This painting was done by talented and well-known forester Rob Youl in 1968.
The actual date that the unique State Nursery building near Creswick was constructed is unclear, but it’s thought to have been planned in 1909 but not built until 1912.
The nearby Victorian School of Forestry (VSF) opened around the same time in 1910 and the Forests Department carpenter Adam Coulson engaged the help of students to construct the nursery building.
Its whimsical design is attributed to John Johnstone who was appointed Superintendent of State Nurseries in about 1901.
Johnstone had been a prominent landscape designer at Maddingley Park near Bacchus Marsh.
Johnson followed John la Gerche, who had originally established the State nursery at Sawpit Gully in 1887 to raise seedlings to rehabilitate forests damaged by mining.
The hexagonal building with its complicated roof shape was influenced by the “Shingle and Stick” designs that were popular in America at the time.
The round verandah posts which look like branching trees is a strong architectural feature.
The cupola at the top has a bell which was once used for timekeeping for nursery employees.
Most of the wood was cut locally including the boards encircling the verandah which were also decoratively notched by forestry students using their pruning knives.
The building also utilises natural building materials such as wattle and daub In the walls.
And so it came to pass that mandatory fieldwork on chilly mornings, tending seedlings at the State Nursery, became a rite of passage for generations of forestry students.
The building was used as the nursery office until the 1960s. It was eventually declared unsafe but has received some government heritage restoration funds over the years.
The nursery transferred to Landcare in 1994 and is now also home to Parks Victoria.
The building is architecturally significant and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register along with the fountain, the old nursery site and adjoining plantation.
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Victoria’s Forests & Bushfire Heritage 