By Luke Voogt
A tiny timber building nestled in a corner of the Geelong Botanic Gardens has a little-known connection to the 1854 Eureka Rebellion, according to horticulturalist Peggy Muntz.
Originally located on the waterfront, the customs house was the first to broadcast the news of the miners’ uprising in Ballarat by telegraph.
When the bluestone Geelong Customs House replaced the building in 1855, it was relocated to the gardens.
“Geelong grew, so they needed something bigger,” Peggy said.
The building is just one of the historical treasures that locals can discover in Australia’s fourth oldest botanic gardens in a tour celebrating the Australian Heritage Festival.
“We’ve got a lot of these little old buildings and fountains tucked inside the gardens, and they’ve got a lot of interesting history,” Peggy said.
The gardens, on the Victorian Heritage Register since 2006, feature trees dating back to the 1850s.
“The first curators were avid plant collectors and many of the splendid trees they planted now have heritage status,” Peggy said.
“This means that they are old, rare and have attained impressive size. Many are also beautiful and have botanical and ecological significance.”
Peggy is one of the Friends of the Geelong Botanic Gardens volunteers leading the tours on Sunday, for a gold coin donation.
A teacher in Sydney’s top horticulture school for decades, she joined the group after moving to Geelong to be closer to her son and grandchildren.
“Coming here I didn’t know a soul except for family,” she said.
“They welcomed me and I’ve been a part of it for most of the time I’ve been here.”
Details: friendsgbg.org.au.
