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| In
the Beginning The site of the Garden is part
of the first land grant made at Mount Tomah in 1836. After various changes in
ownership, in 1934 a portion of this was sold to Mrs Effie Jane Brunet, who with
her husband, the French-born Alfred Louis Brunet, established a farm for the production
of cool-climate flowers. Following Mr Brunet's death, Mrs Brunet gave the property
to the N.S.W. Government in 1970 as a cool-climate annex of the Royal Botanic
Gardens. | | Government
Funding The development of the site began
slowly. Roadways, basalt walls, depot facilities and a residence were constructed,
and in 1977 a new dam was built on land additionally acquired. In 1983 the Mount
Tomah Garden was chosen as one of the seven projects funded jointly by the State
and Commonwealth Governments to commemorate the bicentenary of European settlement.
This enabled rapid progress to be made. | 
| The entrance to the
Garden on the original Bells Line of Road |
| | Landscaping
and Environments A comprehensive landscape
design was developed and additional staff were employed. A visitor centre was
built to take advantage of the spectacular views to the north, a massive rock
garden was established on the slope below, and environments were provided for
a range of different garden and plant types, as can be seen by studying the map
in this site. |
Walls and steps built with the local basalt | Even
so, the Garden retains a strong relationship with its environment.Remnants of
the original tall eucalypt forest, dominated by Brown Barrel (Eucalyptus fastigata),
and rainforest, in which Sassafras (Doryphora sassafras) is the principal
tree, have been retained and the local basalt has been extensively used for construction.
This relationship was greatly enhanced by the purchase in 1993 of the Tomah Spur,
189 hectares of land to the north of the garden, guaranteeing a water supply from
Mill Creek and incorporating a large area of unspoiled bushland. |
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