Sale Botanic Gardens

The Sale Botanic Gardens sits next to the Lake Guthridge precinct and contains beautiful gardens, grassed areas, paved walking areas, a playground (including flying fox), undercover picnic areas, sculptures, a fauna enclosure, a sensory garden, elm forest and the Lakeside Entertainment and Arts Facility. A recent addition to the gardens has been the Nakunbalook Environmental and Cultural Education Centre which is a joint project between Wellington Shire Council and GLaWAC, providing an all-weather facility for the community to host events and programs with a focus on sustainability and culture. The Sale Botanic Gardens originated in 1860 when approximately 20 hectares of land was set aside as a botanic garden. Twenty four years later, additional swampy land, now Lake Guthridge, was included in the site. Over the ensuing years, the site has endured many incursions and changes, including use as a golf course and appropriation of various sections for sporting activities and the construction of a fauna park. The Gardens owe their botanic heritage to Baron Ferdinand Von Mueller, the first state botanist, and Mr William Guilfoyle, the then director of the Royal Melbourne Botanic Gardens. As well as an abundance of bird life visiting the parklands nearby, there is a comtemporary fauna enclosure containing Red-Necked Wallabies, Pademelons and Parma Wallabies set into a landscaped natural environment with excellent viewing opportunities.