Frank Hurley, one of Australia’s best-known photographers, lived a life of adventure.
He made several trips to Antarctica, capturing the exploration efforts of Sir Douglas Mawson and famously jo
ining Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated trip to the frozen continent which saw Hurley and the crew stranded on the ice for almost two years.
He also captured some of the most memorable images of World War I, including the Battle of Passchendaele, and photographed and filmed the Siege of Tobruk and both battles at El Alamein during the Second World War.
However, Hurley’s life wasn’t all danger and derring-do, he also captured everyday life in Australia, including these beautiful images of the Adelaide Botanic Garden, taken on commission from the South Australian Government to be used in a booklet as part of the state’s centenary in 1836.
State Records South Australia have his glass plate negatives in its archive, many of which have been digitised.
The collection of images includes two women by the water’s edge at a lake, women feeding swans, the Palm House Victorian Glasshouse designed by German architect Gustav Runge, and a pond surrounded by lush flora.
More historic Botanic Garden images can be viewed here (external site) (external site).
After a couple of false starts - thanks in part to frequent flooding of the Torrens - the present site of the Adelaide Botanic Garden was agreed upon in 1854.
Work on the site began in 1855, and the garden had its official opening in 1857.
The Palm House was imported from Bremen, Germany, and opened in 1875. The second-oldest glasshouse in Australia, the building was restored in 1995, and again in 2018.
With this week being Botanic Gardens Week, South Australians are being encouraged to visit Adelaide Botanic Garden, Mount Lofty Botanic Garden or Wittunga Botanic Garden and experience the benefits that spending time outside in nature can provide.
There are also events planned for this weekend to celebrate the week, with more information available here (external site) (external site).
