|
History |
|||||
|
|
|
|
The
botanic Gardens
in Horsham date
back to the late
19th Century.
In 1878, the Mayor,
Carl
Rasmussen,
petitioned the
Assistant Commisioner
of Lands &
Survey for part
of the former
Police Reserve
to be used as
a botanic gardens.
The land, an area
of 40 acres and
27 perches (about
16 ha), was temporarily
reserved for that
purpose later
that year. This
area is marked
on maps
of the time
as being subject
to winter floods
and timered with
oak and box (Sheoak,
Allocasuarina
spp. Grey Box,
Eucalyptus
microflora,
and Black Box,
Eucalyptus
largiflorens).
Evidence of the
use of this area
by aborigines
is still evident
in scars from
bark
removal, dated
as being 150-200
years old, on
black box trees
on the western
side of the gardens
reserve. |
 |
The
Director of the
Botanic Gardens
in Melbourne,
W.
R. Guilfoyle,
visited the site
in May 1880 and
soon after privided
the council with
a proposed
layout for
the Horsham gardens.
This plan, done
in water colour
by R. P. Whitworth,
is now in the
care of the Horsham
Historical Society.
The essence of
the design was,
as with Guilfoyle’s
other gardens,
a parkland-type
landscape containing
isolated trees,
large beds of
trees and shrubs,
each representing
the floras of
a different continent,
along with beds
of medicinal and
economically important
species, and spaceous
lawns. A curved
path ran around
the perimeter.
There was also
to be a lake with
islands (to the
north of the current
wetland area,
but never built)
and two summerhouses
(also probably
never constructed).
Existing box trees
on the site were
to be retained. |
|
It
is unclear how
much development
of the gardens
had already taken
place, but shortly
after this date
the curator was
reporting progress
on the formation
of paths and the
planting of trees.
However, demonstration
of a new harrow
took place in
the gardens in
1882, indicating
that at least
some areas had
not yet been sown
to grass. Several
references are
made over the
years to a paddock
containing emus
and kangaroos.
Entrance
gates had
been erected by
1883 and in that
year the council
agreed to the
addition of a
tennis lawn, a
departure from
the original plan.
A fernery,
also not on the
original plan,
had also been
added by 1884.
However, the current
pathways on the
northern and eastern
sides of the reserve,
follow Guilfoyle’s
quite closely.
|
|
An
avenue
of eucalypts
(proposed in 1884
and well-grown
by 1907) was planted
along the main
path, along the
eastern side of
the gardens past
the fernery, and
a maze was planned
(but perhaps never
planted). By the
1930s these eucalypts
had been replaced
by the current
Canary
Island Palms
(Phoenix canariensis).
Other early additions
were a “lakelet”,
with two islands
and a rustic bridge,
in 1908 and a
rotunda, completed
in 1909. Both
of these were
probably on the
land now occupied
by the caravan
park and have
long since gone.
|
 |
 |
An
avenue of trees
was donated by
James Millar,
a local businessman
and councillor,
some time after
January 1892,
leading diagonally
across the gardens
and thus intruding
on one of Guilfoyle’s
intended vistas
across an open
lawn. This avenue
of sugar gums
(Eucalyptus
cladocalyx),
named Millar
Avenue, is
still to be seen
today. A photo
from 1920 shows
a double row of
trees on each
side, one somewhat
younger than the
others, but only
one row on each
side now
remains. The
curator’s
house was moved
to its site within
the reserve in
1896. A fountain,
seen in photographs
as early as 1907,
was built close
to the main entrance.
It was the target
of vandalism as
early as 1912
and by 1950 it
had been converted
to the crown-like
garden bed that
we still see today. |
|
Over
the years, pressure
increased for
the use of the
botanic gardens
area for more
formal recreation.
This, along with
other features
such as Millar
Avenue, had
caused major deviations
from Guilfoyle’s
design. A “revised
layout plan”
for the eastern
side of the reserve
was drawn up by
Ernest
Lord, the
curator, in 1936.
This formalised
the large area
in the heart of
the gardens for
the tennis club,
and included a
croquet lawn,
a 100 yards running
track, swimming
pool (in addition
to the pool area
in the Wimmera
River), rotunda,
tourist camping
area and a children’s
playground.
From
this time onwards,
the north-eastern
part of the reserve
became de-facto
the formal botanic
gardens area.
Guilfoyle’s
concept of large
blocks of trees,
wide lawns and
long vistas was
replaced with
avenues of trees
following the
major paths, smaller
lawns and numerous
small garden features,
such as a rose
garden, an Italian
garden, a rockery
containing a pond
in the shape of
Australia, and
numerous planted
beds. Some of
these features
may already have
been in existence
at the time of
Lord’s appointment.
Like the original
plan, several
of Lord’s
features were
probably never
completed.
In
1947, the temporary
reservation of
the land was altered
to include “public
recreation”
as well as botanic
gardens, and in
1948 it was extended
to include “tourist
camping”.
In the period
immediately after
the Second World
War, several thousand
trees were apparently
planted under
the curator Alby
Elbourne. |
 |
|
In
1951, the existing
main gates were
replaced by the
current
ones in memorial
to Mrs Miriam
Cameron, a local
singing teacher.
At some point
the caravan park
took over the
south-eastern
corner of the
reserve, the playground
area was relocated
in between the
tennis courts
and the council
depot, while the
depot itself was
extended. A levee
bank was built
as part of a flood
mitigation scheme
in 1976, while
Baker
Street was
extended to run
through the reserve
in 1996. By 1982,
the size of the
area managed as
a traditional
botanic garden
was only 8 acres,
a fifth of the
entire botanic
gardens reserve.
|
 |
|
Although there has been no formal plan since 1936, there have been considerable alterations. A pergola was built in 1981, a new rotunda and rose garden were added in 1988, along with a circular lawn and display bed in 1991. A native garden has also been added at the north-western end of the formal area, while a new bed in the shape of a shamrock was laid out in 1986. A wetland has been developed along the western boundary of the reserve, outside the formal garden area; although a pond was shown on Guilfoyle’s original plan, the new wetland is more extensive. A memorial has been erected to commemorate a black box tree that had its aboriginal bark removal dated to about 200 years before European settlement. An entrance to the north-eastern corner of the reserve has been planted up, along with a Dryland Garden area containing an Eremophila collection. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, in 1996, Horsham Botanic Gardens was given 60 new plants. A new master plan was commissioned from consultant Jill Orr-Young in 2003 and presented to the Wimmera Rural City Council in 2004. This comprehensively reviewed the state of the gardens and suggested a range of future actions. It also includes, for the first time, a map of the gardens as they actually are (rather than what was merely planned). The proposals are now being considered. A “Friends” group and a Steering Committee were formed in 2004 and is involved in the planning exercise. Despite the extensive changes over the years, much is still made of the fact that they are a "Guilfoyle garden". For a discussion of what still remains of the original design, click here. |
| To view archives, click here: |
