Visitor numbers on the rise at the Orchid House

Back

Mayor Seymour and friends at Orchid House

The Orchid House at the Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens is continuing to grow in popularity with more than 17,000 residents and tourists visiting the free facility in 2022.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said the Orchid House was doubled in size in 2019 with the support of a grant through the State Government’s Works for Queensland program, and further minor renovations occurred in 2021 to maximise the use of the facility’s space.

“The Fraser Coast has the largest publicly owned orchid collection in Australia, with the major expansion allowing us to showcase even more of our 5500 orchids to the community,” he said.

“It is wonderful to see so many people taking the opportunity to see rare orchids in flower with 17,023 visitors in 2022, up from 15,306 in 2021 and 13,036 in 2020.

“The orchids are regularly rotated so it is a great place to visit multiple times as you will see different flowers on display at different times of the year.”

Cr Seymour said the Orchid House was one of a range of fantastic facilities in the beautiful Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens, which were situated on 6000 year old dunes spanning 26 hectares.

“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 Chinese garden, a Bush Chapel, the Orchid House and a natural playground,” he said.

“The Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens are just one of many amazing outdoor spaces on the Fraser Coast, which I encourage locals and visitors to get out and enjoy to stay healthy and active in our community.”

Cr Seymour also paid tribute to the crucial role volunteers play in the success of the facility.

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