While the origin story of the Geelong Botanic Gardens can be traced back to as early as 1850, the land it was built upon has an even richer history.

Yet the most iconic inclusion during his time as curator was a timber fernery, complete with an inbuilt pond surrounded by various foliage and ferns.

By 1920 the ferns were becoming overgrown, and the fernery was demolished some time after World War II because the wooden structure was falling into disrepair.

By the late 1800s facilities included a large wooden fernery, three miles (4.8 km) of carriage drives, an aviary, monkey house, and a fish hatchery.

[5] The Geelong botanic gardens and its surrounding Eastern Park are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register for their vast assortment of plant life.

[8] To ensure all plant life meets its necessary survival requirements, the gardens house a large irrigation system capable of outputting up to 28 megaliters of water annually.

This caused minor wilting, discoloration and even death in some specimens, but by and large the garden survived and now thrives to this day.

It features a dramatic entrance with Queensland Bottle Trees (Brachychiton rupestris), combining architectural plants with modern garden sculptures.