One of these gems, though, is easily missed by the thousands of visitors - Andrew Smith, the Gardens Coordinator and Campus Facilities Manager, who has been tending to the nine heritage-listed hectares for 30 years.
During Andrew’s tenure at Burnley, the gardens proudly received its heritage listing, and has undergone many changes in custodianship and management. Throughout this, Andrew has continued the challenge of caring for specialty gardens and restoring or maintaining the work of his predecessors, including his lecturer and mentor, Geoff Olive.
Andrew was always interested in horticulture, but first pursued a career in catering and cooking, moving around the country before settling in Melbourne. Here, he enrolled in what was then the Victoria College of Agriculture and Horticulture at Burnley, undertaking a Certificate in Horticulture and then an Advanced Diploma. He began work experience in the Burnley Gardens as a component of his course and he hasn’t left!
While the restrictions placed upon a heritage-listed garden mean Andrew hasn’t had the opportunity to make the dramatic changes of earlier gardeners, he has still left his mark. His contributions include the Rain Garden, the serpentine tree avenue on the former Lagoon Paddock, and the replanting of the Boulevard entrance with plants chosen for their durability, functionality and alignment with the colour theme of the University. Andrew is also planning for the future, leaving open areas in the Lagoon Paddock that he hopes will one day be used to reinstate the lagoon it was named for.
The contribution most valued by Andrew himself, however, is the flower bed situated on the eastern end of Pond Lawn, which was previously left barren due to the overhead tree canopy. The colourful and textured garden bed requires little maintenance and no additional water so is sure to thrive for years to come, a wonderful legacy of Burnley’s longest-serving gardener and curator.