10 minute read
Then and now: celebrating 20 years of the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens
Lisa Kermode, Curator Botanic Areas, Mackay Regional Council
Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens celebrated its 20th anniversary in May 2023. Reaching this milestone was a great opportunity to reflect on how the gardens has developed and changed since it was officially opened. As part of the birthday celebrations, we were fortunate to host the designer of the gardens, landscape architect Lawrence Smith. While he was here, we took every opportunity to hear firsthand about Lawrie’s vision for the site and his design intent. Lawrie was very generous with his time, leading guided walks for the public, staff and councillors, giving presentations and workshops and being a special guest at many of the birthday events. Learning about the significance and reasons behind key design elements, and the practicalities and challenges of bringing them to life, was a fascinating and enlightening experience. Plans are under way to share Lawrie’s stories with a wider audience through a digital sound trail experience across the gardens.
Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens was established to showcase the plants of the Central Queensland Coast Bioregion, a diverse area featuring lush tropical rainforests, wide sweeping beaches, mangrove-lined waterways and open eucalypt forests. Looking back at photos of the individual gardens as they were being constructed and planted and comparing them to what we see today highlights the fact that a garden is constantly changing and never static. Plant collections develop and mature, plants grow and age and are impacted by changing weather conditions such as cyclones and floods. Plants self-seed, spread themselves around and search for light as shade increases. Some plants grow and thrive, while others struggle and need to be replaced. Views across a landscape change as plants grow and mature, hard infrastructure such as garden bed edging becomes softened by plants and weathering, and the microclimatic conditions change as plants mature. An example of this is the Malta Garden, established in consultation with the local Maltese community. Significantly, Mackay is home to the largest population of Maltese people in an Australian regional centre and this garden recognises their historic and continuing involvement with the sugar industry and their contribution to the development of Mackay. Features of this garden include a stylised aqueduct colonnade, bocce court, open lawn area, a kitchen garden and culturally important plantings. A relatively sunny site when first established, it has become progressively more shaded over time as surrounding collections, including a large fig tree, have matured. It features plants traditionally associated with Malta such as olives, citrus, figs, bay and thyme. Some have been relocated to sunnier sections of the garden beds and more shadetolerant plants have recently been added to reflect the changing conditions.
The Tropical Shade Garden and Fernery contain specialised collections of plants that require shade and shelter. Built on the south side of the visitor information and administration building these gardens have changed significantly over the last 20 years. Shade was initially provided by established exotic trees, however, as native shade trees have matured, exotic trees have been progressively removed and others have been lost in cyclones, creating opportunities for additional native plantings. A distinctive feature of these collections is the recycled wharf logs salvaged from the Pier Wharf at Mackay Harbour that provide an important vertical element. Many of the wharf logs still retain barnacles and evidence of seawater exposure, while others feature markings from marine worms and borers. These logs now provide a home for epiphytic plants, ferns, orchids and vines, while the adjacent buildings are barely visible through the dense growth of lush tropical plants. The Tropical Shade Garden and Fernery are two of the most visited areas in the gardens offering tranquil and cool places of respite in the heat of the day. They feature some unique and fascinating plants such as Flowering Fern Helmithostachys zeylanica, king ferns, gingers, fan palms, orchids, aroids and bromeliads. With many interesting stories to tell these collections are a highlight for visitors on our guided walks.
Another collection that has changed significantly over the last 20 years is the Heritage Garden, which commemorates the plants and cultural characteristics of some of the historic homestead gardens established by the European settlers of Mackay. Early photos of this garden show the infrastructure including paths, garden edging and arbours, which today are softened by a range of flowering exotics and native plants. The ‘Heritage Gardeners’ (a group within the Garden Friends) assist staff with the maintenance of this garden, which is a popular location for photos, weddings and other events.
The Finch Hatton Waterway is a key feature of the gardens, which represents the plants, habitats, waterfalls and creeks found in Finch Hatton Gorge, located around 80 km west of Mackay. When initially constructed, this dramatic waterway was a stark landscape feature. Fast forward 20 years and it is now a lush tropical environment, where the rocks are covered with lichen and moss, and an abundance of ferns, palms and other plants make a tranquil and relaxing setting. Leaf litter has built up, creating nutrient-rich soil in which the understorey plants thrive and insectivorous birds abound.
The gardens features a cafe, gallery space and observation deck that are popular with visitors, offering great views of the adjacent lagoons. Together with the administration building, these structures were inspired by the shape of an orchid flower, with the cafe and administration building representing two orchid petals and the deck representing the dorsal sepal. In 2003, when the buildings were being constructed, the palms of the Finch Hatton collection were newly planted, and the rocks and mulch of the garden bed were evident. Twenty years later, the buildings are no longer visible from the pathway below the collection and the palms, trees and ferns of the understory soften the rocks and landscape elements, creating a lush forest atmosphere.
The Eulamere Boardwalk zig zags across the lagoons, providing a range of opportunities for visitors to view aquatic vegetation, and is a great spot for watching waterbirds. Over the last 20 years the plants in the regional flora terraces collection have been maturing and the view to the boardwalk and shelter has changed dramatically. Trees provide shade along the pathway, and understorey plantings are thriving. The rectangular concrete structures, also salvaged from Mackay Harbour, are now surrounded by lilies and other plants, and the trees provide convenient perches for kingfishers and other birds, watching for insects and fish.
The 20th birthday celebrations provided an opportunity to assemble a display of ‘Then and Now’ photos highlighting how much the gardens have changed. This included the production of a brochure and a collection of photos displayed both on our website and in our visitor information centre. Visitors have enjoyed seeing the changes to the collections over time.
Another important part of our birthday celebrations was providing the opportunity for people to share stories and their memories of the gardens. Through social media, we heard about people’s favourite plants, their special spots in the garden, and memories of time spent catching up with friends and family, meditating, walking, picnicking, playing bocce, celebrating weddings and other special occasions. It was great to hear all these special memories and reflect on the role the gardens have played in people’s lives over the last 20 years.
The way people use the gardens has changed as the plantings have grown and matured. There are now lots of shady spots to sit and relax as well as open sunny areas to enjoy. The gardens has hosted weddings, engagements, open days, concerts, movie screenings, strolling stories, school holiday activities, events and lots more. It is a popular place for fitness groups, yoga, parkrun, walking the dog, catching up with friends and just enjoying the atmosphere and connecting with nature.
While we celebrate and reflect on the first 20 years of Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens, we are also looking forwards. Future stages of development have been designed and are ready to be implemented when funding allows. These include bridges across the lagoons linking the existing garden features to future development areas, a bioregional shelter for community use and events, a wetland centre piece, additional pathways, barbeques and shelters, a waterfall cascade, viewing platforms, boardwalks, and a multifunctional conference, entertainment, education, retail and administration centre. Upgrades to the existing amphitheatre area and repurposing the existing administration building are also proposed.
Our mission has always been to manage and operate the gardens to display, preserve, research and interpret the botanical and horticultural values of the regional flora in a facility that enhances public enjoyment, while increasing knowledge of and cultural links to the plant kingdom. The gardens will continue to grow, flourish and change with the central aim of showcasing our bioregional flora, connecting plants to people and sharing stories about our special collections.
There have been many changes over the last 20 years, but two key aspects remain the same. First, volunteers have always been a key part of the gardens’ development, maintenance and promotion. The Society for Growing Australian Plants Mackay Branch and the Garden Friends are key volunteer stakeholder groups that have been central to the growth of the gardens. Second, the staff, including the gardeners, visitor experience officers and curators, have all played an important part in the development of the gardens. Their hard work, determination, passion and enthusiasm have contributed to the special place we all enjoy today, creating a long-lasting legacy for the community to enjoy and a unique and significant botanical collection.
