In October 2024 Kings Park Guides celebrated 40 years of guiding. The first 30 Guides were recruited in 1984, as part of a worldwide movement to provide interpretation in botanical gardens. Nowadays there are around 120 Kings Park Guides, with a new cohort trained about every two years.

Part of the impetus to start guided tours in the 1980s was that WA was soon to be on the world stage, having won the right to host the Americas Cup in 1987. In addition, the Art Gallery of WA had started guided tours in 1977 and Perth Zoo Docents were providing interpretive tours from 1982.

One of our pioneering Guides from that first cohort in 1984 – Cynthia Playford – is still guiding today! She recalls the training then consisted of 12 lectures, some nature trail notes, a text book and practice walks with a mentor. These elements and more make up the training course to this day. The first mentor to the Guides was Dr Eleanor Bennett, Display Botanist at Kings Park.

In those early years, 3-4 walks were offered each week from April to October, with Spring bushland walks on a Sunday. Highlights of the park then included the karri log and the Spring wildflower displays. Nowadays of course, guided walks are held twice daily (except Christmas Day) and there are many other seasonal walks and themed walks. Guides also staff the Visitor Information Centre every day from 9.30 – 4 pm.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary earlier this month, Cynthia and Grady Brand (former senior curator of the Botanic Garden) planted a Eucalyptus forrestiana, or fuchsia gum, which can be seen in the Eucalyptus Garden on Lovekin Drive. Guides also enjoyed a slice of a beautiful celebratory cake made by Sarah Belgard and a special poem written and read by another longstanding Guide, Kim Fletcher. Guide Cathy McRae designed a beautiful new logo for the 40th anniversary.