UWA Sunken Garden restoration
The restoration of the much-loved, heritage-listed Sunken Garden at the University of Western Australia is underway. The Sunken Garden holds a special place in the community for the significant role that it plays within the cultural and social life associated with UWA and the surrounding suburbs.
The heritage elements, the nature of the site’s topography, mature vegetation, water features and discrete location have combined to provide an informal intimate setting.
The Sunken Garden started its life from pragmatic considerations, namely to make something of a site that had been quarried of sand for the construction of the Hackett Buildings in 1930. The original idea to develop this area as an open space and garden can be attributed to Oliver Dowell, the Head Gardener of the time, who suggested that this quarry site could form a further purpose.
UDLA’s work on the restoration of the Sunken Garden comes off the back of almost of a decade of working with the University of Western Australia to support the development and curation of the campus. Related projects include UWA Campus Masterplan, Bilya Marlee School of Indigenous Studies and UWA Cultural Heritage Mapping.
