The grounds

The building is surrounded by 1½ acres (roughly half a hectare) of landscaped grounds which slope gently down from Commonwealth Avenue to Forster Crescent. On the Southern side of the building are walled beds, surrounded by flaxes (Phormium tenax) and cabbage trees (Cordyline australis). There are also flaxes and cabbage trees against the northern wall of the Chancery as well as exotic plantings, magnolias and azaleas. These provide a very handsome springtime display, as do the flowering plum trees at the front of the Chancery. Of particular note at the northern side of the building is a Kowhai tree (Sophora tetraptera) which is believed to be one of the few examples of this frost-tender species in this part of Australia.