History of the Garden
In Brief
Opened in September 1988, the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden, was the result of decades of work to protect and restore the site. The land was formally set aside for the purposes of a botanic garden in August 1975 and a garden plan was developed in 1979. The Friends of the Garden came together in 1981 and formally incorporated into an Association in 1990. Volunteers contributed many thousands of hours to clean up the site and to prepare garden beds and paths.
The City of Coffs Harbour began funding the botanic garden in 1982 with a garden manager/curator and support staff working alongside the many volunteers. The partnership between the Friends of the Garden and the City of Coffs Harbour continues to develop and advance the core objectives of the garden in conservation, education and community enrichment.
The Story in Detail: From Canoe Trip to Botanic Garden
Some of the area that now forms the site of the botanic garden was logged in the 1900’s, especially for Turpentine trees used to build piers and jetties. The site still retained large areas of natural forest and the cleared areas were turned into dump sites up until 1964. An early proposal to reserve the site for recreational use was put forward in a town plan for Coffs Harbour in 1950 when it was known as Wilson’s Park.
It was not until a canoe trip up Coffs Creek in 1972 by members of a local conservation organisation, the Ulitarra Society, that the impetus to protect the garden site gathered pace. The Ulitarra Society gained the support of 18 local organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce to press for conservation of this unique site on the bend of Coffs Creek at the heart of a then rapidly growing town.
By August 1975, the Crown Land site (called Reserve No. 89558) was gazetted for the “purposes of a Botanic Garden”.
In 1979 the Curator of the National Botanic Garden in Canberra, John Wrigley, was commissioned to draw up a development plan for the garden. The plan was accepted in May 1980 and John Wrigley engaged as a consultant for the garden development.
Early in 1981 the Friends of the Botanic Garden came together to begin a big volunteer effort and later became incorporated as an Association in 1990. Many thousands of hours of community effort went into cleaning up the site and removing dumped rubbish by the truckload. Walking tracks were planned and the Coffs Harbour Council began contributing funds for the development of the garden in 1982. Garden beds were formed and planting began by volunteer Friends and Council staff. The transformation of a former waste dump into rainforests and other garden collections was now well underway.
The garden was officially opened in September 1988 by the Hon. Sir Alexander Beattie who planted the Broad-leaved Geebung, the floral emblem of the garden, outside the entrance.
The initial co-operation between Council and the Friends of the Garden to establish a botanic garden, supported by the Coffs Harbour community, continues to be the hallmark of an ongoing partnership to develop and promote the botanic garden for community enrichment.
More of the history and development of the garden can be found in the booklet “The Greenest Bend in the River” (2008) edited by Eve Colley, Alex Floyd OAM, Barry Kemp, Brian Lane and Jack Lawson.