[1] These tertiary institutions were established in their respective state capitals, often next to native bushland (today’s nature reserves), and were usually centred around lush vegetative campuses, to which the term verdant refers.
The verdant universities often stand in contrast to the older and ostensibly more prestigious sandstone universities.
La Trobe University takes "verdant" a step further by owning a 28-hectare wildlife sanctuary and managing the Gresswell Hill Nature Conservation Reserve north of the Melbourne campus.
[2][3] The verdant universities were part of a broader effort to expand and reform tertiary education in Australia, based on similar reforms that led to the creation of the plate glass universities group in the United Kingdom.
[1] While these five are considered the "main verdants" as they have the most in common, other universities have been labelled verdant or "gumtree".