Sale’s Botanic Gardens has been awarded a grant of $130,200 to rejuvenate its Sensory Garden and to develop a new Bill Cane Living Collection, a themed garden that celebrates the life and work of an important local nurseryman and plant breeder.

The Sensory Garden, established in 2000, focuses on horticultural therapy, which stimulates the senses and helps people connect with plants. The grant will pay for the repair of paths and raised garden beds, and a redesign of the plant collection.

“We’re grateful to the government for this round of funding and really looking forward to starting these two exciting projects,” Wellington Shire Council Mayor Garry Stephens said.

“The planned improvements will enhance the gardens and add to the Sale Botanic Gardens experience for everyone,” Cr Stephens said.

Sale's five-hectare Botanic Gardens, which sits on the eastern bank of Lake Guthridge, was established in 1860 and is the only 19th-century botanic garden in Gippsland.  

It is one of 26 Botanic Gardens across Victoria to receive funding in the second round of the Growing Victoria’s Botanic Gardens Grants Program.

The funding recognises the role that these important gardens play in protecting ecosystems and improving the environment and community well-being.

The Growing Victoria’s Botanic Gardens Grants Program is an initiative of the Victorian Government aimed at enhancing Botanic Gardens across the state. The $2.4-million second round completes funding under the $4 million Botanic Gardens Grants Program.