About the Park
Wilson Botanic Park is a 100 acre botanic garden located in Berwick, Victoria, Australia.
The park is open every day of the year (except Christmas and and Good Friday, from 7am to 5pm (8pm during daylight savings) entry to the park is free.
The area the park now occupies was a blue metal quarry, in operation between 1859 and 1976. The northern section of the current park was donated to the City of Berwick (now City of Casey) after the mining operations ceased. The southern section was later purchased by the City to establish the botanic gardens, which were officially opened in 1992.
The park has two lakes which were the former quarries, "Anniversary Lake" and "Basalt Lake" which has a sheer basalt rock face on its eastern edge and a boardwalk and birdhide on its western edge. A steep pathway leads to the Hoo Hoo Lookout Tower which has extensive views over the surrounding suburban areas. Ben's Lookout also provides extensive panoramic views as does the Directional Marker located at the highest point of the park.
Wilson Botanic Park has two fossil seams, during the operational days of the quarry many fossils were found, some more than 22 million years old. The fossils include wood, leaves and pollens of flowering plants and conifers, some of the earliest known Eucalyptus fossils were found within the park.
Facilities within the park include an information centre (open from 10-4 daily), open-air amphitheatre, playground, education room, and multiple barbecues, shelters, rotundas and toilets.
Car parking is available (free of charge) at the park entry (enter via the bluestone gates off the Princes Highway) and the park is accessible via the Hallam Bypass Trail for cyclists and walkers.
There is a bus-route along the highway and the park is approx 2km from the Berwick railway station.
The park is very dog-friendly and many people often walk through the park (with or without dogs), however cycling is not permitted within the park.
Please respect the gardens and keep to the paths, you do not need to go off the pathways (more than a few steps) to find any of the caches here. Especially do not cross into any of the fenced-off areas - or attempt to go from cache to cache in a direct line - since there are steep climbs and dangerous cliff-drops within the park. Keep a watch out for wildlife (including snakes) and the various birds that inhabit the park.
The Cache
The open area at the top of Wilson Botanic Park is a designated 'Ball Games' area - it always amused me that this area is right on top of the hill and is quite a steep climb to get to. There are some seats nearby if you need a rest after climbing the hill.
BYO pen and please replace the cache how you found it.