The gates were designed and built by local sculptor and metal worker Wayne Dickinson. The gates are the culmination of many months of work by a wide variety of folk over the past two years or so.

The gardens were originally established on degraded Crown land in 1996 funded by a federal government grant, but by 2007 they were again in a poor state.

Some key volunteers moved away, the drought had taken a severe toll and what survived was being enthusiastically grazed or trampled on by deer, wallabies and kangaroos.

Old and new volunteers then adopted areas of the gardens to look after in 2008; Mitchell Water donated new plants as an offset for the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline works and the group started planning a perimeter grazer-proof fence.

Parks Victoria identified a fence of theirs that was no longer needed. All the group had to do was dig it up and relocate it.

An international group of Conservation Volunteers started the task of dismantling, but the real work was done by a team of young unemployed folk through Community AXIS. They were also invaluable in tidying, weeding and generally providing care. The fence went up, but the gates were far from attractive.

Wayne Dickinson offered to build a proper set and they were certainly worth waiting for.

This winter's welcome rain has seen the group trying to replant and restore. Over the winter and spring, members have put in a lot of new plants which they hope will survive the summer better than last year's plantings.

The group is grateful to Pomonal Wildflower Nursery, Grampians Reveg, Moorilla Gardens and other members of the Australian Plant Society for their support.

This year, the Friends will be more able to water than the past few years. However the plan is to keep watering to a minimum, just while plants establish themselves.

Recently the Stawell Men's Shed has been working on repairing and improving the information signs and the group hopes to get them in place soon.