The site of the Gardens is in the country of the Worimi people, who used the area for hunting and collecting plants for food, medicine and other uses.
A Steering Committee to establish a Botanic Gardens for Newcastle was formed at a public meeting held in Newcastle City Hall on 9 June 1982. The committee considered a number of possible sites for the Gardens before accepting the current site offered by Hunter Water Corporation. The site is part of the Tomago Sandbeds which form part of Newcastle’s water supply.
Hunter Region Botanic Gardens Ltd was incorporated as a charitable corporation in November 1985, and the development of the site commenced on 12 May 1986. Work began with the clearing of a major infestation of lantana, the development of roads and trails, and the provision of services to the site. The current Visitor Centre, opened in 1989, was funded as a Bicentennial project.
Gardens volunteers, supported by sponsors and donors, have continued to develop the site over the following 40 years, focusing on studying, growing and presenting Australian plants, and particularly the plants of the Hunter Region. The Gardens has become a major tourist destination in the region, and a centre for botanical education.
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