Council & Business
18 July, 2022
Irrigation system to boost Phillips Gardens’ plant life
A “jewel in the crown” of Maryborough, Phillips Gardens is currently being kitted out with a more efficient irrigation system to better care for the gardens’ flora and save water. The $150,000 project, funded by the Victorian Government...
A “jewel in the crown” of Maryborough, Phillips Gardens is currently being kitted out with a more efficient irrigation system to better care for the gardens’ flora and save water.
The $150,000 project, funded by the Victorian Government, commenced last week and will see the current irrigation system completely replaced with a brand new, state-of-the-art central control system.
This will include a master valve and flow meter, which will make the system more sustainable, efficient and able to reach areas of the garden which aren’t currently irrigated.
At present, parts of the gardens are irrigated through automatic control, battery control or manual valves depending on the location, which has limited the amount of water getting to some parts of the gardens.
Central Goldfields Shire councillor Geoff Lovett said the irrigation project would enable the gardens to be better maintained, something he flagged as important for the community.
“We found through the millenium drought that went from roughly 2000 to 2010, we lost a number of our very important trees within Phillips Gardens including a giant redwood and sequoia tree,” he said.
“Both of those trees at that stage were over 120 years old and during those 10 years, we lost a lot of other plants and trees.
“We had members of the community calling for a volunteer group to be put together who would hand water the trees to keep them alive which was a very genuine offer by the public to help and I think, shows how important the gardens are to the community.”
Cr Lovett said it was important the gardens were well looked after.
“You walk through the gardens during lunch time and see increasing members of the public there,” he said.
“Plenty of people walk through there and have their lunch there and I personally think the gardens look the best they have ever been.
“Although we go and enjoy the area and make the most of it, it’s important to remember it is one of very few 19th century botanical reserves in Victoria and we’re very lucky to have it in the middle of town, it’s a jewel in the crown of Maryborough.”
The irrigation project is being undertaken by Maryborough-based business Steven Dell Plumbing and is expected to take 12 weeks to complete.
While the gardens will remain open during the project, some parts will be closed during different stages of works and visitors are being asked to follow directional signage.