Gladioli Estate at Bomaderry is today a housing subdivision just to the west of the Cambewarra Road and Princes Highway roundabout.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Five streets make up the estate, originally known as Gladioli Farm Estate. Over the years that has been shortened to Gladioli Estate.
But do you know how it got its name?
Originally the area was home to a thriving agricultural enterprise, The Gladioli Farm, owned by the McMillan family which boasted 300 different varieties of the stunning plants.
The property on which it is located was largely unproductive until Oswald McMillan took it over.
Read more:
He had some 30 years of experience in horticulture, particularly in the production of gladioli bulbs at Frenchs Forest.
Despite the advice of his friends and neighbours, he saw potential for the greyish soil that had previously carried spotted gum and similar timbers.
It proved to be ideal for growing gladioli bulbs, a species that was largely drought resistant.
Within four years McMillan had 12 acres planted with some 300 named varieties, but he had plans to cultivate five times that area for his gladioli.
From experience he knew that the species preferred artificial fertiliser, for it disliked humus and reacted unfavourably to animal manure.
He constructed a dam with 1,250,000-gallon capacity, and although it was not filled by rain, he pumped water from a nearby creek when it was running well.
The markets were there, for in 1936 he was contracted to sell 750,000 to a single buyer. Australia was in the midst of World War II when representatives of The Braidwood Dispatch newspaper visited the Gladioli Farm in 1941, and gave a detailed description to their readers.
By that time, it sold gladioli blooms to Sydney and many places along the coast, as well as the bulbs which were still supplied to the trade.
However, it was the flowers that impressed the newspaper folk who said that the "well-kept fields and riot of every conceivable colour resembled a paradise".
"When we were there over 300,000 magnificent gladioli stood proudly flaunting their glorious many hues on the sloping fields beyond the homestead," the report added.
The farm by that time was watered by two huge dams, each holding two million gallons of water using an irrigation scheme developed by the owner.
It was a labour-intensive operation with all planting and harvesting work done by hand.
There were just six workers, including four men who did the bulk of the outside work, and it is hard to imagine how they managed to plant bulbs that numbered in the millions.
Two women packed the blooms into special boxes each morning, working in a large, well equipped shed and they ensured that each flower arrived at its destination in perfect condition.
Apart from the mature bulbs, the farm was nurturing hundreds of thousands of young ones for future seasons.
Following Oswald's death in 1950, his son Oswald Junior continued to operate the Bomaderry farm.
Eventually the family decided to subdivide the property, but its application in 1964 was rejected by Shoalhaven Shire Council which wanted the area to remain a "green belt".
Long after the time of the McMillan's, a similar proposal was agreed to, and fittingly it took the name of the Gladioli Farm Estate.
Information Robyn Florance for the Shoalhaven Historical Society.
Read more: Local History
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.