As big cities are developing, conservation of open green spaces within their borders become ever more important. And so it was with Adelaide. Colonel William Light, who chose and designed the site for South Australia’s capital, intended that Adelaide have a botanical garden. For various reasons, however, it took more than twenty years for this to come to fruition. Opened along North Terrace in 1857, the 130 acre Adelaide Botanic Gardens were modeled after the Royal Gardens in Kew, England and Versailles, France. By 1877, a Victorian glass greenhouse, known as “The Palm House” became a centerpiece of the gardens ( and still exists today). Two years later, the last purpose-built colonial museum in the world, the “Santos Museum of Economic Botony” (sponsored by South Australia’s Oil and Gas Company) was erected within the grounds. The gardens exhibit an array of both native and international horticulture, providing a relaxing respite from urban hectic life.
Entering through this magnificent wrought-iron fence along North Terrace, one quickly leaves the hectic life of Adelaide’s urban environment behind... ...and are greeted by this pepper tree from Cental and South America. it’s not hard to find you way around the gardens, as maps are posted frequently along the various paths. Known as “The Palm House”, this Victorian green house remains one of the Gardens’ showpieces. What a beautiful building! It was like another world inside... ...with its own little grotto. In 1879, The Santos Museum of Economic Botony was built... ...in order to explore the commercial uses of horticulture from around the world. The many uses of various seeds from around the world amazed us. Everything about this place was delightful... ...and beautiful! Weeellll...maybe not everything. In one corner of the gardens is the original Adelaide City Morgue. At least it’s historical.
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Carl and Lorraine Aveni are two retirees planning on traveling through Europe for at least one year.
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