The Tamborine Mountain Botanic Garden is one of those hidden gems. The Gardens are beautiful. Seasonal. Appropriate. And built with a spirit of volunteerism that has long been the defining characteristic of this extraordinary mountain community.
The Gardens are located in a valley just below the village of Old Eagle Heights.
The Gardens look so established that they might have been here since settlement. In fact though, just 27 years ago the area was still officially seen as unused, undeveloped swampland. Which it was.
Back then, the Beaudesert Council put forward a proposal to build a sewage treatment facility on the land. Many local residents were very concerned.
In effect the people of Tamborine Mountain said "no, no, no" to the proposal. They said it strongly and seemed prepared to fight to avoid the treatment plant.
Tamborine Mountain has long had a reputation as a community that cares enough to stand up to fight to protect and enhance the unique environment that we live in.
A sewage treatment plant in a valley at the bottom of a garden suburb just did not sound right.
Fortunately one far sighted local councillor - Vonda Youngman - could see that within this situation, there was actually a remarkable opportunity.
Vonda Youngman proposed that the area should be transformed into a public space that celebrated the mountain environment.
Vonda approached the local Garden Club to see if they were interested in developing this parcel of land into a public Garden.
Fortunately, the Tamborine Mountain Garden Club also saw the possiblities.
Eventually, with sustained community support, Vonda Youngman's vision prevailed.
The proposal made it through the Beaudesert Council and together, the community and the Council set about transforming the swamp land.
Council financed and supervised the construction of the iconic stone bridge across the creek.
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| Earthworks at the Gardens after the bridge was built. Photo courtesy Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens |
The Council overseer of the day, Ross Newton, designed the bridge along the lines of the old rustic bridges in England.
Keven Laegel and Lloyd Venz started building the bridge in 1975 and it was completed in early 1976.
Because of the swampy conditions of the terrain it was built completely by hand as it was not possible to get any heavy machinery on the site.
The bridge was designed wide enough to allow access for a slasher and tractor to cross it.
Once the bridge was completed it allowed access to what was to become a Botanic Garden. The stone bridge remains today as one of the focal points of the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens.
In 1977 Council commenced the mammoth task of removing the reeds from the creek to form a lake. They also set about some vital earthworks, terracing the steeply sloping hillside on the western side of the creek to create garden beds.
The sticky mountain soil soon bogged one of the earthmovers, so a larger one was brought in to pull it out.
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Botanic Gardens volunteers 1998. L/r Bobby White, Kay Ilett, Betty Haseler, Jack Carter, Mike Bell, Don Coulter, Barbara Beale, Lyne Ampt, Gordon White, Deneice Wyllie.
Photo by Deneice Wyllie |
The members of the garden Club also worked extremely hard for months and months. Huge logs were strewn about the site.
Some were rolled down to the creek to make weirs.
Much of the area was smothered in lantana and every other weed you could think of. These same weed species remain an ongoing maintenance issue in the Botanic Gardens.
This is where we will leave the story of the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens for now. This is the first in a five part look at the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens.
We asked the current curator of the Gardens - Brian Davison - what the underlying design philosphy of the garden was.
Brian said, "We have three things we look for in the continuing design of the Gardens: windows, vistas and settings. What I tell people is to look up and to look down. Looking up is half the joy of being here - absolutely magic!"
Next time we will explore magic contained within the various zones in the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens. After that, we'll introduce you to the role played by of various curators and designers responsible for the Botanic Garden's evolution.
