Jack Simons bought the property in 1929 on behalf of the
Young Australia League (YAL) to use as a holiday camp. The site was officially opened in November 1931 by state attorney-general
Thomas Davy. It was named in honour of
Henry Kendall's poem "Araluen", referring to
Araluen, New South Wales, and said to mean "running water" in an Indigenous language of New South Wales. The YAL put the Araluen Botanic Gardens up for sale in 1985 (but retained Camp Simons). A private investor was going to redevelop the land, however the local communities rallied the state government to purchase the park. Encouraged by strong community support, the state government purchased the park in 1990. The Araluen Botanic Park Foundation became incorporated in July 1990 with the aim of working with the
Western Australian Planning Commission to restore the park. Since 1995, the foundation has managed the park under lease from the commission. ==Facilities==