stan kuhl

In 2004, local farmer Stan Kuhl donated 4.7 hectares to the community for use as a botanic parkland.

The land, adjacent to Stan's home in Kuhls Road and previously part of a dairy farm, had a magnificent stand of mature eucalypt trees as well as scenic vistas to the Bunya Mountains in the north west. 

He signed an agreement with the then Crows Nest Shire Council on 16 December 2004 and a staged development plan was drawn up by the Council with the support of a landscape designer. 

Mr Kuhl also provided a very generous $100,000 to the Council for development of the first stage.

Unfortunately, Mr Kuhl did not live to see the development works completed, but his vision underpins the park as it exists today and with the help of the Friends of Peacehaven, it is one of the region's gems.

The beginning

The first new tree was planted on 1 August 2005 before a gathering of the Kuhl family, friends and the Highfields community.

The Park was officially opened on 24 September 2006 by Crows Nest Council Mayor Geoff Patch.

In the early stages of development, Crows Nest Shire Council in conjunction with Stan Kuhl, and with the help of a local landscape architect, Richard Jones, developed an initial Master Plan for the Park.

The garden's design was born from Stan's desire to promote global peace and is reminiscent of some of the great gardens he visited during his travels around the world.

In 2012, Toowoomba Regional Council bought Stan Kuhl's original home block, increasing the size of the park to approximately 5.3 hectares.