The small town of Koroit is 280 km from Melbourne and 10 km west of Warrnambool. It lies close to Tower Hill, a volcanic crater lake that erupted around 20,000 years ago. Its historic Botanic Gardens, dating back to 1862, are on the Victorian Heritage Register and were redesigned in 1880 by William Guilfoyle, one of Australia's leading landscape designers (and director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne). They are part of a unique collection of around 20 similar small, regional Botanic Gardens throughout Victoria. The Gardens now cover about 4 acres. For a garden of its small size, there is a remarkable variety of trees, of which six are on the National Trust register of significant trees. There is a barbecue and a playground. Toilets are located in the caravan park. The Gardens are managed by Moyne Shire Council, who employ the current gardener Gerard Kearney. The region is rich in Botanic Gardens. Other, more extensive, Guilfoyle botanic gardens can be found in Warrnambool and Hamilton, while the remains of Botanic Gardens can be found in the caravan park in Port Fairy. Other fine Botanic Gardens within easy reach are at Portland, Camperdown and Colac. Koroit township is on the National Trust Register and has a long Irish tradition, derived from its early settlers. There is a heritage trail that can be followed on foot, starting from the old school building (now the Historical Society) on High Street. The Koroit Irish Festival, a celebration of Irish heritage via music, takes place in May. It includes live music in the hotels, six stages set up along the main street, street performers, arts and crafts, market stalls and a variety of children's activities and entertainment. The Koroit Agricultural Show takes place annually in November. Most information on the history of the Gardens is taken from "Koroit Botanic Gardens Conservation Plan for Moyne Shire", by Helen Doyle, Richard Aitken & Pamela Jellie (1999). However, all errors are mine: if you find any, please contact me on rcousens@unimelb.edu.au. If you have any photos of the Gardens, or family photos taken in the Gardens, I would be eager to hear from you. Thanks go to Barbara Price and others of the Koroit and District Historical Society, Gerard Kearney and Bart Gane (Moyne Shire) and Jill Thurlow (Royal Botanic Gardens library). Hans Schepers of AMS Imaging supplied the digital image of the Guilfoyle plan. Information and images are also included from the Bachelor of Horticulture (University of Melbourne) industry project reports of Daniel Rawson, Lachlan Yourn and Jaclyn Knight. The web site was last updated 7 October 2008. |