New trails for Wittunga Botanic Garden

Date posted: 09 April 2019

Three new interpretive trails are being established in Wittunga Botanic Garden thanks to a $43,000 grant from the Copland Foundation.

The trails will include interpretive signs and a suite of school curriculum-aligned education resources that showcase the extensive history of Wittunga Botanic Garden and the Wittunga Homestead.

Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium Director Dr Lucy Sutherland said these trails were a great way of preserving and sharing local heritage.

“South Australia has a rich architectural, historical and cultural heritage that enriches our lives,” Dr Sutherland said.

“Wittunga Botanic Garden and the Wittunga Homestead are both heritage-listed places that are a key part of South Australia’s cultural identity.”

“These new walking trails and interpretive signs will give visitors the opportunity to learn more about the Garden’s rich horticultural and architectural heritage.”

The new trails will provide a welcome refresh to Wittunga Botanic Garden, and will focus on stories such as the early establishment of Wittunga by the Ashby family, cultural history, Indigenous relationships with plants, and the ancient link between the Garden’s collection of South African and native Australian plants.

“This grant will help to enhance the visitor experience at Wittunga Botanic Garden, and we are incredibly grateful to receive this generous grant from the Copland Foundation,” Dr Sutherland said.

“We welcome more than 124,000 visitors to Wittunga each year and this will help us to make it a destination where visitors can engage and connect with its extraordinary living collections, garden displays and the natural world.”

Background information

Wittunga Botanic Garden was originally established in 1902 as a private residence by naturalist Edwin Ashby, whose pioneering horticultural techniques are still used today.

The estate was bequeathed to the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium by Edwin’s son in 1965, and was opened to the public as a botanic garden in 1975.