Laurel Bank Botanical Park is my favourite among all the great parks and green spaces in Toowoomba – the garden city. Why? Primarily because of the variety and beauty all year round. Like Davidson and Peacehaven botanical parks, it was developed privately and donated to the council for the public good. I particularly like the scented gardens, but all the areas are remarkable.
Introduction
Laurel Bank Botanical Park was a substantial private garden developed by Samuel George Stephens between 1904 and 1932 when he donated it to the people of Toowoomba. 1943 saw its completion as publicly available space – although it was probably 1946 before the public could use some of the facilities.
Peacehaven is known for Australian flora, Davidson for northern hemisphere deciduous trees and Laurel Bank for flowers. Samuel Stephens was known as “the man of flowers”. Mind you, the trees he planted over a century ago are damn impressive.
The Toowoomba council site provides a good, if concise, description of the park, as does Tourism Queensland. As always, the best detail comes from Wikipedia.
Topiary (00:00)
Behind the car park is a long garden filled with a topiary – a rare addition to a botanical park. I place my guesses here, along with the video time. Would you mind adding a comment if you can think about what else they could be? No prizes, but the best candidates will be added, along with the name of the genius who thought of it.
00:01 – A scallop (clam) shell
00:05 – Either a whale or a chicken drumstick
00:10 – A crab or a star wars spaceship
00:14 – A lizard or an alligator
00:18 – An armchair
00:24 – An anteater or the head of a poodle
00:39 – A beetroot
00:51 – ???
00:55 – A bunny or a small tractor (note the rear tracks 🙂
01:04 – A fox
01:13 – A spider
01:22 – A baby turtle
01:38 – A coffee puck
01:42 – A pig
01:47 – A stool
01:51 – A bear head
01:57 – ???
02:02 – A pram
There are two other examples with different themes in other parts of the garden.
Cool Beginnings (02:21)
The aged tree with the thick low branches gives this connecting area a cool and quiet ambience. I have always had an affection for trees where the foliage acts as an umbrella over a wide area. When I was in primary school I had to walk past an ancient queensland nut (macadamia). I had then, and still do, have a desire to live there. Of course, there is a downside when carrying a 360 camera on a pole 🙂
Scented Gardens (03:20)
After crossing an intersection, we enter the scented gardens. I love the concept. While designed for the visually impaired, it provides a new way to feel the world for all of us.
Topiary Again (07:45)
This time the topiary is of famous artificial structures. I wonder how many I got right?
07:45 – Leaning Tower of Pisa
07:50 – Sydney Opera House
07:59 – Champs Elise
08:18 – Eiffel Tower
08:36 – Sphynx
08:43 – British House of Parliament (probably not)
08:58 – Empire State Building
And around the corner.
09:33 – Duck and ducklings
Thomas the Tank Engine (10:51)
One exhibit, famous to the young, is Thomas the Tank Engine. On weekends it is rare not to see children sitting on one of the seats. Oh, to have that sort of imagination.
Croquet Anyone? (11:11)
Samuel Stephens asked that the space be gardens and not sporting facilities. For some reason, lost in history, that did not include the Croquet Greens. I have never seen them used, but I read an article recently about teaching children the game.
The Green Tunnel (11:16)
To rest in the cool and dark interior is a pleasure on hot summer days. There is something magical about a long tunnel of leaves.
Star of the Show – Dressed for the Carnival of Flowers (12:33)
In case you hadn’t guessed, the Toowoomba carnival of flowers is only just over. All those colourful flower beds we passed has given it away. Here we have a star or compass of flowers just to the right on one of the main entrances.
Trees (12:40)
It must be a challenge to grow flowers under the shade of such magnificent trees. Note the windmills. Samuel Stephens acquired stock from Japan, among other places. The windmills are more of a Dutch design.
Flowers everywhere – (14:27)
As we pass out of the shade of the trees, we see more flowering plants. I wonder how many varieties we have walked past today. I have neither the eye nor the knowledge to count.
The Carnival Centrepiece at Laurel Bank (18:20)
Every year, Laurel Bank Park creates a different theme for the carnival. This year is not hard to guess. I’ll bet it was a favourite with the children. There is a viewing platform for a sky view. The only problem is that during the carnival there can be quite a queue.
Unlike the guided tour above, this is the raw 360 walkthrough of Laurel Bank Botanical Park. You can look around in any direction. Sorry about the Youtube compression. I think I need to move to Vimeo for future articles.
And in the End (20:00)
More trees to relax under in the heat of summer – well as much heat as Toowoomba can provide. I know that if I were working in town, this would be the place I would come for lunch and to relax.
You have done an amazing job. Both the photos and the commentary are GREAT. Well done.