Our Places | How Orange Botanic Gardens overcame neglect, poor soil and vocal opposition

However, drive and determination of a core group of horticulturalists, a landscape architect, students and community members saw the project eventually come to fruition after years of behind the scenes planning and hard work.

In July, the Central Western Daily covered the origin of the former Clover Hill farm site and early controversy and opposition about building a formal park on land which was then considered to be out of town.

It was a long process from the initial acquisition of the land in 1979 through to its opening.

The site and its blue stone entrance would not look like it does today without a large funding boost that was provided due to the 1988 bicentenary celebrations of European settlement in Australia.

The Bathurst Orange Development Corporation indicated in December 1980 that it would like to cooperate with the establishment of a park at the former Clover Hill farm. The idea was first raised in 1979.

In May 1981, a meeting was held at Clover Hill where it was decided that the 16 acre property, now owned by the BODC be converted to Crown Land for preservation for public recreation under the trusteeship of Orange City Council.

A committee was then set up consisting of Eric Neville, Barry Quinlan, A Packam, Bruce Stringer, Reg Kidd and Athol Callender. These members represented Orange City Council, the BODC, the Department of Lands and TAFE.

That year it was also proposed that the park be a botanic garden. This was accepted as a great idea, particularly since the Commonwealth Government was funding projects for bicentennial celebrations with grants being handed out over the next seven years. However, proposal was kept under wraps and the committee deferred from calling it a botanic garden due to fear of public backlash and the whole of the north Orange area being made into a heritage area.

Work progressed however, and Ryde School of Horticulture landscape architect Rowan Hayes and a group of students created a concept plan for the gardens after camping at the site for a few nights.

Initially it was proposed that a slab hut, which was the only building left from the original homestead, would be kept intact to be used later in the development. The hut was located to the eastern end of the present building and was made from railway carriage flooring that had been placed vertically and the interior was wallpapered with old magazine pages. The brick chimney was "in a ruinous state" and the whole building was covered in ivy.

However, it was found to be impractical to keep the hut when the plans were finally decided on years later.

The cost to restore the hut was deemed to be prohibitive and the the function centre needed to be sited on a high, flat piece of land so the hut was dismantled and the timber was used to furnish the round shelter on the western side of the creek.

The early development of the site in 1980 and 1981 involved cleaning up rubbish, including burnt materials from the previous houses and sheds, as well as clearing blackberries and other weeds.

Former mayor Reg Kidd was a TAFE rural studies teacher at the time and his agricultural students spent numerous hours cleaning up the side and helped build up the fragile soil.

The early plants needed to survive off limited water from a council tanker due to a bore put down by a previous owner being deemed inadequate.

The Orange Botanic Gardens Coordinating Committee first met on November 30, 1981, with the members including Bruce Stringer, Barry Quinlan, Max Boudan, Rowan Hayes, Allan Callender, Eric Neville, and possibly Neil Black.

The council, the BODC both contributed $5000 and $26,000 was supplied from the Government Unemployment Relief Programme to be used for a water reticulation system in November 1981.

In March 1982, the news that Orange was to get a botanic garden was finally announced with the name given as Orange Botanic Gardens at Clover Hill.

Although a Bicentennial application was made that year, it was not approved until 1985.

In September 1982, the costs estimated for the botanic gardens were $105,864, including $15,000 for core planting, $2000 for raising the dam wall, $14,000 for water connection, $16,500 for maintenance and weed control, $31,900 for a service road, $3600 for service area gravel, $12,800 for walking tracks and $10,064 for fees.

On September 28, 1982, Olympian Betty Cuthbert launched the display of plans and photographs and a number of people promised to donate trees.

However, in November that year, the Field Naturalists and Conservation Society said the plan was too ambitious and the soil on the site was so bad it was a waste of resources to even attempt anything on the site and if Orange wanted a botanic garden there were better sites, including Cook Park.

Some of the council aldermen also called for the project to be abandoned although alderman Borry Gartrell led the remaining aldermen to vote in continuing the project and he was later voted as the council representative on the committee.

However, the BODC had given the Clover Hill land so the gardens went ahead, with the proviso it be a long-term project and be developed slowly.

In May 1983, Mr Hayes presented plans for trails, car park, dams and surrounds and in July, Mr Neville, the driving force of the gardens left Orange to take up a post at Lake Macquarie Municipal Council.

In August several trees were planted and over the years more were donated, many in remembrance of dead relations, although many of those trees did not survive due to inappropriate siting and lack of care, some others were moved from their original sites and did survive.

In 1985, work continued to progress with more planting and landscaping and Friends of the Gardens formed.

In 1986 it was confirmed as a Bicentennial project and $152,600 granted for more development works which included construction of the formal entrance, an alpine garden, traditional orchard and construction of amenities and display facilities.

Two more parcels of land were purchased in 1988 and Mr and Mrs Taylor of "Beaumah" at Shadforth donated a historic church, which is now surrounded by a rose garden. The church was initially St Paul's Anglican Church in Cobar and was moved to Shadforth in 1901.