Anderson Park, Townsville in Aitkenvale

Anderson Park is a 20 hectare arboretum in the suburb of Pimlico in Townsville, Queensland. It is open seven days a week, all year, sunrise to sunset.

The Gardens

It is a beautiful quiet gardens with free access for the public. It contains many fine examples of tropical northern Queensland trees, ferns, palms and one of the world's largest pandanus collection.

K5JS3790 - Anderson Park 2011 — John Skewes @ Flickr

The Plant Collection

Pandanus - includes most of the Australian pandanus species as well as others from New Guinea, South-East Asia, the western Pacific Islands and Madagascar.
Cape York Section - This area features palms, gingers, Australian pandanus and ornamental trees from Far North Queensland including Cape York Peninsula.
Palms - highlights include the Bismarckia nobilis; Orbignya cohune, Hyphaene and Latania species.
Conservatory - open only by appointment. It houses a collection of tropical plants including bromeliads, gingers, aroids, nepenthes (Pitcher plants), palms and cycads.
Tropical Fruit Orchard - includes lychee, black sapote, papaw, breadfruit, wampee, miracle fruit, dates, cashews, jackfruit, longan, palm hearts, cinnamon, cloves, coffee, turmeric and ginger.

History

Part of the land was purchased in 1929 from the Water and Electricity Supply Department, although most of this is now the Mundingburra State School and the Townsville Jubilee Bowls Club. In 1932 the Park was named in appreciation of the work of William Anderson (1845 - 1935), City of Townsville's first Curator of Parks (1878 - 1934). In the same year the earliest recorded plantings occurred - these Raintree, Eucalyptus and Melaleuca trees now dominate the landscape. Further land was added in 1956 and 1963 through land acquisitions. The present design was prepared in 1962 by Alan Wilson, a Landscape Architect and Superintendent of Parks (1959 – 1969).