White Hills Botanic Garden Death notice

[MRJ]

Nothing on the thread here, so I thought to start with it's death notice. This local council run establishment in Bendigo has now been closed, or at the least is in the process of being closed. The zoo part of the Botanic Gardens (which is of course continuing) consisted of a few pens for macropods and emus (and deer? can't quite remember), a rather modern walk through aviary, and an older (1960's?) monkey enclosure which in recent years has housed cockatoos.

This is the last of the breed, in that both Geelong and Ballarat had zoos in their botanic gardens which closed many years ago. I remember viewing the remains of the Ballarat zoo in the '70's, when some cages were being used for a private pheasant collection. It is also the last animal collection in Bendigo, after the closure of Living Wings and Things Wildlife Park (located next to Bendigo Pottery) about three years ago.

 

[Steve Robinson]

Why is it closing?

I must admit that I have never seen this collection but I did visit Living Wings and Things a couple of times.

There are a couple of other council owned "zoos" around the country that probably should follow White Hills into oblivion.

 

[MRJ]

Why is it closing?

A council decision, I only read the reports of it's demise. To be honest there was not a lot to see last time I was there. The number of pens had already been reduced, the walk-through aviary was closed and seemed to only house fancy pigeons, and the cockatoo cage, while of an adequate size, was definitely utilitarian with a raised concrete floor. Obviously designed to be easily hosed out when it contained monkeys. I do remember it in the '80's (I think) when it housed monkeys, and the aviary was newly opened, with an interesting collection of birds. It would be interesting to know more of it's history, and if it was more substantial at any point.

It is a shame about the aviary. It is a substantial and quite attractive structure, and would be a feature in most small zoos.