Darwin's George Brown Botanic Garden is located 2 km north of the city's business centre. The garden, which sprawls is famous for its collection of plants from northern Australia and other tropical regions. It is one of the few botanic gardens in the world to contain marine and estuarine plants in a natural environment.
It was was founded in 1886, and was the third attempt by European settlers to create a a place to acclimatise economically important plants in a tropical climate. Like Darwin and much of Darwin, the botanic garden was severely damaged during Cyclone Tracy in 1974-89 per cent of the plants were destroyed. Restoration of the garden after the cyclone was managed by George Brown, who had worked at the garden since 1969 and became Lord Mayor of Darwin in 1992. The garden was named after him in 2002 for his services.
IN 2000, the former Wesleyan Methodist Church, the oldest surviving building in Darwin - was moved from Nucky Street to the grounds of the botanic garden.
THE Garden's collection includes the flora of the monsoon areas of northern Australia, including mangrove mangrove trees, monsoon creepers, and plants from the rainforests of the Tiwi Islands and the Arnhem Coast. There are also tropical plants such as cicadas, palms, adansonia, ginger and heliconias. All the plants in the garden are arranged in themed areas: a rain forest with a waterfall, mangroves, an orchid plantation or a shade-loving garden. There is also a fountain, a children's playground with a tree house and a visit centre. A special hiking trail tells the story of the traditional Aboriginal people's traditional use of native plants.
