The Botanic Collection

The Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens has been designed to showcase and trial primarily local native plants from the Central Queensland Coast Bioregion. This region incorporates Mackay and environs, west to Eungella, north to Proserpine and Airlie Beach and south to Clairview. A disjust section of the biorgegion includes a large area from Yeppoon on the coast from Rockhaption north to Shoalwater Bay.

Other Australian native plants and exotics from similar climates around the world are also grown for special interest or to show visitors how to "mix and match" these natives with plants that they may already have in their own backyards.

The Botanic Gardens display and research this flora in a number of ways - either representing an existing area or landform with a garden consisting of plants and imagery typical of the area - e.g. - the Finch Hatton Gorge Waterway Garden, Sarina/Proserpine Lowlands Garden etc, or with a theme that addresses use of plants from a range of areas with similar needs e.g. - The Tropical Shade Garden (shade loving plants), Waterwise Garden (plants that can take the winter dry and summer wet of Mackay) and more.

Natives and exotics are also used in specialised precincts that tell important stories of plants and people, such as the Heritage Gardens, Coal Garden and Ethno-botanic Gardens (future).

Some key collections curently include:

• The Screens and Hedges Garden - an important trial garden growing Bioregional and native plants not generally used  - as clipped hedges and screening plants. Trees, shrubs and vines are clipped into forms popular with todays smaller backyards.
• The Brigalow Belt Garden - showing plants usually found along creekline that have adapted to the dry inland and coast areas adjacent to our bioregion, that can survive the wet summers of Mackay whilst required no supplimentary watering during the 3-4 month dry of winter and spring.
• The Malta Garden - displaying waterwise plants with links to the dry coastal climate of Malta and plants significant to the history of this tiny island in the Meditteranean. Emmegrants from Malta make up the largest multicultural community of Mackay.
• Gymnosperm Garden - a diverse garden the displays these ancient non-flowering, seed bearing plants from Australia and around the globe. Cycads and Araucarias are a feature here.

Local gardening and horticultural groups also assist the Botanic Gardens with small, but often spectacular sub-collections housed with the larger garden collections These include Australian Native Orchids, exotic Bromeliads and Tillandsias, and native and exotic Tassle Ferns.