Fraser Coast celebrates 25 years of Orchid House

Published on 08 December 2025

The Fraser Coast is celebrating a new milestone at the Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens, with the Orchid House marking 25 years since it was first established in 2000.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said the Orchid House is home to the largest publicly owned orchid collection in Australia, with more than 5,000 orchids that are regularly rotated, so it’s a great place to visit multiple times throughout the year to see different flowers on display.

“The collection includes 85 different orchid varieties demonstrating the diversity, elegance and beauty of orchids,” he said.

“For a quarter of a century, the Orchid House has helped people discover the fascinating world of orchids,  connect with nature and learn about these wonderful plants.

“Over the past 25 years, the Orchid House has changed with the times and continued to grow to meet demand, doubling in size in 2019 with support from the State Government’s Works for Queensland program and undergoing further renovations in 2021 to improve how the space is used.

“Thank you to all our volunteers who have helped make the Orchid House what it is today, and to the residents and visitors who have supported it over the past 25 years,” Cr Seymour said.

“The Orchid House sits within the beautiful Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens, which were established in 1974 and span 26 hectares.

“Each year, close to 20,000 people visit the Orchid House and the Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens.

Cr Seymour said the gardens boast a wide variety of established plants of the Wide Bay and Great Sandy region, along with walking tracks, an Australian bush tucker garden, a bush chapel, a Chinese garden, Orchid House and a natural playground.

“The Botanic Gardens celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2024, and Council continues to look for opportunities to grow and enhance the area, including the recent approval of a new outdoor adventure attraction featuring high-ropes and zipline courses,” he said.

The Orchid House is open Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 2.30pm and entry is free. Tours of the Orchid House and Botanic Garden can be booked by calling the Parks office on 4125 9700.

More information about the Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens and the Orchid House is available at https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/botanic-gardens-orchid-house