Contents

Gardening in the dry topics – gardens and gardeners of northwest Queensland        Colin Randall
Since the earliest days of pastoral and mining activities in northwest Queensland, gardening and tree planting have been an integral part of life in this remote part of Australia. Gardening in this part of Queensland has the full range of difficulties experienced by all gardeners and some that are unique to its location.

 Tree stories – Ramsgate’s Pine Park        Claire Baddeley
Trees such as the Norfolk Island pines (Araucaria heterophylla) anchor bayside suburbs around Australia in a particular time, place and landscape aesthetic. Norfolk pines were deliberately planted along the beachfront as storm‑resistant trees that provided shade and beautified the environment. The story of another pine, the stone pine (Pinus pinea) in the Sydney suburb of Ramsgate is distinctly different. The grove was not part of a deliberate beautification scheme but evolved out of an abandoned nursery to become what remains the very popular Pine Park.

 The singular – Singularly big trees        Anne Claoue-Long
Sometimes you can’t see the wood for the trees. Two notable big trees are in the Middle Brother National Park on the NSW Mid North Coast. Both are coastal blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis) and are two of the largest such trees by volume in Australia. The Benaroon Tree is about 60 m tall but is revered for its girth: some 15 m around its lower trunk. The neighbouring Bird Tree has a relatively slim 11 m girth but is the tallest blackbutt in the state at 69 m high.

 Obelisks in the landscape – Markers, monuments and memorials        Richard Heathcote
In 1959, on a school excursion to London the author was transported to another world, one far beyond the nation’s capital upon seeing Cleopatra’s Needle. This schoolboy experience provoked a lifelong curiosity in obelisks that continues with me in Australia. From the first obelisk created in Australia at Macquarie Place Park, Sydney, to searching in vain in Australia for an obelisk in a private garden.

 Tracing the origins of the landscape profession – A Sydney perspective        Howard Tanner
During the second half of the 20th century a small and very dedicated band of advocates and designers drove an increasing awareness of the unique Australian landscape and its remarkable plants. This general understanding became a mainstay of the emerging landscape architecture profession, with landscape design becoming the established field we know today.

 A mixed bunch – The South Australian Gardeners’ Society 1872–1909        Susan Woodburn
The records of the South Australian Gardeners’ Society offer insight into the interests and status of gardening professionals and amateurs in late 19th-century South Australia. They also illustrate the issues faced by a generalist society trying to retain momentum as its original members aged and their energies were diverted into more specialised areas.

 Remarkable gardens – Umina        Tim Gatehouse
In 2020 the author wrote a history of the garden of Umina, the home of the Country Women’s Association in Lansell Road, Toorak, Melbourne. The recent chance discovery of plans and photographs has enabled the author’s questions to be answered about the history of the garden and in doing so show that the history of gardens is never finished.

 Short story competition 2026 – A year in Mamma’s garden

For the bookshelf – Garden Voices: A Year of Gardeners’ Writing edited by Claire Masset        Review by Jennifer Stackhouse
Garden Voices is full of inspirational words that describe plants, gardens, the seasons and landscape, and the mood of the writer.

 For the bookshelf – The Traveller: The Revolutionary Life of George Forster and His Search for Humanity by Andrea Wulf        Greg I Johnson
The Traveller is a brilliant paean to the naturalist and revolutionary, George Forster (1754–1794), and his milieu.

 Advocacy – Working with local government        Pamela Jane
In 2026, the Southern Highlands Branch identified four key aspects to our advocacy. The importance of developing relationships with local councils is crucial because they are where development applications are initially processed.

Advocacy – Advocating for trees on a small island        Ann Stark
In the year just passed, mindful of our limited resources but also eschewing ‘doing nothing’, the Tasmanian Branch adhered to our guiding principle that experiences and events offered to members should also provide opportunities for advocacy and, flowing from this, avenues for individual and group action. Two projects and two events complemented one another, providing pathways for advocacy about the vital importance of preserving our trees.

 Profile – Jen Dearnaley, AGHS Victoria’s Outreach Officer

Good news – AGHS Tasmanian Branch Xmas quiz        Kathleen Oakes
Christmas celebrations can be a time for overindulgence and lingering regrets. However, in Tasmania, our inclination is for a healthy lifestyle and embracing ‘wellness’. The AGHS Christmas function is no exception. We take a holistic approach: our celebration includes exercise, diet, relaxation, spirituality, social connection and mindfulness.

From the chair        Helen Oates

 AGHS national oral history collection: Simon Grant
A brief profile of AGHS member Simon Grant drawn from an interview recorded for the AGHS national oral history collection.