LCGD Designers Invited to Shape the Future of Kyneton Botanic Gardens
Design of the New Welcome Garden at Kyneton Botanic Gardens
LCGD Australia is proud to announce a significant and rare opportunity for our student and alumni community: the chance to develop concept designs for a new Welcome Garden within the heritage-listed Kyneton Botanic Gardens.
This initiative is a collaboration between Macedon Ranges Shire Council and the Friends of Kyneton Botanic Gardens, with LCGD Australia invited to contribute design concepts for the redevelopment of this important public landscape.
One proposal will be selected for construction, becoming a permanent addition to one of Victoria’s most historically significant botanic gardens.
A professional opportunity few designers ever receive
Public garden commissions of this calibre are exceptionally rare — particularly within a heritage-listed setting.
Participants have been invited to prepare concept designs that respond to the historical, botanical and community context of the site. The selected design will be realised on site, representing not only a significant portfolio milestone, but a lasting contribution to a public garden with more than 165 years of history.
The project offers:
Experience designing for a historic public landscape
A major portfolio project with long-term visibility
Meaningful engagement with council and community stakeholders
Collaboration with horticultural specialists and garden advocates
Opportunities of this scale reflect the professional pathways embedded within the LCGD Australia Garden Design Diploma and the confidence placed in our student and alumni community.
About Kyneton Botanic Gardens
Established in 1858, Kyneton Botanic Gardens is one of Victoria’s earliest and most treasured public gardens. It is home to an extraordinary collection of mature specimen trees, including 17 recognised by the National Trust of Australia, along with a rich mix of heritage features.
Visitors encounter original bluestone walls, a striking wrought iron entrance gate, a restored gardener’s cottage and a historic 1902 drinking fountain. The gardens also feature a riverside walk along the Campaspe River, a rotunda and the inclusive Kyneton Community Park.
This layered context makes the Welcome Garden redesign particularly meaningful — a rare opportunity to contribute contemporary landscape design thinking to a site deeply embedded in civic and botanical history.
What happens next
Students and alumni who have opted into the opportunity have received:
The full design brief
Submission requirements
Site information
Key deadlines
Details regarding council and community expectations
A formal briefing session has already been held, both in person and online, to support concept development.
Submissions for the Welcome Garden close 6 March.
A garden that becomes part of history
We are immensely proud to offer this opportunity to our community and look forward to seeing the concepts brought forward and to celebrating the designer whose work will become a lasting part of the Kyneton Botanic Gardens’ future.
