Wilson Botanic Park Berwick

About

DAILY OPENING HOURS
Park - 7am to 6pm, subject to seasonal closing times.
Visitor Centre - 10am to 4pm
Barista-made coffee - 10am to 2pm

Story

Only minutes from the Monash Freeway, the park attracts local and international visitors and is sanctuary to an abundance of native animals.

Perched on the edge of the Basalt Lake, the Birdhide provides the perfect cover for bird watching. The Directional Marker on the cliff above identifies panoramic highlights of Berwick and beyond.

The picnic areas of Wilson Botanic Park Berwick are the perfect place for a BBQ with friends and the playground is popular with kids. Many enjoy the wonderful walking tracks around the picturesque lakes.

When you wander through the grounds of Wilson Botanic Park Berwick, it is difficult to imagine the site was an operational quarry until the late 1970s.

The quarry was founded by William Wilson in 1859. Mr Wilson recognised a business opportunity and began excavating the site which would soon become renowned for producing some of the highest quality basalt in the Melbourne region.

The transformation of the quarry site began in the late 1980s when work commenced by the then City of Berwick.

In 1992, the Honourable Bill Hayden A.C., Governor General, officially opened Wilson Botanic Park Berwick, in memory of early pioneers.

A fossil seam is not something commonly found in a botanic garden or park, but Wilson Botanic Park Berwick is lucky enough to have two!

During the operational days of the quarry many fossils were found, some more than 22 million years old. They include fossilised wood, leaves and pollens of flowering plants and conifers.

The fossil sites, which have been studied by universities across Australia, boast both tropical and temperate species. It is rare to find these varieties in one place. Such evidence reveals that the site was tropical rainforest many years ago.

The beauty of Wilson Botanic Park Berwick begins even before you get to the car park. The oak lined driveway is a prelude to the 39 hectares of natural botanic wonder that lies beyond.