See and Learn

Visit Shoalhaven Heads Native Botanic Garden as a place to learn

Our focus is on Australian native plants, not only those endemic to the Shoalhaven area, but also many other species from much further afield. Initially these were all from eastern Australia, ranging from far north Queensland down to Tasmania. This involved experimentation to see what would survive in the conditions here at Shoalhaven Heads and produced some pleasantly surprising results. In 2016 the range was expanded to include plants from Western Australia, again with trial and error, finding that some (but not all) do well here.

By 2020 the Garden had filled out substantially and given our small site (about 1 hectare or 2.5 acres) it had become evident that we are very constrained by space and need to be increasingly selective about what we plant. This has led to an increasing concentration on endangered, rare & unusual Australian natives and bush tucker plants.

The Detailed Plant Inventory presented earlier on this website records some 350 (and growing!) plants in the Garden, where to find them and some basic information.

Signs to provide the names of our plants are used extensively in the Garden, so that as far as possible visitors will get to know the names of plants that may be of specific interest. This then provides a starting point for researching the wealth of plant information available in literature and on line, or for discussion with gardening enthusiasts and plant nursery suppliers. Most of our feature trees have a pedestal mounted green plaque that provides interpretive information. Most other plants are labeled by smaller black name plates.

Much can be learned by just wandering around the Garden to take in what is on display. Individuals and small groups doing this are a regular sight here, Larger groups sometimes come to our Garden as part of a more organised learning activity (garden clubs etc) and if booked beforehand, we can normally arrange for one of our volunteers to provide a guided tour. Please contact the Secretary on 0429 012 796 or secretary@shnbotanicgarden.org for this.