 |
Glenbrook Native Plant Reserve - History |
In 1963 the group of locals decided they wanted to take a more hands-on approach to the protection of the Blue Mountains environment, and it began to inspect sites in the local area. A short time later the group selected a site in Glenbrook. In 1967 the land was gazetted for preservation of the native flora under the care and control of a trust, and this gave the Australian Plants Society Blue Mountains Group access to the reserve.
For the first two years the reserve was not open to the public while fencing and weeding were undertaken. (Part of the reserve had been a dairy farm.) Weeds remain a problem, although they are under control. Most are brought into the reserve as seed, either by birds or wind. For a list of the most common weeds in the area of the reserve click the Weeds link above or below.
In 1971 the Captain Cook Bicentenary Committee donated money to the trust, which enabled it to build the Cook Bicentenary Native Plant Information Centre. This building houses an extensive collection of books, journals and research papers primarily dealing with the native environment. It also is used for meetings of the Blue Mountains Group of the Australian Plants Society.
Also in 1971 the trust received a donation from Heather Christie, which enabled the construction of a plant nursery. This nursery is maintained by members of the Blue Mountains Group. Funds raised from the sale of native plants in the nursery are put back into the reserve to cover the cost of any maintenance work that needs to be carried out. The money also funds improvements to the reserve.