Australian Forest Walk
The Australian Forest Walk is one of the largest collections in Melbourne Gardens, extending over half a kilometre along the southern boundary of the Gardens. Recent collecting trips have brought in taxa from areas with a strong match to Melbourne's projected future climate, serving the two-fold purpose of showcasing Australian dry rainforest flora and conserving threatened species.
The Collection is important because:
- It is a ex-situ collection of flora that is threatened by climate change in the wild.
- It showcases the natural biodiversity of native flora for education and research purposes.
- It demonstrates plants suitable to Melbourne’s future climate.
Key Plants
Capparis arborea
Native Caper
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Epacris impressa
Common Heath
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Linospadix australasica
Walking Stick Palm
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Syzygium cormiflorum
Bumpy Satinash
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Agathis robusta
Queensland Kauri Pine
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Leptospermum wooroonooran
Wurunuru
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<em>Capparis arborea</em>
Native Caper
This stunning plant, growing next to the enourmous Agathis robusta opposite the oak lawn, often stops people in their tracks. Related to the european caper, it's showy flowers full of stamens, sometimes attract the Caper White butterfly. Native to New South Wales and Queensland.
Photograph by Jane Bennett, Friends Photography Group.
Notes from the Curator
The Australian Forest Walk is an ecological collection which aims to showcase the forests of east-coast Australia. Over 31% of taxa is wild collected, and 18% is considered threatened. Starting at Oak Lawn Gate, representing the cool temperate rainforests of Tasmania, to the tropical biome of far north Queensland at Domain Road Gate. Keep your eyes peeled for vines and epiphytes growing along the fence and up into trees. The collection is also an arc for many of the species affected by myrtle rust that are now critically endangered.
Photograph by Brandan Espe.