National Botanic Garden of Australia


The National Botanical Garden of Australia is located in the capital of the country Canberra and is state property: its functioning is regulated by government regulations. On the territory of this institution, almost all, even the rarest, samples of the Australian flora are collected. Employees of the garden are engaged in its study and the subsequent popularization of the acquired knowledge.

History of the garden

The idea of ​​creating a garden appeared in the 1930s. It was decided to create it on the Black Mountain, and in 1949 the first trees grew there. The official opening of the garden was held in 1970 with the participation of then-Prime Minister Gorton. Now the botanical garden occupies 40 hectares of 90 hectares under the jurisdiction of the administration of this institution, the rest are expected to be mastered in the near future.

What is a garden?

The garden is divided into sections, each of which is dedicated to a certain group of plants. Here grows more than 74 thousand representatives of the local flora of 6800 species. On the territory of the garden there are:

In the botanical garden you expect acacia, eucalyptus, myrtle, telopeia, grevilia, baksii, orchids, mosses, ferns. All of them grow in the zones, in appearance most suited to their natural habitat - the desert, mountains, tropical forest. The garden administration works closely with the Australian Academy of Sciences, helping to grow rare plants that are endangered.

The garden can be classified as a reserve, because, in addition to trees, bushes and flowers, birds, insects (here you will find many butterflies), reptiles (various frogs) and even mammals live here. This is almost the only place in Australia where insectivorous bats are found in large numbers, in particular, a miniature stilt that weighs 3-4 grams. Seeing the traces of claws in the trees, do not be frightened: they were most often left possums. Occasionally visitors to the kangaroo jump out, and in the shady ravines a marshy wallaby hides.

It has its own library, which includes several large databases with data on plants, books and journals on botany, maps and CD-ROMs on this subject.

Events

In the Botanical Garden is not always quiet and peaceful: sometimes there are exhibitions, cocktail parties and concerts. Every day visitors are offered free one-hour excursions. They do not need to be recorded beforehand, it is enough to inform your guide about it 10 minutes before the start. Your children will surely enjoy the tours "Who lives here?", Designed for young naturalists. Night tours are available for a fee, allowing you to get acquainted with the secret life of the park at dusk.

Behavior rules

When you visit the garden you will be reminded of the following rules:

  1. It is strictly forbidden to take pets with you.
  2. Do not collect seeds, do not walk on lawns and do not damage plants.
  3. Do not feed animals.
  4. Do not leave garbage and do not build bonfires.
  5. Do not play with the ball.
  6. On the territory of the garden it is forbidden to ride a bicycle, roller skates, skateboards or horses.

How to get there?

The garden is a half-hour walk from the center of Canberra. If you want to drive up, take buses 300, 900, 313, 314, 743, 318, 315, 319, 343.