The Australian Inland Botanic Gardens (AIBG; previously: Sunraysia Oasis Botanical Gardens) is a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

in Mourquong, in the

Wentworth Shire Wentworth Shire is a local government area in the far south-west Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. This Shire is located adjacent to the Murray and Darling Rivers. The Shire's major roads are the Sturt and the Silver City Highwa ...

of south-west

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. The city of

Mildura Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area had ...

and the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

are nearby. AIBG is the Southern Hemisphere's first

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

botanical gardens. Its specialization in

arid A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most ar ...

-adapted species is unique among New South Wales and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

botanic gardens.

History

Scientists at the

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency responsible for scientific research. CSIRO works with leading organisations around the world. From its headquarters in Canberra, CSIRO ...

(CSIRO) are credited with the idea to form the gardens and the inaugural meeting of the Garden's Steering Committee met in 1983. Five years later, the land, previously used as a sheep grazing property, was acquired as a donation to the community. The volunteer group, Friends of the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens, was also developed in 1988. In 1989, AIBG was established. John Wrigley, inaugural Director of the

Australian National Botanic Gardens The Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) is a heritage-listed botanical garden located in , Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Established in 1949, the Gardens is administered by the Australian Government's Departme ...

, drew up the master plan. The first planting occurred in 1991. AIBG patrons, Lady Stephen and Sir

Ninian Stephen Sir Ninian Martin Stephen (15 June 1923 – 29 October 2017) was an Australian judge who served as the 20th governor-general of Australia, in office from 1982 to 1989. He was previously a justice of the High Court of Australia from 1972 to 198 ...

, the former

Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.Eucalyptus citriodora'' along the entrance drive. The first planting also included the garden's first floral display area of Australian salt-tolerant flora. In the same year, Garnpang, a historic, pine log

sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...

homestead, was acquired by the Mildura and District Historical Society and subsequently dismantled for transport to AIBG. Much of it was rebuilt at the Gardens. It is used in a variety of ways, including as a temporary visitors' centre, classroom space and as a social centre. Garnpang's surrounding path is made of locally mined

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...

. In 1992, full-time employees were hired. A pump was placed on the Murray River to permit an early irrigation system installation. This allowed for the salt tolerant area planting, and the formally designed Rose Garden establishment, its first rows planted by Victoria's Governor,

Richard McGarvie Richard Elgin McGarvie, (21 May 1926 – 24 May 2003) was a judge in the Supreme Court of Victoria from 1976 to 1992, and the 24th Governor of Victoria from 1992 to 1997. Early life McGarvie was born and brought up on his parents' dairy farm a ...

and his wife. The following year, planting began on other sections including the American and European sections. At the same time, the Historical Society transferred Garnpang's ownership to AIBG. Maps and plans were published in the book, ''Garnpang'', in 1993, by the Friends of Sunraysia Oasis Botanical Gardens, and the Mildura and District Historical Society. The irrigation system was completed in 1995, and planting began on other sections, including the dry land Australian, New Zealand, Asian, and African sections. The Gardens' windmill was donated by a Gol Gol settler. The Garden's train was purchased from Mourquong's Orange World.

Area

The initial development occurred on of which roughly half was apportioned to the Dryland Gardens and the other half to Irrigated Gardens. AIBG is now a botanic garden. It includes: * River frontage reserved for future development as a natural recreation area and boat mooring () * Clifftop, reserved for future development for facilities * Mallee sandhill fenced area () *

Nature trail An educational trail (or sometimes educational path), nature trail or nature walk is a specially developed hiking trail or footpath that runs through the countryside, along which there are marked stations or stops next to points of natural, techno ...

Collections

AIBG has over 20,000 planting and approximately 50% of the plants are labelled. It features not only Australian native plants, but also those from New Zealand, African, European, Asian, North and South American

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

s. The garden includes preserved, mature mallee, including ''

Eucalyptus dumosa ''Eucalyptus dumosa'', commonly known as the white mallee, dumosa mallee, or Congoo mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to south eastern Australia. It usually has rough, flaky grey bark on the lower trunk, smooth bark above, lance-shap ...

'', ''

Eucalyptus oleosa ''Eucalyptus oleosa'', commonly known as the red mallee, glossy-leaved red mallee, acorn mallee, oil mallee or giant mallee, is a tree or mallee that is native to Australia. The leaves were once harvested for the production of cineole based e ...

'', ''Eucalyptus socialis'', ''Eucalyptus gracilis'', and ''

Eucalyptus viridis ''Eucalyptus viridis'', commonly known as the green mallee, is a species of mallee or small tree that is endemic to south-eastern, continental Australia. It has rough fibrous or flaky bark on the lower trunk, smooth bark above, linear to narrow ...

'', some of which may be as much as 2500 years old. The rose garden has 1624 colour co-ordinated rose bushes. Salt-tolerant local flora and exotic plants separated into geographical zones are also part of the collections. There is also a

rockery A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small A ...

Operations

An independent garden, it is operated by a committee of management. Its operations rely on donations and "in kind" services. The gardens are tended by paid staff and the Friends of AIBG. It is a member of the Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens, and

Botanic Gardens Conservation International Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is a plant conservation biology, conservation Charitable organization, charity based in Kew, Surrey, England. It is a membership organisation, working with 800 botanic gardens in 118 countries, who ...

. It is the lead partner of the

Barkindji Biosphere Reserve Barkindji Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve located in the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria on land adjacent to the Murray River and within of the city of Mildura. The biosphere reserve was described by UNESCO in 2016 as ...

. Water, under pressure and on demand, comes from

. A flag, monitored by NSW Department of Agriculture, indicates underground water level. A rabbit- and kangaroo-proof fence surrounds the gardens. Weeds are left undisturbed to protect from soil erosion. Mulch is provided through local wineries and from a saw mill. Blue-topped pegs are found in a grid pattern on the ground to identify locations. Open daily, admission is free of charge. There is no indoor exhibition space and no plants are offered for sale. Plans are underway for an

interpretation centre An interpretation centre, interpretive centre, or visitor interpretive centre is an institution for dissemination of knowledge of natural or cultural heritage. Interpretation centres are a kind of new-style museum, often associated with visitor ...

in conjunction with the

biosphere The biosphere (from Greek βίος ''bíos'' "life" and σφαῖρα ''sphaira'' "sphere"), also known as the ecosphere (from Greek οἶκος ''oîkos'' "environment" and σφαῖρα), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be ...

Education

The Bush Chapel, which acknowledges the ideas of one of the CSIRO scientists, doubles as classroom space for visiting students.

Sunraysia Institute of TAFE The Sunraysia Institute of TAFE, also known as SuniTAFE is a provider of vocational education and training services in north-west Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1980, its first campus is located in Mildura, Victoria, with additional campuses ...

students perform practical work assignment at the gardens as part of their education. There are plans by

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...

to use the facility for research projects. A

Green Corps Green Corps is an environmental organization in the United States that trains recent college graduates in a one-year post-graduate program in grassroots community organizing. During the program, Green Corps organizers learn in the classroom and ...

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

leadership training program, hosted and accredited by

Greening Australia Greening Australia is an Australian environmental organisation, founded in 1982, the International Year of the Tree, to protect, restore and conserve Australia's native vegetation. Greening Australia was formed by the United Nations Association ...

, was established at AIBG in 2008. On the first Sunday of each month, a tractor/train tour is available for visitors. At least 38 different bird species have been identified at the gardens by the Bird Observers Club.

References

External links

Official website
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200308000648/http://aibg.org.au/ , date=8 March 2020 Botanical gardens in New South Wales Parks in New South Wales Environmental organizations established in 1989 1989 establishments in Australia