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Griffith Archive

Our story - acknowledging our past, celebrating our present, creating our future

Toohey Forest

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DescriptionToohey Forest is home to both our Nathan and Mount Gravatt campuses. Toohey Forest is a remnant of dry eucalyptus bushland which before Europeans, covered large areas of Brisbane. First Australians used this natural area to provide food, clothing, weapons and baskets. The Toohey Forest area and surrounds have cultural significance to First Australian groups, with ceremonial, dance, burial and camping grounds all identified in written and oral accounts.

Europeans used Toohey Forest very differently from First Australians, with large areas cleared for farming and cattle grazing. The forest was purchased by Irish immigrant James Toohey in 1872. The area remained in control of the Toohey family until after years of land acquisitions and Brisbane City Council purchases, Toohey Forest became public land in 1946. In September 1965, a 437-acre area of Toohey Forest controlled by Brisbane City Council, was purchased by the State Government. This site would go on to become Griffith University and is today's Nathan campus.

The brief issued by our Interim Council to Site Planner Roger Johnson as he began planning our Nathan campus was that he would preserve the unique bush-setting as much as practically possible.

Johnson vigorously embraced this philosophy of 'working with nature' from the very beginning and included a number of initiatives in his planning. He deliberately designed the Nathan buildings to be compact and contained in an effort to disturb as little of the bush-land as possible. The forest would be as close to buildings as possible, and manicured lawns were to be kept to a minimum. He also decided that only plants native to the forest were to be used in landscaping and revegetation, which also included the development of a plant seed-bank stocking native seeds. Our commitment to preserving the natural area even extended to fines being issued to any contractors or tradespeople that damaged or removed vegetation during construction, if they did not have the express permission of Griffith management.

This novel design approach went beyond natural aesthetics and simply preserving native vegetation. There were functional benefits as well. Many of the original buildings were to be without air-conditioning. By keeping the forest trees close to buildings, and in fact planting more trees, shade would help cool buildings. An abundance of close vegetation would also help reduce glare in buildings across the facilities. In addition, the close proximity of the natural environment was also intended to act as a wind-break and keep buildings warmer during colder weather.

Even by today's standards, a university (or any organisation for that matter) that places the environment before many other considerations is special. From the beginning and long before it became fashionable, Griffith University was a friend of the forest.

Related campusMount GravattNathanGeo address600,Toohey Road,Nathan,4111,AustraliaGeo coordinates^[1]

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