slopes, transforming what was once raw earth into the beginnings of a living landscape. Carefully placed along the contours of the crater, these grasses will take hold in the months ahead, softening the walls, catching the light and moving gently with the wind. Over time, the volcano will evolve into a textured amphitheatre of life, where nature quietly reclaims the space we have shaped. What began as excavation and structure is now becoming landscape. It’s an evolving journey, day by day.

Preparation is underway for five kilometres of concrete walkways that will gently link the Serenity Garden, weaving together water, plants, trees, stone, and open sky. Every journey through the garden will begin here, on a path laid with patience and intention. For now, it is steel, earth, and careful measurement. Soon, it will be footsteps, reflection, and quiet wandering. Another steady step forward towards something extraordinary.

This week, a story of renewal took root in the Serenity Garden In June 2025, as we began sourcing trees for what would become this sacred landscape, we came across 27 mature Plane Trees at Gowrie Farm — trees destined to be cut down for firewood to make way for development. Instead, they were carefully harvested, transplanted, and placed into protective bags, where they have been patiently tended and nurtured in preparation for their new home. This week, their roots touched soil once more. After months of waiting, these 27 Plane Trees now stand tall within the Serenity Garden — resilient, steady, and ready to grow old in a place designed for reflection and renewal. What could have ended became a continuation. What faced removal found permanence. Their presence is a quiet reminder that stewardship is not just about planting something new, but about preserving what already carries strength and story. As the saying goes: “The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” These trees will long outlive us. They will cast shade for future generations, witness seasons of change, and root the Serenity Garden in legacy. Another gentle step forward — where intention meets endurance, and the land welcomes life back home.

Beautifully carved pathways mark the beginnings of the Olive Garden, while stone walls for the main dam continue to rise. Reinforced steel frameworks support the walkways, laying the groundwork for what will soon become a place of reflection, movement, and calm.

As the Serenity Garden continues to unfold, a new chapter in 5-star premium living takes shape. Within our evolving sanctuary, the Signature Villas are emerging — four bespoke retreats thoughtfully crafted to redefine luxury in harmony with nature. Stay tuned as the landscape transforms and the vision comes to life. Soon these extraordinary villas will open their doors, inviting our guests into truly world-class experiences.

Beneath the surface, the work is anything but small. Behind the scenes, massive concrete ring beams are being poured to form the structural base for the circular dams, designed to hold and support towering rock walls that will soon define this landscape.With challenging clay and mud conditions, over 160 cubic metres of rock has been placed to stabilise the dam foundations. Above this, reinforced concrete slabs and waterways are carefully engineered to guide water, unseen yet essential.

The Serenity Garden work in progress begins to reveal its wonder — the first views from above of the Way of Water unfolding, a preview of the journey to come.

Every journey begins with a path!

Today, the earth opens, and a vision begins as something ground-breaking starts to unfold. In time, its great labyrinth will rise — a world-first in scale, a journey to guide the soul, a garden of Serenity in every sense.

Follow our journey of making history.