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Formal Gardens |
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The current main gates were erected in 1951, as a memorial to Mrs Miriam Cameron, a local singing teacher. The first gates were erected in 1883: these may be the same ones that appear in a picture from 1920. The mature trees close to the entrance probably date from the late 1800s. The main pathways leading from the gates were originally designed by W. M. Guilfoyle in 1880, and were planned to go round the entire reserve. Although Guilfoyle's design provided the foundation to the current gardens, little of what we see today is what he had envisaged. Much of the current layout can be attributed to Ernest Lord, who re-designed the gardens in 1936. The renovated pond in the shape of Australia, near the toilets, was one of Lord's features, as is the palm lawn (the palms feature in most of the postcards produced since that time). Other features designed by Lord, including a sunken Italian garden and a 100 yard running track, were either never completed or have been obliterated. |
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The rose garden, surrounding the rotunda, dates from 1988. A rose garden was on Lord's 1936 plan and a rotunda was completed in 1909, but these were not in the current position. A small circular bed with a trellis in the shape of a crown, located near the main gates, was originally a fountain in the centre of a small pond. A time-series of this part of the gardens can be found by clicking here. The house on the eastern side of the gardens was originally provided for the caretaker. It is now a private residence for the superintendent of gardens. Other additions to the gardens in the 1980s and 1990s are a pergola, Australian plant beds, a circular lawn and display bed, and a row of grey Acacia pendula trees. The latter were planted in 1996 at the western end of the formal area as a tribute to Fred Rogers, who promoted the growing of Australian native plants in the Wimmera region. |
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A feature of the gardens is the group of Canary Island Palms, probably planted some time before the second world war. There are no heritage listed trees in the garden, but an unusual form of the Lemon-Scented Gum and a large Sugar Gum are particularly worth noting. Other Australian species include a Lilly Pilly, a Weeping Lilly Pilly and an Illawarra Flame Tree. Several of the gums native to the area were left when the gardens were first laid out, but the best specimens of Black Box are near the wetlands area. The majority of the trees in the formal gardens are northern European, particularly Elms and Oaks. North American trees include a number of Liquidambars and a Tulip Tree. A large number of northern hemisphere trees have been planted around the playground in recent years. Unlike many of Victoria's regional botanic gardens, there are few conifers. Unfortunately, at this time, very few of the plants in the gardens have labels. Locations of some of the most significant trees will be found if you click HERE. Click HERE to see a map of the formal gardens. |
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