Friends of the McKay Gardens

14/09/2026

Friends may be interested in this. Exposure to the natural world is important to our mental health. Come and enjoy our gardens.

07/09/2026

Recently there has been a new tree planting into the Gardens courtesy of the McKay Family.
Monkey Puzzle Tree.
Other common names
Chile Pine. Indigenous: Pehuén
Origin of the species name
Araucaria is derived from the tribe name Aracanos; araucana is derived from the same tribe name.
Family
Araucariaceae
Lifespan
Monkey puzzles can live for over 1,000 years.
General description
This is a large evergreen tree which loses its branches for over two thirds of the single trunk, resulting in a high and open crown. The bark is grey-brown, resinous and smooth. The long lasting, shiny green leaves are triangular, scale-like and have a very sharp tip. The very large cones are dark brown and almost round. Height 35m Spread 15m.
Natural distribution and habitat
The species is native to south-central Chile and west central Argentina. Its native habitat is the lower slopes of the south-central Andes, growing above 1,000 metres up to the timberline in regions with sometimes heavy snowfall and extreme temperatures.
Conservation status
Internationally, it is registered as a threatened species. Since the colonial period, it has been heavily exploited as a construction timber, especially in the mining industry. In Argentina in 1960 its felling was prohibited and the principal remaining stands fall under the jurisdiction of national parks. However, areas of the wild forest outside of parks have been lost and it has been highly fragmented.
Uses
The seeds are edible, similar to large pine nuts, and are extensively harvested in Chile. An indigenous group living in the Andes, the Pehuenches, owe their name to their diet based on harvesting of the Araucaria seeds. In the Andes, its distribution is closely associated with volcanic activity and it is able to start colonising areas after volcanic eruptions before other tree species. It is the national tree of Chile.

Information thanks to the National Arboretum, Canberra

07/09/2026

The McKay Gardens Bird Count was a cold but useful event establishing that there are a range of birds in the Gardens. Most seem to be of the 'midrange' - ie tree and tall shrub occupiers - urbanites! We hope to see what difference the permanent water source makes when the art works are installed in the Gardens. This is part of an on-going project to increase native bird life in the Gardens. Two of the notable mentions this time: The red Wattle Bird and our common Rainbow Lorikeets

17/08/2026

Spring flowers are glorious in the Gardens at the moment. Well worth a visit to see the colour and texture. Also pleasing to see the recycling addition to the rubbish bin.

14/08/2026

A 'monkey puzzle' tree is soon to be located into the McKay Gardens.

by Mike Lloyd Republished from The Local Arboretum: Noticeable trees and their stories One of Wellington’s very few monkey puzzle trees. Source: Author, August 2026 Stories of trees falling in and …

14/08/2026

Locals might be interested in this lecture by Dr John Lack on the history of Sunshine. Brimbank Library, 301 Hampshire Road, Sunshine, Room 5. When August 30th at 2pm: Presented by Sunshine & District Historical Society

06/08/2026

First eight participants on the day - pastries and coffee.

The first session of our Bird Count coming soon. If you would like to join the Friends of the McKay Gardens for some fresh air and engagement with the local bird life, we will be conducting a bird count on Saturday 5th of September from 8.30am-9.30am in the Gardens. This is part one of our bird count. Hopefully it will give us an idea of how many birds use Gardens before the sculptures and water features are installed and then we will have another bird count as part of the Citizen Science project in October. A free bird app can be downloaded onto your phone. eBird - Discover a new world of birding... (for ongoing monitoring of birds, simple easy to use checklist on app eBird Mobile) Merlin Bird ID – Free, instant bird identification help and guide for thousands of birds – Identify the birds you see (Great Bird Identification app – use this alongside eBird.) Go to our events to register your interest.