When Lynne and her husband moved from Melbourne’s inner north to Mont Albert 30 years ago, the rows of enormous hedges that epitomise the suburb’s greenery had been a drawcard. Her own hedge was planted about 100 years ago, and in the decades since she inherited its care, she has spent tens of thousands of dollars keeping it trimmed. This hedge is Herculean – you could line up six Holden Commodores along its 27-metre width, it’s as deep as the height of an average man, and it stands more than three metres tall.
Lynne recently paid to extend the footpath in front of her home to save 100-year-old hedge. Credit: Joe Armao “We enjoy it, all our neighbours love looking at it, schoolkids love stuffing things into it ..
. It’s an ecosystem of its own with animals living in it,” said Lynne, who asked not to use her surname due to recent backlash against hedge owners. In this part of town, hedges are a hot, divisive topic and local Facebook groups erupt over the subject.
Hedge supporters believe the towering conifers should be encouraged and protected as they are key to the character of Mont Albert and Surrey Hills. But opponents – from people with ambulatory or vision impairments who have to avoid certain streets, to joggers complaining of an untidy route – say they are fed up with being interrupted by a hedge protruding over the footpath, at worst leaving barely half-a-metre of concrete. The community tensions increased when COVID-19 lockdowns compelled more people .
