Lower Yarra River Habitat
Long Island rests where the Birrarung (Yarra River) used to flow, and it is here that the bulk of the Lower Yarra River Habitat Collection is focused. The original riparian habitat of the Birrarung has been resurrected in this Collection through the careful selection and planting of native species that grew in the area long before the Gardens were established. The rich cultural heritage of the Kulin Nation is evoked in still waters, wild grasses, and trees that stood on the site since before colonisation.
The Collection supports:
- The conservation of threatened, endangered and at-risk species native to the Yarra River habitat.
- Plant knowledge and cultural history of cultivation and plant use of the Kulin Nation Traditional Owners.
- Landscape and habitat rejuvenation in an urban environment.
Key Plants
Correa glabra
Rock Correa
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Microseris lanceolata/scapigera
Murnong
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Hardenbergia violacea
Native Lilac
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Banksia marginata
Silver Banksia
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Pterostylis curta
Blunt Greenhood
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Poa labillardierei
Common Tussock-grass
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<em>Correa glabra</em>
Rock Correa
Known as ‘Rock Correa’ due to growing well within the nooks of rocky escarpments, prior to colonization this plant was found along the banks of Birrarung. It is a beautiful flowering shrub, blooming profusely with green trumpet-like flowers, and a reliable performer in any garden.
Notes from the Curator
For First Peoples, Country means something beyond the dictionary definition of the word. It may mean homeland, or tribal or clan area and it is often more than just a place on the map. Country is a word for all the values, places, resources, stories, plants, soil, sky, water and cultural obligations associated with that area and its features. It describes the entirety of ancestral domains.
As you walk through the Lower Yarra River Habitat Collection you will find treasured plants growing along the original course of the Birrarung/Yarra River.