Opening of Extended Section of Maranoa GardensPrint Page

The tree commmemorates the opening of the Extended Section of Maranoa Gardens in October 1962.

Maranoa Gardens began in the early 1890s, when Mr John Middleton Watson purchased 1.4 hectares in Balwyn for a private garden. He planted many Australian and New Zealand native trees and shrubs and the area was maintained purely as a garden. He named the gardens Maranoa after a river in Queensland, from native words meaning flowing, alive or running.  The former City of Camberwell (since merged into the City of Boroondara) acquired the area in 1922 and continued the planting, gradually removing all non-native plants.

In September 1926, Maranoa Gardens were formally opened to the public and Mr F. Chapman was appointed Chairman of the Gardens' Consulting Committee. Mr Chapman's keen interest in the Gardens and that of many others helped to establish Maranoa Gardens as one of the largest displays of Australian plants in Victoria.

Contributors to the Gardens' development were Ivo Hammet (a pioneer of Australian native plant growing), Mr Arthur Swaby (a teacher and botanist, who was a founding member of the Society for Growing Australian Plants), Charles French (an associate of the great botanist, Baron Ferdinand von Mueller) and Earnest Lord. The longest serving head gardener at Maranoa, Mr R Bury (1937–1968), preserved and promoted the Gardens' plants.

In 1962, the original Gardens were doubled in size by expanding east into Beckett Park. Maranoa Gardens is one of the few public gardens in Victoria dedicated to Australian plants, and it is considered to be one of the best. The central arboretum and lawn under trees area date from a time just after Mr Watson transferred ownership to Camberwell Council. 

With some 5000 plants, most of which are named, Maranoa Gardens has been recognised through registration with the National Trust as an important part of Australian gardening history.

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