George Althofer


George William Francis Althofer was an Australian botanist, nurseryman, author and poet, with a special interest in the mint-bush genus Prostanthera as well as other Australian native plants, who founded the Burrendong Botanic Garden and Arboretum.

Life

Althofer was born at Dripstone in the Wellington local government area of Central West New South Wales. He attended school locally, in Dripstone, then Wellington and Mumbil.
Althofer grew up working on his father's farm and orchard, becoming an orchardist himself. In 1938 he established a native plant nursery at his property "Nindethana" at Dripstone. Inspired by the American example of the Arnold Arboretum, and assisted by his brother Peter, he lobbied for the establishment of a similar institution with a focus on Australian native plants. As a consequence, the 167 ha Burrendong Botanic Garden and Arboretum on the foreshore of Lake Burrendong, near Wellington, opened in 1964.

Publications

Books and collections of poetry by Althofer include: