Editorial
The first international Botanic Gardens Conference for the fledgling Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand will be held in Geelong on the 24 – 26 October 2003.
Geelong is one of Victoria’s most progressive Cities with a population of 200,000 people and is located only one hour’s drive from Melbourne airport, from where an excellent shuttle bus service is available for the hour’s trip to Geelong.
Geelong is undergoing a renaissance in its image with major urban redevelopment and Cityscape projects.
The venue for the two days of plenary sessions of the conference, on Saturday, 25 October 2003, and Sunday, 26 October 2003, will be the Deakin University Waterfront Campus, which sits on the very attractive Geelong waterfront precinct fronting Corio Bay. This outstanding landscape was awarded the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects biennial award in August this year.
The location for the workshops on Friday, 24 October 2003 will be the recently extended Geelong Botanic Garden, which is the fourth oldest Botanic Gardens in Australia. The new extensions to the Gardens is the very spectacular, contemporary 21st Century Gardens which rises to the modern challenge to Botanic Gardens to be relevant to its time and its constituency (see John Arnott’s feature article in this issue).
The new Gardens focus on conservation biology and local biodiversity, environmental and horticultural education and gardening in Australia in the 21st Century and are a distinctive Geelong destination.
The theme for the conference will be ‘Botanic Gardens Engaging their Communities’ and there will be four streams for this conference. They will be Conservation and Science, Heritage Planning and Protection, Community Involvement and Networks, and Horticulture and Arboriculture.
The final day of the Conference on Monday, 27 October 2002, will involve workshop bus tours. Two options will be offered. One is a tour of the heritage gardens of Victoria which will address the questions of their relevance to their community and their effective restoration and management.
The other is a tour of conservation areas of the Brisbane Ranges, the unique grassy ecosystems and the internationally significant Anglesea heathlands.
Accommodation options will be available handy to the Botanic Gardens and Deakin’s Waterfront Campus, with a range of standards from the Sheraton Hotel, mid price motels and accommodation in Geelong’s Conference Centre in Eastern Park. The cost ranges will be from $150.00 to $31.00 per night.
This promises to be an outstanding conference that will showcase best practice in botanic gardens development and management. Register early to secure your place. Further details will be found in the next issue of the newsletter, due for publication in March next year.
Rob Small
City of Greater Geelong.
PEOPLE New appointments
Mark Richardson, Curator of Botany at Alice Springs Desert Park, has been appointed as head of a five year program to help develop botanic gardens in Asia for Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). Mark will be based at BGCI’s headquarters at theRBG, Kew, but with his team will be working in India, China and SE Asia.
New management staff appointments at Mount Annan Botanic Garden.
Mark Savio, General Manager Mount Annan Botanic Garden, is pleased to announce the appointment of the following senior staff:
Ms Caz McCallum – Manager Horticulture
Ms Stevie King – Manager Visitor Programs
Mr Peter Cuneo – Manager, Natural Heritage
Mr John Paag – Manager Technical and Administrative Services
Mr Geoff Duggan – Landscape Planning Officer
AWARDS
Two awards for the Australian National Botanic Gardens:
ANBG, together with the Friends of the ANBG, won the ACT ‘Outstanding Adult Education Program’ for the Voluntary Guide Training Course in early September. The award was announced in conjunction with Adult Learners Week.
On 26th October, ANBG was declared the winner in the Ecotourism section of the Canberra Region Tourism Awards 2002, an award for Excellence in the Tourism Industry. ANBG will now automatically qualify for entry in the 2002 National Tourist Awards.
OBITUARY
Many people who attended the Gardens 2000 Congress in Canberra will remember Amadeus Mogale, the Curator of the Free State National Botanical Garden in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The many achievements of his short life are recorded here by Christopher Willis, Director – Gardens & Horticultural Services, National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
IN MEMORIAM
Amadeus Mogale
1970–2002
 Amadeus Mogale with Aboriginal dancers in Booderee Botanic Gardens during the field excursion attached to the Gardens 2001 Congress, April 2001 |
Amadeus Oupa Mogale, Curator of the Free State National Botanical Garden, Bloemfontein, South Africa, died tragically in a car accident on 13 August 2002, on his way back from a plant collecting trip. At the age of 31, Amadeus was in the prime of his career. His passing is a great loss, not only to the National Botanical Institute, but also to botany and the botanical garden community in southern Africa.
Born in Kwa Thema, Springs (southeast of Johannesburg), on 1 November 1970, Amadeus or ‘Oupa’ (as he was affectionately known by many of his family, colleagues and friends) matriculated in 1989 from the St Franciscan Matric Project, Boksburg. The following year he registered for a National Diploma in Horticulture at the Peninsula Technikon in Bellville, Cape Town, successfully completing the diploma in 1993. Amadeus was Class Representative during the first two years of the course. Between 1991 and 1996 he was employed as a General Supervisor at the Ferndale Nurseries, Constantia, Cape Town.
Probably Amadeus’s greatest professional achievements were his contributions towards the development and completion of a Water-wise Demonstration Garden (officially opened in November 1998) and the Medicinal Demonstration Garden (officially opened in March 2001) showcasing the traditional medicinal plants of the Free State.
Amadeus participated in the Needs Assessment of the Lesotho botanical gardens in February 1999 and was committed to close collaboration with staff from the Katse Botanical Garden in central Lesotho. During his relatively short career within the NBI, he had the opportunity to proudly represent the NBI and South Africa at the Chelsea Flower Show in the UK in May 1998 and the ‘Gardens 2001 Congress’ held in Canberra, Australia, in April 2001. During the latter trip, he made many new acquaintances and friends during visits to several Australian botanical gardens, namely the Australian National Botanic Gardens (Canberra), Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Booderee Botanic Gardens, Olive Pink Botanic Garden and Alice Springs Desert Park in Central Australia. During this tour he gave well-received presentations on the Free State National Botanical Garden in Canberra, Melbourne and Alice Springs.
Amadeus will always be remembered by those who knew him as a sincere, generous, positive and approachable person, full of life, humour, energy, enthusiasm and optimism. One of his greatest gifts was his ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. He also placed a high premium on the development and social wellness of his staff and put much effort into training and HIV/AIDS awareness programmes, amongst others. He was a talented leader and respected by his staff and colleagues. We shall miss him.
Amadeus is survived by his wife Refiloe and their two-year old son, Thagalo. Our sincere sympathies are extended to his family and friends.
Christopher Willis
Director: Garden and Horticultural Services
Up-coming meetings and conferences
‘Recovery: A Decade Down the Track’ - Fifth Australian Network for Plant Conservation National Conference and Plant Conservation Techniques Workshops
Tuesday 25 February – Saturday 1 March 2003 Geelong, Victoria
It is now just over 10 years since the ANPC was formed and the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 was enacted. This fifth ANPC conference heralds the next decade of development of the ANPC in delivering on the charter to conserve and protect plant life in Australia. The conference program will include paper presentations, posters, workshops, field trips and conservation techniques workshops.
Enquiries:
Australian Network for Plant Conservation
GPO Box 1777
Canberra ACT 2601
(02) 6250 9509
anpc@anbg.gov.au
Rhododendron Show – National Rhododendron Gardens, Olinda, Victoria 2-5 November 2002 (Melbourne Cup weekend). Be stunned by the colors, the scents and views of this spectacular Spring garden. Wander through the Show Hall and see a display of named Rhododendrons and have your questions answered.
Information: (03) 131963
www.parkweb.vic.gov.au
Botanic Gardens (NSW) meeting Friday 29 November, 2002 North Coast Regional Botanic Garden, Coffs Harbour - This will be an opportunity to see what has been achieved at Coffs Harbour and the great progress that has been made in the developing gardens in the northern areas of NSW. The program includes talks by Ian Corbett and Terry Monaghan and additional presentations will be made by representatives from Lismore, Tamworth and Tweed Botanic Gardens. Progress on structure of a proposed new organization will also be addressed.
Further information:
Terry Monaghan and Ian Corbett
tmonaghn@tpg.com.au
iancorbett@bigpond.com
Items of Interest
Items of Interest
COUNCIL OF HEADS OF AUSTRALIA BOTANIC GARDENS (CHABG) MEETING
For the first time a meeting of the Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens (CHABG) was hosted by a regional botanic garden, as a further step in broadening the Council’s role and building linkages across the national network of public gardens. Geelong Botanic Gardens (GBG) was the venue for a range of activities from 4-6 September 2002. In particular, the CHABG meeting was timed to coincide with the opening of GBG’s impressive new 21st Century Garden. The CHABG meetings were attended by two Geelong representatives – Rob Small, General Manager Environment and Recreation Services for Geelong City, and John Arnott, Curator of GBG. The President of the Australian Network for Plant Conservation (ANPC), Kingsley Dixon, also participated in the meetings. The incumbent ANPC President, or nominee Board member, has been invited to attend future meetings. The CHABG activities commenced with a visit to the historic garden and mansion at Werribee Park, southwest of Melbourne. The buildings and grounds are managed by Parks Victoria. The challenges of caring for and reinvigorating landscapes and plantings at Werribee dating from the 1870s are similar to those faced by many older public gardens across Australia. The formal meeting on 5 September dealt with a range of matters related to botanic gardens and plant conservation and included the following outcomes:
- Support for staff exchanges and short-term placements for individual skill development, particularly in situations where larger botanic gardens can assist staff from smaller gardens wishing to develop their experience and expertise. This topic is expanded elsewhere in the Newsletter in an article by Daniel Bishop, from RBG Sydney. Support for smaller gardens will also be the focus for the CHABG Career Development Grants in 2003. Grant applications close on 15 January (see page ? – insert page no of CAREER DEVELOPMENT GRANTS article).
- Kingsley Dixon briefed CHABG on the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, a landmark document agreed in April at the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (Australia is a signatory). For the first time global targets have been set for plant conservation by 2010. The most important ones for botanic gardens are that 90% of threatened plant species should be in accessible ex situ collections and that 20% should be included in recovery programs. CGABG and ANPC strongly support the Global Strategy and will work to achieve its goals with public and State and Federal conservation agencies.
- The Conference of Parties also adopted the Bonn Guidelines on Access to Genetic Resources and the Air and Equitable Sharing of Benefits from Utilisation. These embody similar provisions to the common Policy Guidelines already adopted by a growing number of botanic gardens.
- The next CHABG meeting will be held at Brisbane Botanic Gardens in late March 2003.
A separate meeting reviewed plans and progress for the Second National Congress for Botanic Gardens, which will be held in Geelong from 24-26 October 2003. Preparations are well in hand for the meeting and its associated workshops, and more detailed information is provided in the Editorial of this Newsletter.
CHABG members were delighted to be present for the opening of GBG’s 21st Century Garden on 6 September by the Governor of Victoria, Mr John Landy AC. This 2-hectare garden is a major extension to GBG, providing a striking new approach and entry area, with innovative landscape design and plantings. It signals a renewed commitment by the Geelong community to the GBG, and already the next stage in the Master Plan development is under discussion. Rob Small, John Arnott and GBG staff are to be congratulated for their achievements – go and see their new garden!
If you want to know more about CHABG, visit the website at www.anbg.gov.au/chabg/ .
Philip Moors
CHABG Chair
Insert original photos from Virginia of Werribee Park as captioned, and photo of CHABG meeting attendees captioned as follows: L-R: Kingsley Dixon, President ANPC; Philip Moors, Director RBG Melbourne; John Schutz, BG of Adelaide; Frank Howarth, Director RBG Sydney; Rob Small, General Manager Environment and Recreation Services, Geelong City Council; Greg Leach, Senior Director, Natural Systems Darwin; Robin Nielsen, Director ANBG; John Arnott, Curator Geelong BG.
CHABG CAREER DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
In 1998, CHABG instituted the awarding of Career Development Grants with the aim of broadening skills, experience and qualifications of Botanic Gardens’ staff and thereby bringing resultant benefits to Botanic Gardens. Since their inception, a number of recipients have derived great benefit from the Grants, which have been awarded for a broad diversity of proposals.
CHABG strongly encourages the Career Development Grants being brought to the attention of all staff of Botanic Gardens and seeks applications for Grants for 2002-2003, details of which appear below.
Preference for this year only will be given to regional and small city botanic gardens.
COUNCIL OF HEADS OF AUSTRALIAN BOTANIC GARDENS
2002-2003 CAREER DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
The Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens (CHABG) will again offer two grants for career development to staff of all public botanic gardens in Australia. The Career Development Grants are offered annually and are made to assist in developing enhanced skills, experience or qualifications of individual staff in ways that will bring clear benefits to both the recipient and the recipient’s botanic garden. Where applications are not considered relevant to the criteria or are not of sufficiently high standard, the grant funds may jackpot.
Value:
The maximum amount of each grant is $3,000.
Eligibility and Conditions:
All staff of regional botanic gardens, city botanic gardens and CHABG member
gardens are eligible to apply. Eligible staff shall include, but are not restricted
to, horticulturists, scientists, visitor and education program officers. The
grants may be used in Australia or overseas, and may be used with other grants.
In general, grants may not be used to pay the recipient’s salary except
in cases where payment of a temporary replacement’s salary would cause
undue hardship for the employer. Grant recipients are expected to remain at
the sponsoring garden for a reasonable period of time after the award (e.g.
12 months) so that the benefits can flow to that garden.
Application:
Applications for a CHABG Career Development Grant must contain the following
information:
- A description of how the grant will be used (max. 250 words).
- The size of the grant being sought (max. $3,000) and a breakdown of the proposed expenditure.
- What benefits are expected for the applicant’s botanic garden and how the benefits will be disseminated.
- A career résumé for the applicant (max. 250 words).
- The amounts and sources of any other grants being sought by the applicant for the same project.
- A timetable for the proposed use of the grant.
- A letter of endorsement of the application from the Director of the sponsoring botanic garden.
- The names, titles, contact addresses and phone numbers of two professional referees for the applicant.
Applications will be judged chiefly on the following criteria (listed in order of importance):
- Expected benefits in career development for the applicant.
- Expected benefits to the sponsoring botanic garden.
- Relevance to CHABG’s Statement of Purpose (see below).
- Value for money.
Projects with collaboration and co-operation as a focus are encouraged.
Report: Recipients of grants must submit a report (including a Statement of
Expenditure) to CHABG within three months of completing the project describing
the activities undertaken and the individual and institutional benefits gained.
Closing Date for Application
Applications must be received no later than 15 January
2003.
They should be addressed to:
CHABG Career Development Grants
CHABG Secretariat
GPO Box 1777 Canberra ACT 2601
COUNCIL OF HEADS OF AUSTRALIAN BOTANIC GARDENS STATEMENT
OF PURPOSE Botanic gardens are among the most frequently visited cultural
institutions in Australia. They inspire the appreciation and conservation
of plants. They also provide valuable space for recreation and relaxation,
and are sites of considerable scientific, educational and cultural significance.
The Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens (CHABG) consists
of the Directors of the Australian capital-city botanic gardens, but
offers a broader forum for promoting the interests and activities of
Australian public gardens generally. CHABG seeks to enhance the statue
of botanic and public gardens for the benefit of the Australian community.
The purposes of CHABG are to:
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In Issue No 2 of the Newsletter, under the provocative heading "I’ll show you my Garden . . . .if you show me yours", Daniel Bishop wrote a piece on a proposed Botanic Gardens Exchange Network. He now records the Exchange Network’s first official participant and encourages others to join in the national network to further the potential of exchanging valuable expertise and knowledge in this way.
MAKE OPPORTUNITIES HAPPEN
The Botanic Gardens Exchange Network (EN) recently had its first "official" participant when Geoff Duggan, Mount Annan Botanic Garden Planning Officer, took up an opportunity offered by the Mount Burrell Cultural Garden in Northern NSW.
The developing regional garden asked Geoff to assist with training courses they wished to organize on their site. The training would help promote the construction (and maintenance) of dry stone walls in the region and help establish one of Mt Burrell Cultural Garden’s objectives of being able to provide an education program for local people and the indigenous community of the area. In the scenic valley between Mount Warning and the Nightcap range, three 2 day workshops were held during September with 34 participants getting to know the local basalt stone just that little bit better… The wall will form part of Mt Burrell’s nursery car park when complete.
In exchange, John Macarthy, Director of Mt Burrell will assist Geoff with design and plant selection for a proposed bush food garden near Mount Annan’s Garden Restaurant and visit to share his experience in native plant propagation and indigenous plant foods with our nursery staff.
This exchange of skilled staff was made possible through the EN. Although both have specialised skills they were able to connect through the Network and negotiate how best to exchange their knowledge while receiving maximum benefit for the garden they work for. The experience brought together two people, and their families, who will no doubt maintain contact for years to come.
Some state based regional groups, I understand, already operate a version of the EN and several gardens including RBG Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart and Kings Park as well as a host of regional gardens have expressed interest in the national network. We have also had some preliminary discussions with our New Zealand counterparts who are interested in joining with an Australian network.
Like the recently initiated hortlist project it takes participation to make this project work. Please consider joining.
Could I remind managers who have not yet completed contact information to nominate an appropriate contact person and provide basic organisational details to the EN. At this stage and until we can establish a contact point on a "neutral" web site (such as CHABG) please forward them to Angus Meikle, personnel officer, RBG Sydney.
Angus.Meikle@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au
Any garden who would like more information about the EN or who is unclear how the network can assist them without being a drain on resources can contact me or the two of the recent participants for a testimonial…
Daniel Bishop
daniel.bishop@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au
Southern Hemisphere Conifer Collection
A co-operative project between the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens and the Tasmanian Arboretum, the planting referred to is at the Arboretum’s Eugenana site.
Planting took place last November, the trees from RTBG being planted in their respective geographical sections with the shrubby species and the species from New Caledonia, South Africa and Oceania planted in the section allocated to the descendants of the flora of Gondwana.
Our temperature range is to a minimum of minus 7° C. The season concluded with a warm and dry autumn followed by a sudden fall into low temperatures accompanying the commencement of rainfall in June.
Whilst the species with ranges that include the climate found at the Arboretum have, as expected, survived through the winter, the results of the species from warmer climates than those that prevail at Eugenana may interest readers. The list is not comprehensive:
Cupressaceae:
Libocedrus yateensis 4/4
Widdringtonia schwartzii 1/1
Papuacedrus papuana 3/3
Araucariaceae:
Agathis ovata 3/3
Araucaria montana 1/1
Podocarpaceae:
Acmopyle pancheri 2/2
Dacrycarpus imbricatus 6/7
Podocarpus sylvestris 0/1
Phyllocladus hypophyllus 2/2
Falcatifolium falciforme 0/1
Notes:
The Dacrycarpus was declining prior to winter. The Pododcarpus died prior
to winter. The Falcatifolium died from low temperature damage.
Further plantings of a wider range of species may take place this year and a second year will provide more experience as last year’s planting establishes and the variability of climate affects the surviving species.
Phill Parsons
MAIH Tasmanian Arboretum
Plans for a Gold Coast Botanic Gardens have finally been approved and funds have been committed. Kate Green outlines the results of many years of cooperative effort.
A New Botanic Gardens for the Gold Coast - Rosser Park
 Click map to enlarge |
The Gold Coast region has over 5000 plant species growing in a multitude of ecosystems including dunal communities, fresh and saltwater wetlands, coastal and montane heathlands, woodlands and rainforests. The Gold Coast Botanic Gardens at Rosser Park will showcase this wealth of plant materials in a unique 'Mangroves to Mountains' Transect Walk, a feature of the recently adopted master plan created by Brisbane based Landscape Architects Landplan Studios. The gardens will also feature World Sub Tropical Gardens with a spectacular display of exotic sub tropical flora, with water cascades and pathways radiating from a central hub where sculptures and artwork will be prominent. A public competition will invite artists to present ideas for an environmental sculpture as a focal point at the main lake. The park is intersected by a number of lakes and lagoons, home to a variety of wildlife, and is bordered by the Nerang River on one side. A provision for river access will create a second entrance, fitting for the Gold Coast, home to famous surf beaches, canal side homes and the fabulous Broadwater with its chain of islands.
A Regional Botanic Gardens for the Gold Coast has been sought by the local community for many years, and in 2001 the City Council agreed to set aside the existing Rosser Parkland at Ashmore for the purpose of the long term development of gardens. The parkland has historic links to one of the regions pioneer families, The Rossers, and a large portion of the land had previously been donated by the family to the city for environmental purposes. The original Rosser Homestead stands on an adjoining parcel of land. The site is 32 hectares, and apart from a prominent ridge at the main entry is predominantly flat. There is minimal existing vegetation, a tiny pocket of remnant Eucalyptus open forest and a small range of exotic and invasive species such as Camphor laurel, Giant bamboo and broad leaf pepper tree.
 Lawrie Smith, Landplan architect |
Funding will be allocated annually from a small ratepayers levy, and when more detailed working plans are ready additional funding will be sourced. Community involvement has been critical in seeing the vision reach this far and an active Friends Association lobbied Councillors for several years. The support for the gardens proposal was phenomenal, a city with so many other leisure activities rallied behind the Friends and united with a strong voice in support of the development. Council responded by involving the community in the planning process, with a number of public information events, a Reference Group with members from the horticulture communities and the general public. This cooperative effort provided the brief for the magnificent Landplan design. Additional features planned for the garden include an Arboretum, Amenity Horticulture Demonstration Gardens, a Friends of the Gardens Foundation Walkway and an Interpretive System with a series of multi media touch screen stations.
With all of the approvals complete, it is just a matter of time until the world class regional botanic gardens welcomes visitors to its wonderful showcase of plants from the unique biodiversity of the region.
Kate Green M.A.I.H., M.I.Hort., HMA
Contact - green@ion.com.au
Articles
The first international Botanic Gardens Conference for Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand will be held in Geelong on 24-26 October. John Arnott, Curator of Geelong Botanic Gardens reports on the fourth oldest Botanic Gardens in Australia and its spectacular new contemporary 21st Century Garden, all of which will be on display to participants at the Conference.
Geelong’s 21st Century Garden
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Over the past 18 months the Geelong Botanic Gardens (GBG) has celebrated two significant milestones. 2001 saw the gardens celebrate its 150th year and in September 2002 the Geelong Botanic Gardens opened its 21st Century Garden extensions. The 21st Century garden is truly a unique project and represents a significant milestone in the implementation of the gardens Masterplan that aims to link the past with the present, the historic roles of a botanic garden to the contemporary.
These remarkable botanic gardens are the fourth oldest in Australia and one of few historic public gardens that have been actively and continually cultivated and well maintained. As such these gardens have long maintained the tradition of plant collection and display.
Today’s Geelong Botanic Gardens however sees a very different landscape and agenda from that of the gardens Daniel Bunce first laid out in the 1850s. This shift in emphasis has seen the GBG expand with the development of Geelong’s 21st Century Garden extensions. Throughout the planning for this project we received strong endorsements to reconcile the heritage values of the original garden layout alongside the contemporary 21st Century Garden. This is indeed the case as the integrity of the original gardens has and will continue to be maintained and managed to complement the modern entrance. The combination of new and old comes together to create a truly magnificent and unique visitor experience.
Geelong’s 21st Century Garden dates back to 1994 when a comprehensive study of the GBG and the surrounding Eastern Park was undertaken. This study resulted in the 1995 Masterplan for the gardens, which concluded that action was needed to prevent the gardens from failing to fulfill the true roles of a Botanic Garden with respect to education, conservation, research, and the professional management of diverse plant collections.
The real turning point for implementation of the first stage of the gardens Masterplan was with the appointment of New Zealander Rob Small to the position of General Manager of Environment and Recreation Services within the City of Greater Geelong (COGG). He successfully championed the cause for the GBG at the highest levels within COGG and announced funding for construction of the 21st Century Garden in July 2002. The position of Curator to the gardens was reinstated and the project gained in momentum.
From the outset the aim of the 21st Century Gardens was to develop something of a collaboration between designer, Chris Dance Land Design and the GBG. It could be said of Geelong’s 21st Century Garden that it has both diversity and drama. Diversity in plants, planting concepts and planting themes; drama associated with the gardens’ landscape elements and design. Some 6000 plants made up of over 500 species have been planted to establish Geelong’s 21st Century Garden. There are three main planting themes associated with Geelong’s 21st Century Garden.
These themes were borne out of a series of collections planning workshops held at the gardens with participation from the design team, staff and the Friends of Geelong Botanic Gardens. The themes that have been adopted for planting are: Regional Relevance, Plant Adaptation and Plant Evolution.
On the ground the project commenced in May 2001. The project was divided into two packages, the first being the contracted bulk earthworks, hard landscape and construction elements. The soft landscaping, installation of growing media, irrigation and planting was undertaken and project managed by GBG horticultural staff.
The initial works on site revolved around an assessment of the condition and the conservation significance of the existing trees. This process was aided through the support of Heritage Victoria who pointed out a number of specimens worthy of being retained and incorporated into the design. Amongst these were a magnificent specimen of Blue Box - Eucalyptus baueriana, a significant heritage Elm Avenue - Ulmus carpinifolia and an outstanding specimen of Araucaria bidwillii, which now holds pride of place in the center of the 21st Century Garden
The design by landscape architect Chris Dance Design really emphasises the contemporary nature of the 21st Century Garden. The landscape features and plantings draw heavily on the desire to position the Geelong Botanic Gardens as a modern and relevant institution into the 21st century. This garden forms a dramatic contrast to the original 19th Century garden layout with the use of contemporary materials and landscape elements such as the entrance arbor fence and sculpture features. It is intended for such design elements to form something of a strong and dramatic sense of arrival for visitors to the gardens.
The other major aim of the design is to achieve enhanced accessibility to the gardens through establishing an obvious link to the Geelong Waterfront. The concept is to provide visitors to the gardens with an interesting and stimulating entrance precinct designed to cater for vehicle and pedestrian traffic and at the same time showcase the indigenous flora of the region through the architectural planters which line the entrance driveway.
The 21st Century Garden is an honest reflection of the Geelong environment and the GBG is taking the lead in establishing an interest in plant species naturally adapted to our dry temperate climate. The collections draw heavily on local plant species and these gardens will offer visitors the opportunity not only to see a wide variety of plants suited to the region but also how they can be effectively used in the landscape.
The 21st century garden sited alongside the existing magnificent original gardens layout has enormous potential to see the Geelong Botanic Gardens positioned as one of Australia’s premier Regional Botanic Gardens. We look forward to showing delegates of the upcoming BGANZ conference around the GBG and surrounds!
Contact Details:
John Arnott
Curator Geelong Botanic Gardens 03 5227 0387
Insert all attached Geelong Botanic Gardens photos (seven in total – perhaps a whole page collage as for Olive Pink BG in last issue? I don’t think there’s any need to caption them individually – perhaps "Views of Geelong Botanic Garden and the new 21st century extension." An equally historic Botanic Gardens is flourishing at the top end of Australia. Diana Wood from Cook Shire Council reports on the second oldest botanic gardens in Queensland, situated in a lovely bush setting, bordering the sea.
COOKTOWN BOTANICAL GARDENS
 Entrance to Solander’s Garden |
 View through Palmettum |
Cooktown is a small coastal town in tropical southeast Cape York, Queensland. The town stands at the place where Captain James Cook came ashore in 1770, to repair his ship.
The Bark Endeavour was holed, after striking a reef. Cooktown and environs was the Type-Locality for the botanical collections made by Sir Joseph Banks, Daniel Solander and illustrated by Sydney Parkinson, who accompanied the Cook Expedition. The botanical specimens collected by the botanists in 170 are housed at The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, Richmond, Surrey and are the first Australian specimens known to science. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, were endowed by Sir Joseph Banks, after his return from the Antipodes.
Cooktown Botanic Gardens was inaugurated in 1892. It was built using convict labour. After the goldrush of the late 19th Century, Cooktown lost much of its population and the Gardens fell into disrepair. They were resurrected again during the 1980’s.
An important feature is "Solander’s Garden" where species collected by the Cook Expedition are grown. Ultimately, it’s hoped to display specimens representing the entire Banks and Solander Collection.
"Nature’s Powerhouse," the new environment center, has been built recently in the Cooktown Botanic Gardens. The building houses a wonderful display of the wildlife of Cape York Peninsula, including many animals unique to the area, and all 34 species of snake that can be found there. The Queensland Museum assisted the community to deliver this display, which was funded by a legacy of the late Charles Tanner. Charles was a local identity and reptile expert, and it was his desire to promote understanding and respect for the wildlife here.
In a separate gallery, the Vera Scarth-Johnson botanical illustrations are exhibited. Vera bequeathed her illustrations to the people of Cooktown and her subjects are reflected in the landscaped area around the building.
A collection of the Vera Scarth-Johnson illustrations and notes has been published in a volume entitled "National Treasures," which features Dendrobium phalaenopsis, the spectacular Cooktown Orchid, on the cover. It was Vera’s ambition to illustrate all the unique flora of the Endeavour Valley, and she pursued this goal until her death in 1999.
Continuing the botanical tradition at Nature’s Powerhouse is artist-in-residence, the renowned photographer, Stuart Fox. Stuart uses technology to develop an exciting new method of illustrating botanical specimens. Nature’s Powerhouse intends to hold an exhibition of Stuart’s work at Sydney Botanic Gardens during January 2003.
You can find more about Nature’s Powerhouse and Cooktown Botanic Gardens
at
www.naturespowerhouse.info
and the email address is keep@tpg.com.au