Experience Glenmorgan

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[{"address":"The End of The Line Museum","placeId":"ChIJBW_qlsWDu2sRzfUFIeYnuVM","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.14905644535097232,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-27.248818758178494,"longitude":149.67644510000002},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Welcome to Glenmorgan"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FGlenmorgan7.JPG?alt=media&token=d2167629-d38c-4da6-96fe-ec75de08ed2c"},{"type":"text","content":"Ladies and gentlemen, we find ourselves now at the heart of the Western Downs, the gem called Glenmorgan! Can you believe this quaint town used to hum with the hustle and bustle of the railway?\n\nToday, as we delve deeper, we're about to travel back in time. Arriving at the \"End of the Line\" railway siding, a vibrant reminder of Western Downs’ rail heritage, this building was opened in 2005 to commemorate the most westerly stop in the line.\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FGlenmorgan23.JPG?alt=media&token=3f44419e-c9ca-42a7-88a2-50601f425f1c"},{"type":"text","content":"Formerly known as Cobblegum Creek, Glenmorgan derives its name from this terminus which was named in honour of Godfrey Morgan, the railway minister between 1929 and 1932.\n\nGodfrey Morgan moved to the Western Downs in 1908, after responding to a Queensland Government call for settlers to take up prickly pear infested sections, taking up 7000 acres on the Condamine River near Condamine. The selection, called \"Arubial\".\n\nDespite being inexperienced in pastoral pursuits, and after battling to turn his selection from virgin scrub to prime grazing land, Morgan eventually became an authority on the grazing industry, and related matters.\n\nIn 1909 Morgan was elected to the Murilla Shire Council at Miles, and fourteen years later known as a tough man and problem solver, equipped to deliver a tough portfolio Morgan became secretary for railways (1929-1932) and minister for railways (1932).\n\n"},{"type":"text","content":"A politician with strong convictions and uncompromising views it is not hard to see why Glenmorgan’s street names are all named after family members!!\n\nCan you spot Methuen and Godfrey Street, named after two of Morgan's sons who also held a keen interest in politics.\n\nThe line itself, designed to be an 80 kilometer extension to Surat, servicing dairy and sheep farms en route unfortunately never reached its goal, with just four short stages opening as far as Glenmorgan over the 17 years from 1914.\n\nA twice-weekly goods train and a similar rail motor service operated between Dalby and Glenmorgan.\n\nGrain gradually accounted for much of the traffic and special grain services became commonplace.\n\nWith time the line beyond Meandarra closed, as road transport improved to the point that only seasonal grain traffic remained on the rail, and then only as far as Meandarra.\n\nToday the line remains \"booked out of use\" as of 2023.\n\nThis spot was once the pulse of Glenmorgan, a town that thrived on its railway line, where stories of enterprise and adventures were woven.\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FGlenmorgan26.JPG?alt=media&token=fb80f2a4-515f-4bdf-bb91-5976262c13d2"},{"type":"text","content":"Our next refreshing stop is Glenmorgan's Bottle Tree Inn on the corner of Lorna and Godfrey Streets."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FGlenmorgan52.JPG?alt=media&token=1ff6a2de-f0d0-4f61-92a5-852f36ac8083"},{"ttsForStop":true,"type":"audio","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FFreeguides%20-%20Experience%20Glenmorgan%20-%20Stop%2001.mp3?alt=media&token=e4ad9945-d1e5-4d3f-8002-426da2c1faa7"}]},{"address":"Bottle Tree Inn","placeId":"ChIJHdTeNdiDu2sRAckmhWkWDb8","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.1598130960464033,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-27.247340858177953,"longitude":149.6769647},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"Ladies and Gentlemen, as representatives of WDRC Tourism, it's our honour to introduce you to the Bottle Tree Inn."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FGlenmorgan%20Bottle%20Tree%20Inn.jpg?alt=media&token=97014755-4fc1-4994-b01c-46bb1a6a6a38"},{"type":"text","content":"Glenmorgan's original hotel The Grand was built in 1932, before succumbing to its fiery end in 1978. Jeff Rose was the original owner at the time along with Licensees Noel and Pat Payne who eventually went broke."},{"type":"text","content":"In true bush spirit a temporary bar followed, erected from horse stables in the backyard of what was once the Grand. This watering hole operated for several years until Frank Goodwin came up with the idea of a Community Pub.\n\nForming a company, locals were invited to buy shares. The licence and land were eventually purchased for $10,000 with a committee of 10 persons in charge.\n\nTrevor & Janet Kimmorley were put in as Licensees with the option to purchase which they later did.\n\nOfficially named the Bottle Tree Inn by World War I, World War II veteran Pat Norton commemorating the fallen, and as a symbol of tranquillity and new life.\n\nPat in fact planted the enormous bottle tree you now see standing proud, beside the accommodation rooms, and another one on the day of the official grand opening.\n\nThe Bottle Tree Inn remains the lifeblood of this local community and continues to offer meals and air-conditioned accommodation.\n\nThe pub's walls are adorned with vintage photographs, saturated with stories, often told with laughter rising above the clinks of beer mugs.\n\nThis insider experience is our exclusive offering.\n\nSo once you've soaked up the authentic stories of our locals, signal when ready to continue our journey.\n\nOur next breathtaking stop is Myall Park Botanic Garden just a short 5.6 kilometer drive West on Surat Development Road.\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FGlenmorgan52.JPG?alt=media&token=21171374-37ad-45e8-8359-55941ae50c76"},{"ttsForStop":true,"type":"audio","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FFreeguides%20-%20Experience%20Glenmorgan%20-%20Stop%2002.mp3?alt=media&token=20900e7f-bf00-4a0a-9ed3-8d6bef1a05cb"}]},{"address":"QMW5+46M","placeId":"EihRTVc1KzQ2TSwgR2xlbm1vcmdhbiBRTEQgNDQyMywgQXVzdHJhbGlhIiY6JAoKDd_lyO8VdQE0WRALGhQKEgmxw-r0VHG7axEArCB_8e4ABA","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.1419877891796891,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-27.204662508162997,"longitude":149.6580469},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# The Lake"},{"type":"text","content":"Welcome to Myall Park Lake, a hidden pocket in the small town of Glenmorgan."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FIMG-7762%20(1).jpg?alt=media&token=331e5001-db04-4885-9c42-e34bdbdcbc2c"},{"type":"text","content":"This serene lake is part of Myall Creek and runs into Cobblegum Creek, the one you crossed before the grid, on your way in from the bitumen road.\n\nOnce a drawcard for local primary school children, as their weekly swimming lessons were held here, today this spot offers a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.\n\nThe lake is surrounded by lush greenery, native lilies, and an abundance of birdlife, providing a picturesque setting for picnics, fishing, and birdwatching.\n\nPelicans, brolgas, black swans, ducks, herons, egrets, spoonbills, and cormorants are just some of the bird species found here.\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FGlenmorgan025.jpg?alt=media&token=1871f057-483c-4b64-becc-186342d64b86"},{"type":"text","content":"Surprisingly, it was also here that the famed grazier, botanist, and founder of Myall Park Botanic Garden Dave Gordon hired Joh Bjelke-Petersen (Premier of Queensland from 1967-1987) to increase water supply for the property and for his plantings.\n\nJoh came to the Glenmorgan district after World War II, contracting for scrub pulling with two of the biggest bulldozers available, and between them the heaviest anchor chain procurable, set as low as possible, to pull the brigalow scrub.\n\nLike the Premier once said \"A community needs a soul if it is to become a true home for human beings\" and there is no doubt that the Gardens and Myall Park are the collective soul of the Glenmorgan district.\n\nLiking the pink water lilies? Well, you are not alone - Dave Gordon had admired the pink form of the native water lily, Nymphaea gigantea and tried unsuccessfully for many years to obtain some for his property.\n\n"},{"type":"text","content":"However, in 1968, Charles and Robert Lethbridge brought a single plant to Myall Park and Robert helped to divide it and plant the small bulbs in the lagoon."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FChinaman's%20Lagoon%20-%20Carol.jpg?alt=media&token=65baa2f3-f587-41f3-ac1a-67259bbac3a0"},{"type":"text","content":"Thankfully the bulbs flourished, and Dave was delighted but in the early eighties, drought caused the lagoon to dry up and Dave feared he would lose these wonderful plants, so he arranged for more than 1000 bulbs to be lifted from the dry bed and stored in damp sand in the glass house.\n\nWhen the rains came, the lilies in the dried mud quickly restored and so Dave took quite a lot of the stored tubers to a dam on his property where Water Lily Open Days were once held until ownership exchanged hands.\n\nHe also took tubers to Miles and put them into Chinaman’s Lagoon, where they are still thriving today.\n\nThese waterlilies abounded in the past, but with time, the lake has filled with mud, and in droughts, wild pigs are seen to feast on the bulbs, so while there still are water lilies they are not as bountiful as in the past.\n\nOnce you've taken it all in, soaked up the tranquillity, snapped pictures to your heart's content, and maybe even spotted a rare bird in the process, you'll be ready to continue our journey where an artist’s vision collides with a botanist’s dream.\n\n"},{"ttsForStop":true,"type":"audio","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FFreeguides%20-%20Experience%20Glenmorgan%20-%20Stop%2003.mp3?alt=media&token=19036aeb-daba-42a4-b5c0-33a5d90efb77"}]},{"address":"QMW3+7J3","placeId":"EihRTVczKzdKMywgR2xlbm1vcmdhbiBRTEQgNDQyMywgQXVzdHJhbGlhIiY6JAoKDZfxyO8VNWUzWRALGhQKEgmxw-r0VHG7axEArCB_8e4ABA","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.1419877891796891,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-27.204362508162877,"longitude":149.6540469},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Myall Park Garden"},{"type":"text","content":"As witness to Glenmorgan's colourful past, here stands the Myall Park Botanic Garden and as we saunter through this botanic wonder, we are thrown into a world of artistic vision, thriving Grevilleas and a natural gallery of botanical beauty – all the vision of the late David Gordon and his wife Dorothy."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FGlenmorgan31%20(1).JPG?alt=media&token=2e8db64c-0aa1-48ba-815c-741251a526f6"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FGLE%20Myall%20Park%2052.JPG?alt=media&token=2d672e08-78e1-4967-97c4-be91ddb62fe5"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FGlenmorgan33.JPG?alt=media&token=2f3d329d-c1bb-413d-b03a-78a30f7ae81d"},{"type":"text","content":"This heritage-listed garden was founded by grazier David Morrice Gordon AM having made his first plantings on his Myall Park sheep station in 1941 before expanding the garden in the 1950's."},{"type":"text","content":"Today many plants that thrive here are extremely rare and sometimes extinct in their natural environment."},{"type":"text","content":"From a young child, Dave was interested in Australian Flora and loved nothing more than following his father as he led the family rambling in the bush searching for a new insect or plant or listening for a noise to give way to the hiding place of a creature."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FGlenmorgan%20-%20Krista-7837.jpg?alt=media&token=a6fe381f-0557-4008-bfbe-95e779a0b0b0"},{"type":"text","content":"This love of the unkept bush stayed with Dave all his life and in establishing this Garden he aimed to inspire others to love it too."},{"type":"text","content":"As you wander around these gardens be sure to take the Gumnut walk created by Dave's intrigue in the crazy shapes of the Eucalyptus gumnuts found on many of the Western Australian mallees."},{"type":"text","content":"Can you spot the Eucalyptus platypoda, whose nuts are supposed to look like the platypus? or the Eucalyptus macrocarpa, with their exceptionally large gum nuts? the Eucalyptus caesia with their amazing silver nuts, or the Eucalyptus preissiana, with flying saucer shaped nuts?"},{"type":"text","content":"Continuing to explore, it's important to note that Dave planted a wide variety of grevilleas close together, in the hope that some natural hybridisation would occur, and the Gordon Grevillea Walk is where that all started."},{"type":"text","content":"It was from successful hybridisation that the world was in fact gifted Grevillea “Robyn Gordon”, the first of these hybrids to which Dave named after his eldest daughter, who sadly died of a rare cancer aged just 17."},{"type":"text","content":"The plant is now grown and loved in many countries in the world and the first plant to be registered by the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority in 1973 is also proudly identified as the Western Downs Regional Council’s floral emblem and the 2006 floral emblem for “Year of the Outback”."},{"type":"text","content":"What does it look like? Well, this grevillea has large red flowers on the shrub for most of the year and grows to around two metres wide and at most two metres high and appears to grow in a wide range of soils and climates."},{"type":"text","content":"Can you spot a \"Robyn Gordon\"?"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FIMG_2525.jpg?alt=media&token=a1d7e9e7-f2e3-48db-b760-276bcff91067"},{"type":"text","content":"Dave later discovered two more grevilleas that he named after his other daughters, Sandra, and Merinda .\n\nGrevillea “Sandra Gordon” is well known and grows well in many locations. It has bright yellow flowers, again flowering for long periods of the year. This plant is taller than Grevillea “Robyn Gordon”, perhaps reaching a height of three or four metres but both plants are well suited to backyard gardens as they attract many bird species, respond well to pruning and suit many soil types.\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FGrevillia.jpg?alt=media&token=a752ffee-79e6-4449-a1aa-4626283f072c"},{"type":"text","content":"“Merinda Gordon” is not easy to grow and so is therefore really treasured by those who have a plant."},{"type":"text","content":"It has very spiky small leaves and intricate red flowers.\n\nAfter David’s death one more naturally formed hybrid grevillea was discovered and registered by the directors of Myall Park Botanic Garden Limited as “Dorothy Gordon” after Dave’s wife, Dorothy.\n\nThis plant is proving to be popular and grows well in most states of Australia. It has an unusual purple flower, grows to roughly the same size as “Robyn Gordon”, with similar foliage to the first two hybrids.\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FPicture2.jpg?alt=media&token=cd30b293-b001-47e8-9de5-44e19e152652"},{"ttsForStop":true,"type":"audio","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FFreeguides%20-%20Experience%20Glenmorgan%20-%20Stop%2004.mp3?alt=media&token=09c14b21-f3ab-43ab-a7e1-8d6f2587a4db"}]},{"address":"QMW4+473","placeId":"EihRTVc0KzQ3MywgR2xlbm1vcmdhbiBRTEQgNDQyMywgQXVzdHJhbGlhIiY6JAoKDfHiyO8Vr6QzWRALGhQKEgmxw-r0VHG7axEArCB_8e4ABA","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.1419877891796891,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-27.204737508163003,"longitude":149.6556719},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# The Gallery"},{"type":"text","content":"Welcome to the Gallery, built after the accidental death and as a memorial to David Gordon's late wife, let's take a moment to admire the works of Dorothy Gordon."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FIMG-7754%20(1).jpg?alt=media&token=b7a9a984-930c-4c4c-a5fa-8bcabdbe4c54"},{"type":"text","content":"Just look around, see her vivid botanical sketches brought to life, it's almost as if the petals could spin off into the wind. Can you imagine her sitting here, deeply absorbed in her artwork, amidst nature’s chorus?"},{"type":"text","content":"Whilst Dave was dedicated to the development of the Garden, Dorothy, was an artist and naturally sought the company of others interested in art and it was through this interest in Art that the Glenmorgan Art Group was formed as a social group whose goal remains 50 years on, to learn and encourage all."},{"type":"text","content":"Dorothy delighted in painting her favourite flowers from Dave’s Garden and in time created 48 watercolour paintings which accurately depicted the botanical details of each flower and plant. Although it is said that Dorothy much preferred landscapes to botanical work and did so only to please Dave!"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FIMG-7753.jpg?alt=media&token=b505cbed-8964-41d0-bef1-5af13116ce1b"},{"type":"text","content":"Sadly, at just 52 years of age, Dorothy was tragically killed in a car accident leaving Dave, the close-knit artists from the Glenmorgan Art Group, and the whole community distraught.\n\nTurning to Dorothy’s artistic friends for comfort and help, Dave offered his idea of making the Garden a public place.\n\nA committee was formed, including several artists, and friends with botanical interests.\nThey supported Dave, and helped in the garden, but wishing to keep Dorothy’s memory alive, fundraising efforts to build a gallery dedicated to Dorothy began.\n\nThe Meandarra Arts Council first obtained a Bicentennial grant to compile a book of all of Dorothy’s paintings of the flowers from Dave’s Garden. These books were then sold, and that money combined with much more from other fundraising efforts eventually gave way to this permanent display of Dorothy's paintings.\n\nWhilst monies raised did not cover the lattice work at the front of the gallery intended to disguise the plain besser block wall, it was again Artists to the rescue, offering to paint a mural to beautify the stark wall.\n\nAs a means of attracting grant money, several local groups and interested friends came up with the idea of creating the artwork over the internet which was only just then starting to become a part of their lives.\nThey invited other professional artists who had visited the Garden at times to join in, and the design was pieced together digitally using computer and software purchased with the grant.\n\nTree trunks and sun rays are the basis on which this creation developed. pollen, weather, and the birds attracted to this region are some of the other design elements incorporated.\n\nOnce this design was completed, it was gridded and printed out in A4 size sheets so it could be replicated on the gallery wall. The invited artists travelled to the gallery to paint their sections, and if this wasn’t possible, the group painted for them as well as painting their own section. Realising that the mural itself had a limited life, the digital image and individual sections have been printed and framed for posterity. The work took four years to complete and is known as Cyberflora.\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FPicture1.png?alt=media&token=c0e33e94-35a9-489c-8310-82d0422c28d8"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2Fcarolmaccormack_CMYK300dpi_print-2.jpg?alt=media&token=559ff041-2e5d-4aa6-81aa-87aba1e2e6ac"},{"type":"text","content":"The artist community continued to support Dave as he grew older, his arthritis making some tasks most difficult, wool prices fell while taxes increased, and Dave realised that he needed to make decisions about the future of the Garden and so in 1994 he excised the 132 hectares that constituted the Garden and formed a Trust managed by volunteers to continue the work and vision of Dave and Dorothy Gordon.\n\nThe committee became an incorporated not-for-profit company, and this remains in place today.\n\nFor further artistic finds, see if you can spot the Wedge-tailed eagle, built in 2008 by Ben Somerville, or the Brolga Wire Sculpture, a life-sized dancing brolga that is just another one of the many fascinating pieces that continue to expand the beauty of Myall Park.\n\nWhen Dave turned 100 there were big celebrations, and he was still an important part of the Garden. He passed away surrounded by his family at the age of 102. What a legacy he has left behind!\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2Fgordon-dave.jpg?alt=media&token=c870d276-7211-45b4-9ae9-2ab3086a2a6e"},{"ttsForStop":true,"type":"audio","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FFreeguides%20-%20Experience%20Glenmorgan%20-%20Stop%2005.mp3?alt=media&token=a427960d-3028-477e-b235-18e384d0efdd"}]},{"address":"QMV4+JFP","placeId":"EihRTVY0K0pGUCwgR2xlbm1vcmdhbiBRTEQgNDQyMywgQXVzdHJhbGlhIiY6JAoKDQu1yO8Vb7kzWRALGhQKEgmxw-r0VHG7axEArCB_8e4ABA","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.1419877891796891,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-27.205912508163433,"longitude":149.65620309999994},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# The Glass House"},{"type":"text","content":"As wool prices increased in the 1950s, Dave Gordon was able to leave some of the running of the sheep property to others while he hired botanists to help him follow his dream of creating a garden to showcase some of the rare native plants found in this country."},{"type":"text","content":"Len Miller was the first horticulturalist that Dave hired and he and his wife, Ivy, moved into Terpersie, in 1953, the cottage now occupied by the caretakers."},{"type":"text","content":"Dave had more than 1000 plants ready to plant out! That was just the start."},{"type":"text","content":"By the time Len and Ivy left In September 1954, the Garden had expanded to the red High Tank. Len and Ivy left to tour Western Australia, to gather seeds and cutting material to send back to Dave. They travelled and slept in an old Vanguard ute and lived in it until their return in April 1955. They loved the wild profusion of flowers they saw during their travels."},{"type":"text","content":"Alf Gray, a nurseryman from the Government Nursery in Victoria, where he had established an unchallenged reputation for seed raising, was then hired by Dave. He arrived in 1954 and continued after Len and Ivy left to help further develop the Garden and to process all the collected and recorded seeds and carefully pressed material sent back by Len. It was Alf’s responsibility to establish the area built for the sprouting seedlings."},{"type":"text","content":"He and Dave were both driven by the same goals, to grow rare Australian native plants that may otherwise become extinct and to display them for all to admire. Alf designed a glasshouse, sometimes called a misting house, in which to grow all these new plants and it was built to his specifications."},{"type":"text","content":"It must have been a giant undertaking as the closest hardware shops were miles away and probably did not stock many of the items needed."},{"type":"text","content":"Dave and Alf were ingenious, and the structure is remarkable in design, giving maximum flexibility to allow air and sun in or closed off as the plants needed."},{"type":"text","content":"Originally the roof was a wooden louvered design over the glass plates to add even more flexibility. The building is built from cypress pine to withstand termite attack and the lower walls are very solid and have stood the test of time very well."},{"type":"text","content":"The louvers disintegrated many years ago and were removed to prevent damage to the glass plates. Shade cloth was erected in their place to protect the glass from hail."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FPicture1%20(1).jpg?alt=media&token=412dd0c2-5f36-4d02-adf0-b228a295d7b7"},{"type":"text","content":"Eighty years after the building was erected, the rafters had begun to rot and there was concern that they would collapse and bring down the glass panels. Hence volunteers removed them along with the rotting timbers and replaced the rafters, following the exact design of the original and the same glass panels and tin clips to hold the glass in place, were restored after a good clean.\n\nThe glasshouse now restored to its former glory contains old pots, tools and carrying boxes used last century.\n\nOriginally filled with small pots of seeds or cutting material with extra pots placed on the ground between the glasshouse and the potting shed.\n\nExtra benches were also built to store the larger plants to harden them prior to planting. There were pots and plants on every available space, but Dave urged more plantings as he was often heard to say, “Never mind the losses, just keep planting”.\n\n"},{"ttsForStop":true,"type":"audio","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FFreeguides%20-%20Experience%20Glenmorgan%20-%20Stop%2006.mp3?alt=media&token=4246d5e3-642c-4b83-ae30-6ae0735bf529"}]},{"address":"QMV4+JFP","placeId":"EihRTVY0K0pGUCwgR2xlbm1vcmdhbiBRTEQgNDQyMywgQXVzdHJhbGlhIiY6JAoKDQu1yO8Vb7kzWRALGhQKEgmxw-r0VHG7axEArCB_8e4ABA","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.09127786447265727,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-27.205912508163433,"longitude":149.65620309999994},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Welcome to the Seed Room"},{"type":"text","content":"In the late 1940s after hiring Alf Gray and designing the Glass House, the next project on the horizon became a room in which to store all the seeds collected by Alf and Dave and many others along with the herbarium records Dave had built up over the years (including Len Millers collection).\nSo, space in Dorothy’s art studio in the main house was devoted to the herbarium and this Seed Room, designed and built.\n\nOne whole wall of this room is a bank of large drawers constructed of solid \"Grevillea Robusta\" (silky oak). The drawers held (and still hold) packets of seeds collected throughout time. Some of the seeds are still viable and some are not. More are added to the collection from time to time and carefully recorded as Dave did seventy years ago.\n\nThe end wall of the room has solid timber drawers which hold fittings needed for the irrigation system.\n\nThe first irrigation system in the Garden was created with galvanised pipe and this was very difficult to set up, compared with the poly pipe used in later systems.\n\nThe plants were watered initially by hundreds of overhead sprinklers, and some of these can still be found throughout the Garden. It must have been an enormous project to organise all the pumps, taps, sprinklers, and piping to provide water to all areas of the Garden.\n\nMuch later this system was replaced with poly pipes laid on the ground with a dripper for each plant, a system still used today although the pipes and drippers have been replaced several times due to the perishing and hardening of the pipes in the hot sun. The drippers are also commonly clogged with ants and the debris which is carefully managed by a volunteer and the caretaker.\n\nIn another drawer of the Seed Room are hundreds of wooden labels, perhaps 10 centimetres by 30 centimetres, crafted by hand and used to label the pots in which the seeds were planted. Nowadays aluminium tags are used but before these were available Dave had to devise something which could be used again and again.\n\nOther shelves in this room hold notebooks that Dave would have used to keep meticulous records of all that was done in the Garden. There are many boxes containing these notebooks and all are labelled and dated. There are other large ledgers with Dave’s careful script within. These were used to record the plantings done each day.\n\nIt is easy to picture Dave in this room every evening, making sure that everything was properly recorded, how many plants were planted, where they were planted, likewise with the seeds and cutting material. Only after all the records were completed could he return to the family and relax.\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FIMG_0966.jpg?alt=media&token=efb498a4-c7d0-4b15-b14f-cb3da9028894"},{"ttsForStop":true,"type":"audio","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FFreeguides%20-%20Experience%20Glenmorgan%20-%20Stop%2007.mp3?alt=media&token=76827a60-81d5-4dec-a315-ee755e999e45"}]},{"address":"Myall Park Botanic Garden","placeId":"ChIJi0LLDMiEu2sRDsH1ezm27H8","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.14905644535097232,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-27.207634958164025,"longitude":149.66747575000002},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# THE BIRD HIDE"},{"type":"text","content":"Welcome to our final stop Myall Park's Bird Hide"},{"type":"text","content":"Dave loved all the Australian bush, but his primary interest of course lay with the plants. However, as the Garden grew and developed, more visitors came each year, and some became fascinated by the variety of birds seen."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FIMG_0974.jpg?alt=media&token=012fd266-5532-446f-a8ec-7e8787de7740"},{"type":"text","content":"The ‘Brigalow Birds Education Group’ was formed by people passionate about the birds of the southern brigalow area who worked collectively to produce Brigalow Birds, a book showcasing the birds of Myall Park Botanic Garden and surrounding region. This group included Ian Venables, Nita C. Lester, Carol McCormack, Rob Lethbridge & Craig Eddie."},{"type":"text","content":"Their hope was that increased awareness would lead to both increased conservation and increased enjoyment. The book is still appreciated by many and is available to purchase from the Garden."},{"type":"text","content":"In 2012 this bird hide was built with a permanent source of water available. The water source ensures that in dry periods the birds in the area remain unstressed."},{"type":"text","content":"If you sit quietly at this hide, you will likely be rewarded with sightings."},{"ttsForStop":false,"type":"audio","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2Fmixkit-little-birds-singing-in-the-trees-17.wav?alt=media&token=3d8fe8c1-8352-4f6e-95ab-f4e8961292d1"},{"type":"text","content":"Often a group of double barred finches will sit in the casuarina tree to check that the water is free of bigger birds before they fly down to the branches that lead into the water."},{"type":"text","content":"Birders who visit the hide record their bird sightings on e-bird, and our Garden has now officially recorded 204 different birds, it is the second ranking hotspot for bird sightings in Western Downs."},{"type":"text","content":"At other times a noisy group of apostle birds will fly in and continue their squabbling, while they take a drink and paddle in the shallows."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2F274A4289.jpeg?alt=media&token=102da922-eb6c-43e7-b97b-b021d220de55"},{"type":"text","content":"As we conclude this tour, we encourage you to keep exploring our region. Pop into the Meandarra Anzac Memorial Museum where you will feel the camaraderie, commitment and valour of our Anzacs or venture further across to Condamine, home to Australia's longest river and the Condamine Bell, the distinctive sound that once echoed throughout Australian Bushland."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FIMG_6947%20(2).JPG?alt=media&token=4bee589a-1596-4b03-a25d-92772701b7d2"},{"type":"text","content":"Or simply visit one of our many Visitor Information Centres where we are ready to guide you to your next adventure or pick up your free copy of birds on the Western Downs and tick off those feathered friends discovered at Glenmorgan"},{"ttsForStop":true,"type":"audio","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FZrmJABRv7OXoYjZ0ycm9%2FFreeguides%20-%20Experience%20Glenmorgan%20-%20Stop%2008.mp3?alt=media&token=caf6c52a-b2c9-4349-80f6-35e6a8791fe5"}]}]