Year: 2024

A lesser-known masterpiece sits high on the hill overlooking picturesque Daylesford. A short day trip from Melbourne, Daylesford is home to Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens and the work of German-born, Baron Sir Ferdinand Von Mueller who was the Government Botanist in the 1860s. He established the 10.4-hectare garden at Wombat Hill. I guess he was experimenting after establishing the Royal Melbourne Botanical Gardens and responding to the call that all towns should have botanical gardens as the colony grew and the population started to move from the cities to the country. If only there was such a commitment to tree planting these days.

To create the garden at Wombat Hill, the native species were removed, pathways formed, and trees from Europe were introduced to the area, changing the landscape forever.

The rich volcanic soil was an ideal playground for tree planting and experimenting back then, when the Baron was introducing plant species from Europe to Australia.

https://www.lostmagazine.com.au/content/australians-baron-of-botany

The gardens today are a vibrant and thriving legacy…how does that old Greek proverb go…“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.” Well nowhere is this more evident than witnessing the work of the baron some 165 years down the track. The tree collection is outstanding.

There is a stunning nursery that offers healthy rare and unusual plants for sale. The money raised from the sale of these plants that are nurtured and sold by volunteers assists in funding the running of the gardens.