Top Brisbane tourist attraction celebrates 50th birthday
It is the city’s second most-popular tourist attraction, is helping save thousands of plant species and is a haven for artists. Happy 50th birthday, Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens.
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One of Brisbane’s most beloved attractions, the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at suburban Mt Coot-tha, quietly celebrated its half century on Tuesday.
Former Lord Mayor Clem Jones, best known for sewering the city, is much less well known for establishing the 53ha wonderland on March 31, 1970 along with “The Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium”.
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With the world’s largest collection of Australian native rainforest plants, the Brisbane Botanic Gardens is also an important part of the Millennium Seed Bank — a global effort to safeguard 10 per cent of all the world’s plant seeds — and the Gardens attract 12,000 visitors a week.
Its longest-serving Curator, Ross McKinnon, said he was humbled by the efforts of the other Curators and staff who had made also made the Gardens what they are today.
“I started in 1972, with the promise I would become Curator when Barry Dangerfield retired,’’ he said.
“That took until 1983. Barry did all the important but ‘boring’ stuff — the earthworks,roads, irrigation systems and so on.
“He was a wonderful man and did a fantastic job, while I had the pleasure of doing the creative things — planting the trees.’’
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During Mr McKinnon’s record 31-year tenure as Curator the Queensland Herbarium was built, two large lakes added to those already in place to drought proof the gardens and favourites such as the Japanese Garden, Fern House, Richard Randall Art Studio, the “National Australia Remembers- Freedom Wall” and restaurant/kiosk were opened.
Approximately 14,000 school kids a year, come through the “Lessons in The Gardens”programmes.
Mr McKinnon, was appointed a member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to horticulture in 1999 and this year awarded the high Japanese Imperial Honour: “The Order Of The Rising Sun”..
Our city and Botanic Gardens gives and gets so much back through visitors, 60 per cent of whom are from intrastate, interstate or overseas. Tourists who spend hundreds of dollars a day while in Brisbane.
“The Brisbane Botanic Gardens are Brisbane’s gift to us, the rest of Australia and to the world.’’
Mr McKinnon said he would always remember the peace the Japanese Gardens provided to a young tradie who was dying of lung disease.
“He was very distressed, but would sit in these tranquil, absolutely beautiful gardens until his inner peace returned. The restorative power of nature in troubled times cannot be overstated” he said.
“His family later dedicated a seat and plaque to honour their son just outside the Japanese Gardens for all to share.’’
How the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt Coot-tha has evolved
How Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens has evolved
1972: First sod turned on March 31.
1975: Administration building, Auditorium and Library opened June 28.
1975: Barry Dangerfield appointed Foundation Curator on November 24.
1977: Tropical Display Dome opened December 15, at a cost of $828,000.
1980: Dangerfield resigns after achieving his goals of laying the Gardens foundations.
Harold Caulfield appointed Curator October 28.
1982: Caulfield retires, Ross McKinnon appointed Curator June 1983.
1983: Survey finds 8000 visitors use the gardens per week, 30 tour buses a day by 1989.
1984-1993. Stage II, a 27ha Australian Plant Communities Garden including a large lake and pedestrian walkways constructed, 2500 native trees and shrubs planted.
1989: Volunteer Guides Organisation established to provide visitors with informative guided walks.
1989: Japanese Gardens open February 6 after being moved from the Japan Pavilion at World Expo 88.
1996: Tropical Display Dome restoration completed including work on the pond, perspex glazing and power plant.
1997:First sod turned to mark start of work on Queensland State Herbarium, later opened in 1998.
1999: Bonsai House opened by Lord Mayor Jim Soorley.
1998-2012: Fourteen annual “Artists-in-Residence”.
2002: Fern House opened.
2004: Wedding Lawn Arbor dedicated.
2005-2007: Worst drought in Brisbane since settlement sees total mains/sprinkler ban, recycled water, dams, tanks, groundwater drilling to keep plants alive.
2007: Richard Randall Art Studio moved from Musgrave Park, West End, to the Gardens.
2008: Work on pedestrian, bikeway overpass across Western Fwy starts.
2014: McKinnon retires after forty two years with the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. Dale Arvidsson is the current Curator.
2016: Cafe/restaurant reopen after lease dispute following completion of Legacy Way Tunnel.
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