Wollongong Botanic Gardens

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About Wollongong Botanic Gardens

Wollongong Botanic Gardens (and surrounds)




The Wollongong Botanic Garden is situated in Keiraville and is bounded by Murphys Avenue, Robsons Road and Northfields Avenue and was officially opened to the public on 2 January 1971 and had 6,000 visitors that year. The Garden’s Designer, University of NSW Professor Peter Spooner said “The Garden should be educational, recreational, scientific as well as aesthetic”
The Garden has lived up to its purpose and more. Now, over 200,000 people visit annually. Some visitors stroll or picnic among the beautiful array of plant specimens, from both tropical and temperate regions, some attend community festivals and concerts, and some take part in environmental educational workshops. In fact, many couples start their married life together by having their wedding in the gardens or at Gleniffer Brae.

Wollongong Botanic Garden is located in the suburb of Keiraville, on the foothills of Mount Keira and includes Gleniffer Brae. The site fronts Robsons Road to the west, Murphys Ave to the south, and Northfields Avenue to the north. The site is owned by Wollongong City Council

The Wollongong Botanic Garden owes it existence to the civic mindedness of Mr. Hoskins, the determination of Council Staff and the dedication of volunteers. A detailed history can be found by reading “Wollongong Botanic Garden- A Story of Beauty and Diversity” by Dena Leighton.

In 1954, the Sydney Anglican Diocese bought the Gleniffer Brae grounds for the purposes of a girls grammar school and a memorandum of agreement was finalised with Council for approx 32 acres of land extending from Murphys Avenue to Northfields Avenue for the purposes of a botanic garden. It would take many years to see the dream of Mr. Hoskins become a reality; the Botanic Gardens did not open to the public on a regular basis until 2 January 1971.
Mr. Hoskins had a reliable and loyal gardener for Gleniffer Brae, named Eric Winter. Mr. Hoskins gave his gardener 2.5 acres of land on the eastern boundary of his property that included a house built in 1921 named Cratloe, which stands today as the Botanic Gardens Discovery Centre. Council purchased the land in 1966, from the owner that bought it off Mr. Winter.

In 1976, a financial crisis forced The Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School (SCEGGS) to sell nearly 15.5 acres to Council, and in 1978, the remaining grounds, including Gleniffer Brae passed into Council’s possession via a notice of resumption.

Development and Purpose of the Wollongong Botanic Garden
On 10 December 1959, Mr. R.H. Anderson, Chief Botanist and Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, visited the Keiraville site and declared that the site was a good one and recommended that expert advice would be needed to prepare a design for the garden. Ultimately, the expert was Professor Peter Spooner of the University of New South Wales.

Spooner came up with the idea of a geographically based garden layout; this was unusual. Plants were grouped according to their country of origin rather than the more usual botanic family groups. The 8 countries that were part of Spooner’s layout were:
• Australiasia
• Indonesia and Malaysia
• Pacific Islands
• Europe
India
• Africa
• China and Korea
• The Americas
Later when the Botanic Garden lands were expanded and Council had hired Deane Miller as Parks and Gardens Controller and Director of Wollongong Botanic Gardens, it was determined that the geographical based garden concept was not working well and that a habitat planting system would better suit the expanded site.

Other Illawarra-based flickr groups include:

Illawarra Groups

http://botanicgarden.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/