Artist Hans Heysen purchased the over 100 hectare property in Hahndorf South Australia, now known as "The Cedars" in 1912, with a 2 hectare garden surrounding the historic house on site, alongside native vegetation, native trees and plants on the property.  

Hans Heysen is one of Australia’s most well-known landscape painters and his house, art studio and large garden at Hahndorf, in South Australia are now open to the public.  

The Cedars boasts a magnificent collection of ancient gum trees, some as old as 600 years.  Hans Heysen loved eucalypts so much and was so distraught at land clearing, that he kept buying up land in the area, and even paid people to stop removal of trees to ensure they were preserved.

Now, the current owners, the Hans Heysen Foundation are proposing a lifeless, sterile, $9m art gallery at The Cedars which will also see the removal of native trees on site. As Hans Heysen was an ardent conservationist, this goes against everything he stood for, but sadly the foundation doesn't seem to care.

We need your support to preserve the natural environment and native trees at The Cedars for the birds and wildlife that reside there, and for future generations of people.