The volunteers at Tamborine Mountain Regional Botanic Gardens in the Scenic Rim have officially unveiled a sophisticated irrigation system.
The automated system throughout the Gardens can be controlled remotely through a computer or mobile phone app, allowing instant changes to programs for individual garden spaces as well as the propagation nursery.
The system, fed by a new bore, was made possible through grants from the State Government’s Gambling Community Benefit Fund and a State bushfire recovery grant administered by Scenic Rim Regional Council. The Gambling Community grant, facilitated by local Member of Parliament Jon Krause, funded the bore and infrastructure while the sophisticated irrigation system was built through the Council funding.
The volunteers invited Scenic Rim Regional Councillors and local State Member of Parliament Jon Krause to the ceremony at the Gardens.
Mayor Greg Christensen was accompanied by Councillors McConnell, McInnes and West.
Inspecting the heart of the irrigation system (from left) Scenic Rim Regional Council Mayor Greg Christensen, Councillors Duncan McInnes and Jeff McConnell, Botanic Gardens President Denby Browning, Mountain Pumps’ Adam Cromack, Councillor Virginia West and State MP Jon Krause.
During a morning tea before a tour of the Gardens to inspect the new systems, Mayor Christensen thanked the volunteers for their dedication and enthusiasm in developing the Gardens to become one of the most significant attractions for Scenic Rim residents and tourists worldwide.
He said the Gardens were a powerful example of long-term vision succeeding over short-term plans.
“We remember that this beautiful space was once considered for a waste treatment plant,” he said.
The Councillors and Mr Krause inspected the heart of the irrigation system which operates using cloud-based software that communicates with the Bureau of Meteorology and can respond to weather conditions to intuitively alter regular programs to save water.
The bore is capable of delivering hundreds of litres of high quality water per minute if required.
The volunteers also officially opened a major extension to the work shed and an orchid nursery both funded through a Scenic Rim Regional Council grant. The shed extension greatly improves the daily operations for volunteers and the orchid nursery ensures constant improvement of the Gardens much-loved orchid house on the western side of the lake.