Council
7 November, 2025
New plan for Camperdown Arboretum
THE future of the Camperdown Arboretum is now up for public feedback under a new draft masterplan tabled at last week’s Ordinary Meeting of Council.
Corangamite Shire Council moved to put the draft masterplan out for public exhibition for four weeks, with plans for community consultation sessions in coming weeks.
Under the plan, a five-hectare section has been identified in the north eastern corner of the Camperdown Botanic Gardens and Arboretum area.
Councillor Ruth Gstrein moved to invite community feedback, saying the area is on the State Heritage Register and has previously had a draft plan drawn up.
“There was a previous draft plan put out for public consultation back in 2021, so we’ve been working on it since then,” she said.
“It’s great to have it finally here and put it out for the community soon.
“It needs support, so we can put in an assessment for Heritage Victoria when we start to implement the plan.
“There’s certainly been extensive consultations with the community and, more recently, with Eastern Maar which is certainly very important.
“It’s a vision for the long-term development of the Arboretum and is already being used extensively by the local community since we opened it up and we started to mow it down to a reasonable level – there’s a lot of people getting access to it.”
The draft plan includes plans for a picnic pavilion, a formal car parking area and new pathways within the Arboretum.
Plantings have also been identified, with plants proposed to come from Guilfoyle design, succession planting, Bill Funk trees, the Camperdown Botanic Garden Trust’s collection of trees and seasonal ornamentals.
Councillor Nick Cole highlight the importance of succession planting.
“We have some extraordinary big old trees up there – they’re absolutely magnificent, and they will unfortunately eventually die,” he said.
“I would like to see new ones being put in.
“The Bill Funk trees – the collection of oak trees – that’ll be an amazing feature.
“It’s enlarging the area up there into a more unique sort of relaxation area – the gardens are already quite extraordinary, and I’d encourage everyone to go up there and have a look because it is an amazing place up there.
“With this going ahead, it will make it even more of an extraordinary and amazing place for Camperdown.”
Cr Gstrein encouraged the community to have their say on the draft masterplan.
“While we have done some previous consultation, I think it’s really important we put this plan out and I certainly urge people – Camperdown and broader – to have their say on it because it’s a great community facility,” she said.
“It gets a lot of use, and we want the best possible outcome – we want what the community wants.”
Councillor Laurie Hickey also spoke to the motion, saying the Arboretum had something to offer in all seasons of the year.
“Vibrant blooms in spring and summer, stunning autumn colours and interesting bark and texture through the winter months,” he said.
“It will be a place of significance.
“It also provides a very balanced framework for the future of the Arboretum, which is probably more important.
“It’s going to make sure it retains its place of beauty and learning, and it’s here now for generations to come.
“Hopefully what we do in this next month will shape the next 100 years of the Arboretum.”
Read More: Camperdown