There have been countless changes to Adelaide Botanic Garden since it opened to the public on 4 October 1857. In that time we’ve seen ten directors, the construction and demolition of many buildings, and constant additions to its living collections.
Discover some key dates in Adelaide Botanic Garden’s history with the timeline below:
1836: Kaurna and Peramangk occupancy of the country
1836: Colony of South Australia established
1854: Adelaide Botanic Garden’s fifth and existing site selected
1855: George Francis (1800-1865) appointed inaugural superintendent (and later, director) of Adelaide Botanic Garden, with rapid progress made in garden design and layout
1857: Garden opened to the public (4 October) with 634 people in attendance
1865: Richard Schomburgk (1811-1891) appointed director
1868: Victoria House – Adelaide Botanic Garden’s original home for the Victoria amazonica waterlily – erected, with first successful flowering of the remarkable plant; Araucaria Avenue planted
1873:Botanic Park established and planted over ensuing years
1877:Palm House officially opened
1881:Museum of Economic Botany officially opened
1891: Maurice Holtze (1840-1923) appointed director
1906: Simpson Kiosk erected to provide enhanced refreshment facilities in the Garden
1909: Tram Depot (now State Herbarium) and Goodman Building (now Botanic Gardens admin building) opened on Hackney Road
1917: John Bailey (1866-1938) appointed director
1919: Simpson Shadehouse opened
1932: Harold Greaves (1882-1959) appointed curator (and later director) of Garden
1939: Sunken Garden established
1948: Noel Lothian (1915-2004) appointed director
1958: Land purchased in Mount Lofty Ranges to create a cool-climate annexe (Mount Lofty Botanic Garden opened in 1977)
1975:Wittunga Botanic Garden opened at Blackwood after it was bequeathed to Botanic Gardens of South Australia
1981: Brian Morley appointed director
1988:Bicentennial Conservatory opened to the public
1995: Extensive restoration of Palm House completed
1999: Refurbished tramway buildings opened for use as administration (Goodman Building) and Plant Biodiversity Centre (now State Herbarium)
2000:International Rose Garden opened; old rose garden re-established as Economic Garden
2001: Stephen Forbes appointed director
2006:Schomburgk Pavilion opened to the public
2007:Amazon Waterlily Pavilion opened; Garden celebrates 150 years
2009:Santos Museum of Economic Botany reopened to the public after a year-long restoration
2011:Garden of Health opened to the public
2013:First Creek Wetland launched in Garden’s south-east corner
2015:Little Sprouts Kitchen Garden opened for classes
2016: Dr. Lucy Sutherland appointed director (2016 - 2021)
2017-18: Goodman Plaza redeveloped and new Flinders Ranges flora collection installed
2018: Restoration of the Boy and Serpent Fountain (Coalbrookdale Fountain) completed
2018: Major restoration works of the Palm House undertaken (re-opening late 2018)
2020: Simpson Shadehouse reopened after major restoration (December 2020)
2021: Michael Harvey appointed director (July - present)
