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-hectare (410-acre) 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:[1]
1937 – Drifting. (Music by Edward H. Tyrrell, words by George Althofer). The Manly Daily: Sydney[3]
1956 – The story of Nindethana and new and enlarged catalogue of Australian native plants. Nindethana Nursery: Dripstone[4]
1966 – Trees to beat the droughts: being a guide to the planting of hardy species on the western slopes and plains. (With "Blue Gum" of "The Land"). Land Newspaper: Sydney[5]
n.d. (1970s) – The dream of Ronal and other verses[6]
1978 – Cradle of incense : the story of Australian Prostanthera. Stanley Smith Memorial Publication Fund: Australia.[7]
1980 – Ironbark chips of Stuart Town, Mumbil, Dripstone and the Burrendong region. Macquarie Publications: Dubbo.[8]
1980 – The flora of Mt Arthur Reserve, Wellington, N.S.W. (Illustrated by G.J. Harden). Trustees of Mt Arthur Reserve: Wellington, NSW.
1983 – Laughter and tears from the golden years, or, Some more ironbark chips. Macquarie Publications: Dubbo[9]
1985 – The Dripstone story : being a comprehensive social history of Dripstone and district, from the earliest times to the present day. Wellington Historical Society: Wellington, NSW.[10]
^Althofer, George (1980), Ironbark chips of Stuart Town, Mumbil, Dripstone and the Burrendong region, Macquarie Publications,
ISBN978-0-9595206-6-8
^Althofer, George (1983), Laughter and tears from the golden years, or, Some more ironbark chips, Macquarie Publications,
ISBN978-0-949734-06-8
^Althofer, George; Wellington Historical Society (1985), The Dripstone story : being a comprehensive social history of Dripstone and district, from the earliest times to the present day, Wellington Historical Society,
ISBN978-0-9591370-1-9