The Western Australian Herbarium was established in 1928 when Mr C A Gardner was appointed to the new position of Government Botanist and Curator of the State Herbarium. During this time, he also acquired control over a separate herbaria site belonging to the Department of Agriculture and the Forestry Department.
The idea of amalgamating those two collections with that of the Western Australian Museum to produce a single State Herbarium was first suggested in 1923 and the concept was supported in 1926 by the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science and the Royal Botanic Gardens in the United Kingdom. The amalgamation of all three collections was completed in 1958, and the State Herbarium began its work.
Between 1970 and 2010, the herbarium housed several unique collections of plants, an extensive research library and database. Not surprisingly, it has gained a historic reputation for its association with the long-established practise of collection and study of the plants of Western Australia and for its association with the unification of several significant collections of plant specimens in one place in a dedicated space.
A government website states part of the hexagon (main) building is still being used for administration purposes. I am not sure if this is still the case, just judging by the “Warning, Abestos” sign on the door! 😊
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