Araluen Botanic Park, Botanical garden in Roleystone, Australia
Araluen Botanic Park is a botanical garden located in a valley within the Darling Ranges, featuring 59 hectares where native Australian plants grow alongside exotic species across themed garden areas. The site offers walking trails, a miniature train service, a cafe, and a gift shop for visitors to explore.
Jack Simons bought the land in 1929 on behalf of the Young Australia League as a holiday camp, and the site was officially opened in November 1931 by state attorney-general Thomas Davy. The league put the gardens up for sale in 1985 but kept Camp Simons; after local communities pressed the state government, it purchased the park in 1990. The Araluen Botanic Park Foundation was incorporated in July 1990 and has managed the park under lease from the Western Australian Planning Commission since 1995.
The name Araluen comes from Henry Kendall's poem "Araluen", after the New South Wales valley of that name, said to mean "running water" in an Indigenous language of New South Wales. The park hosts the Tulip Festival each spring, and from 1997 to 2007 an annual folk music festival was held here in spring. Children's activity days run during school holidays.
The park has designated parking areas and is easy to access, with walking trails of varying difficulty and a miniature train for those who prefer not to walk extensively. Seating and rest stops are available throughout if you need to take a break.
The old swimming pool has been converted into a lake, and its diving board was removed. The park also runs a miniature train and walkways, and since 1995 the Araluen Botanic Park Foundation has managed the site under lease from the Western Australian Planning Commission.
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