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Camperdown Botanic Gardens and Arboretum

The Camperdown Botanic Gardens and Arboretum are located on a hill approximately 3kms from Camperdown's CBD. The gardens command views over the twin volcanic lakes of Bullen Merri and Gnotuk.

The Camperdown Botanic Gardens and Arboretum site occupies just over 25 hectares in the north-east of the original park reserve with the Gardens occupying a 1.2-hectare fenced area at the centre of the Arboretum.

Reserved as a public park in 1869, on the recommendation of William Gulfoyle, renowned director of Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, improvements were made to the amenities and layout and the Gardens are now listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR H2256).

The Gardens can be booked for events such as wedding ceremonies, birthdays, family events, even musical entertainment and live theatre.

The Camperdown Botanic Gardens and Arboretum are located on Crown Land and managed by Council as Committee of Management.

To book the Gardens, fill in our online booking form.

History

The site of the Camperdown Botanic Gardens and Arboretum has a rich and layered history, and as such there are different meanings and elements of cultural significance associated with this place. The place is closely entwined with the early settlement period of Camperdown from the 1830's, but it also forms part of an ancient landscape.

It has a long association with the Djargurd Wurrung, who occupied this country for thousands of years before white settlement. The unusual physical formation of the elevated ridge above two volcanic lakes, endowed with rich volcanic soil that nourished the timbered hilltop and, later, a garden of exotic trees and floral beds, had its origins in the Pleistocene Age, when the western plains were a wide expanse of ongoing volcanic activity.

Over the course of its history as the Camperdown Public Park reserve (since 1869), and earlier during the squatting era, the story of this place has been shaped, perhaps more than anything else, by its extraordinary geological composition and its outstanding scenic qualities.

It became a prized local attraction on account of this remarkable natural beauty and through its reservation as a Crown reserve has been enjoyed by the public for over 140 years.