Myall Park Botanic Garden, Qld
Myall Park Botanic Garden is a fantastic place to camp for a few nights, offering so much more than simply a campsite. You will find Myall Park Botanic Garden close to the town of Glenmorgan in Queensland’s Western Downs, around 87km east of Surat.
The Garden comprises around130 hectares of natural bush that conserves a huge number of arid, semi-arid and dry tropical plants, many of which have been sourced from other regions in Australia. There are 12 walks and trails here guaranteed to keep you engaged as you leisurely wander and enjoy all the native trees and shrubs along the way. There is even a bird hide to entice you out of bed early in the morning so you can view some of the huge variety of birdlife Myall Park Botanic Garden attracts.
Myall Park Botanic Garden offers camping for all RVs and tents, including both powered and unpowered sites. There are other accommodation options available too.
Things you need to know before you go:
- Booking form on Myall Park Botanic Garden website, or phone ahead
- Toilets and hot showers
- Dogs allowed, but must be always kept under control
- Fires allowed in provided fire pits
- BYO drinking water
- The property is a protected haven for fauna and flora
- Day visitors are welcomed for a small fee
- Caretaker on site
Myall Park Botanic Garden was founded by grazier and avid amateur botanist, David Gordon AM in the 1940s. From a young age David Gordon held a dream of creating a garden, showcasing plants from around Australia. He understood early on that Australia’s unique vegetation was in danger as more land was cleared and occupied. When wool prices rose in the 1940s, David seized the opportunity to commence bringing his dream to life, choosing a portion of the family farm on a hill. His passion and vision is evidenced when visiting the old Seed Room where you will see seed packets dating back to the 1950s, some of which are still successfully being propagated today! Interestingly, the ow common and popular grevillea ‘Robyn Gordon’ was developed here.
In 1992 Myall Park Botanic Garden and buildings were included in the Queensland Heritage Register, ensuring this incredible story would be passed on to future generations. Buildings on the Register include the Glass House, Seed Room, Plant Hardening Bays, Avochie Cottage, Terpersie Cottage and the Singlemen’s Quarters.
The Seed Storage Room is an outstanding and fascinating glimpse back into the early days of Myall Park. An entire wall is taken up with a large back of see drawers, constructed of silky oak which was felled and milled on the property. These drawers still hold packets of seeds! Also in this room are journals that are contain meticulous records of the daily plantings. There are a number of folders too, that contain pressed plant and flower cuttings from which seed was collected around the country. This little room was just like an Aladdins Cave of treasures. Located by the Seed Storage Room are the Glasshouse and Plant Hardening Bays.
There is so much extraordinary artwork and some very creative sculptures to see at Myall Park Botanic Garden. You’ll find some great examples on the walking trails when you are out and about, some of which have been beautifully created by local school children. Outside the gallery are a couple of unique sculptures, more artwork and some very interesting and entertaining musical instruments. Once inside the gallery and gift shop, there are a number of prints and other items for sale that depict the detailed watercolours of Dorothy Gordon, who with husband David and their family, lived on the property. The grevillea ‘Dorothy Gordon’ is named after her. The small gallery has some of Dorothy Gordon’s prints displayed, as well as work of other artists.
Take a look around Myall Park Botanic Garden in our video – https://youtu.be/7Ep6xkYFQKQ
