Wilson Botanic Park
Encyclopedia
Wilson Botanic Park is a botanic garden located on Princes Highway
in Berwick
in Victoria
, Australia
.
During early excavations, fossilised forest remnants were uncovered. Later studies found that these fossil
s indicated that the site was covered with tropical forest 22 million years old and include the earliest known Eucalyptus
fossils.
The City of Casey
started redevelopment of the site into a botanic garden in 1988, and the site was officially opened by the Governor General four years later in 1992.
rock face on its eastern edge and a boardwalk on its western edge. There is also a smaller marsh area near the entrance.
A steep pathway leads to the Hoo Hoo Lookout Tower which has extensive views over the surrounding suburban areas. There is another vantage point at Ben's Lookout. Facilities within the park include an information centre, an amphitheatre, a playground, an education room, a bird hide
, as well as barbecue
s, shelters and rotundas.
The Hallam Bypass Trail
provides access for cyclists
and pedestrian
s. It runs along the Princes Highway
, passing right by the entrance to the gardens.
Princes Highway
The Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....
in Berwick
Berwick, Victoria
Berwick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey. At the 2006 Census, Berwick had a population of 36,420....
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
History
The 100 acre (39 hectare) site was originally a blue metal quarry which was operated between 1859 and 1976 by the Wilson family who subsequently donated the land to the community.During early excavations, fossilised forest remnants were uncovered. Later studies found that these fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s indicated that the site was covered with tropical forest 22 million years old and include the earliest known Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
fossils.
The City of Casey
City of Casey
The City of Casey is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Casey is Victoria's most populous municipality, with a 2006 census population of 214,960. The municipality's population growth rate during both 1996-2001 and 2001-2006 was...
started redevelopment of the site into a botanic garden in 1988, and the site was officially opened by the Governor General four years later in 1992.
Layout and facilities
The park has two lakes which were former quarries, the large "Anniversary Lake" and the smaller "Basalt Lake" which has a sheer basaltBasalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
rock face on its eastern edge and a boardwalk on its western edge. There is also a smaller marsh area near the entrance.
A steep pathway leads to the Hoo Hoo Lookout Tower which has extensive views over the surrounding suburban areas. There is another vantage point at Ben's Lookout. Facilities within the park include an information centre, an amphitheatre, a playground, an education room, a bird hide
Bird hide
A bird hide is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commonly found in parks and wetlands for the use of bird watchers, ornithologists and other observers who do not...
, as well as barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
s, shelters and rotundas.
The Hallam Bypass Trail
Hallam Bypass Trail
The Hallam Bypass Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians running along the Hallam Bypass between Doveton and Berwick in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.The trail was completed in 2003.-Route:...
provides access for cyclists
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
and pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
s. It runs along the Princes Highway
Princes Highway
The Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....
, passing right by the entrance to the gardens.