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All images - courtesy of Beth Ritchie |
Buninyong Botanic Gardens - page 2/3
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History In 1838 the area was first settled by Scottish squatters as a pastoral run. The first land survey of 1849 described an area of springs and swampy ground which was excluded from subsequent land sales. Following the discovery of gold in 1851 the springs were dammed to provide a water supply for the increased population. In 1859 the first Buninyong Municipal Council reserved an area of 10 acres for Botanical Gardens. The original plan of 1861 showed walks and bridges, fencing and gates and a proposal for bathing facilities. In 1872 Conrad Fegbeitel, a German immigrant, was appointed Curator for the Gardens and Superintendent of the Baths. The famous Ferdinand Von Mueller from the Melbourne Botanical Gardens, the curators of Ballarat and Geelong Gardens, the State Nursery at Creswick and local nurserymen all donated specimens of trees and plants. The gardens became a popular wayside stop for travellers and picnickers who admired the 'hilly picturesque countryside' and the ornamental trees and flowering shrubs. Following a devasting fire in 1876 the capacity of the Gong reservoir was greatly increased in order to ensure an adequate water supply in the event of another fire. From the time visitors could travel to Buniyong by train it became a popular picnic destination. The railway era was the heyday of the Buninyong Botanic Gardens. The service ended in 1937 and the track was dismantled in 1947. Long serving curators contributed to the development and upkeep of the Gardens until WW11.
These notes were compiled from an article 'History of The 'Gong' or Upper Dam' by Beth Ritchie, August 1993, in 'The Gong Environmental Program' by Christine Rowe, Victorian Environmental Education Council.  
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