Volunteers are essential to Tasmania's historic properties. At the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Woolmers Estate in Longford, a dedicated group of retirees care for thousands of roses and a large garden. This weekend past, their hard work paid off as the beautiful blooms were on display for the public to enjoy.
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00:00Step inside this one-and-a-half hectare garden and you'll find Tasmania's biggest rose collection.
00:10There's more than 3,000 plants here and 350 varieties within the garden's convict-built
00:17walls.
00:18They even smell beautiful too.
00:21Well it's so special because it's got a bit of everything and the purpose of the garden
00:26is to show how the development of the rose has taken place over time.
00:31This weekend the stunning blooms have drawn admirers to Longford for the annual Festival
00:37of Roses.
00:38Oh wow, smell this rose, it's beautiful.
00:41It's the work of volunteers that keep the roses looking this good.
00:46The dedicated bunch of mostly retired teachers, nurses and farmers collectively spend thousands
00:53of hours maintaining the garden.
00:55We've all had to learn quite a bit while we've been here in the last few years, especially
00:59about pruning, but they can do everything so they're a fantastic bunch, couldn't do
01:05it without them.
01:06The plants are beautiful and you feel fit afterwards, tired, fit, satisfied you've done
01:13a really good job.
01:15There's plenty of jobs.
01:16At this time of the year with many of the roses in full bloom, the fragrance in the
01:21air is intoxicating and without the help of volunteers this not-for-profit estate couldn't
01:28afford to maintain the garden.
01:30No, there's absolutely no way we could manage without our volunteers, they're just everything
01:35to us, our volunteers.
01:36Preserving a patch of sweet smelling history at this 19th century estate for generations.