The verdant universities are a group of Australian universities founded in the 1960s and 1970s, which are sometimes called "gumtree" universities.[1][dubious ] These universities were established in their state capitals, often next to native bushland (now nature reserves), and have lush vegetative campuses – which the naming "verdant" refers to.
They are predominantly the second or third established university in their state; the only exception is Macquarie, which is the third university in Sydney, but the fourth university in New South Wales.
| University | Location | State | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flinders University | Adelaide | SA | 1966 |
| Griffith University | Brisbane | QLD | 1971 |
| La Trobe University | Melbourne | VIC | 1964 |
| Macquarie University | Sydney | NSW | 1964 |
| Murdoch University | Perth | WA | 1973 |
La Trobe University takes "verdant" a step further by the fact that it owns a 28-hectare wildlife sanctuary, in addition to managing the Gresswell Hill Nature Conservation Reserve, situated north of the Melbourne campus.[2][3]
The verdant universities were part of a broader effort to expand and reform tertiary education in Australia, based on similar reforms that led to the creation of the plate glass universities group in the United Kingdom.[1] All of these universities went on to form Innovative Research Universities in 2003.[1]
While these five are considered the "main verdants" as they have the most in common, there are other universities that have been labelled as a verdant or "gumtree" university.[1][4] These include: