Japanese Sister City - Matsuura

Mackay's most active sister city relationship is with Matsuura, Kyushu, Japan. The relationship is fostered by the Mackay/Matsuura Sister City Community Committee, in Mackay, and the Matsuura International Friendship Association, in Matsuura. This relationship has encouraged many visits between the sister cities with a wealth of information and cultural awareness exchanged.

To commemorate this relationship, a Sister City Garden has been developed which displays Australian natives and plants of Japanese origin in a modern Australian landscape.

The Sister City Garden represents the Matsuura City logo:

• the green band of the logo is represented by Japanese native, Ophiopogan japonicus, commonly known as Mondo Grass,
• the blue band is represented by Evolvulus sp "Sapphire" whilst the red sun is depicted with Acalypha sp "Firesprite".

Adjacent, the World Cycad Garden features Cycas revoluta, commonly known as Japanese Sago Palm, a cycad of Japanese origin.

The Fernery pond is now home to a Japanese 'snow viewing' style lantern and four Japanese Crane sculpture which were gifted to the Botanic Gardens to commemorate the opening in 2003. Plants in this area again feature Australian natives and Asian origin exotics. These plants represent a Japanese feel and appearance -  Neoleba atra, commonly known as Native Iron Range Bamboo and Oplismenus sp., a rainforest grass are juxtaposed with another Japanese native, Ophiopogon japonicus 'nana', commonly known as Dwarf Mondo Grass.