9 June 2005

Chief Minister says there's plenty of cash for redundant botanic gardens

| johnboy
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I consulted my new iBook’s dictionary (complete oxford) as to what an arboretum is. This is what I got:

arboretum |ˌärbəˈrētəm| noun ( pl. -retums or -reta |-ˈrētə|) a botanical garden devoted to trees.

Which is good to have cleared up amid ABC Online’s reportage of some very fancy footwork by Our Brave Leader on the subject of just how much it’s going to cost to build a second botanic garden in a city of 300,000.

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Canberra_unsung_hero3:07 pm 13 Jun 05

Stuff Westfield …. (and stuff Transfield for that matter ).

Samuel Gordon-Stewart2:18 pm 13 Jun 05

If tourists want pretty gardens they either:
A) Drive around Canberra looking at our browning grass and occasional nice flowers, or
B) Visit the gardens near Telstrayama.

I would not enter a garden that wanted $20 from me…to the same extent, when I was in Sydney for a day on my way through to Brisbane, I thought I would visit the top of centrepoint tower…westfield own it and wanted an arm and a leg…I didn’t go up…and next time I’m in sydney I’ll visit the top of some other building.

Samuel

ahh but seepi

if you want to grow your market you need to be interested in the customers you don’t already get.

REsearch has shown that it is the cultural attractions (War Memorial, National Gallery, Questacon) that attract the tourists we do get. Especially the ones who drive them selves from 2-7 hours away.
I don’t think people looking for excitement would come to Canberra when Sydney is a 3 hour drive away…..
the trick is to have more on offer than just the gallery etc, so that when people do come, they actually see more than they expected, and stay longer.
I think we should promote the restaurants too. Canberra hs heaps of good restaurants.

I keep trying to tell people that what travellers want is alcohol and excitement.

But ACT Tourism keeps trying to push a brand of “cultural tourism” which I suspect has more to do with getting themselves free lunches in “cultural” places.

Stanhope knows best? God forbid that the Government try and implement something that will actually attract real tourists that spend money. What does Canberra offer at the moment to attract all the singles out there that are cashed up looking to spend money – nothing!

Is it crazy to suggest that Canberra is a hole?

Canberra_unsung_hero9:08 am 11 Jun 05

Ha, ha …. I’m sure ASIO have ‘bigger fish to fry’ Samuel. And yes, the Chief Minister is overseas at the moment ( at ACT Ratepayers expense no doubt ).

HOW DARE HE TALK ABOUT SPENDING ALL THAT MONEY ON SOME SORT OF CRUMMY ‘GARDEN’ WHEN THERE ARE PEOPLE WAITING UP TO A YEAR OR MORE JUST TO HAVE BASIC DENTAL WORK DONE !!

Samuel Gordon-Stewart12:34 am 11 Jun 05

hehe, I thought I saw him today and was about to give him an earful when I realised that he is overseas and the person I saw wasn’t him.

I wonder if ASIO are tracking me after my comments regarding certain actions that could be taken against Stanhope…I have certainly recorded an increase in ACT Government IP Addresses visiting my blog.

I’ll join your cheers CUH
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Samuel

Vic Bitterman8:07 pm 10 Jun 05

I’m sick of my hard earned taxes being paid for bullshit things like the freaking ‘arboretum’. What a fucking waste of money.

Samuel Gordon-Stewart11:29 pm 09 Jun 05

You always hear me on the radio CUH, I guess I should keep an ear out for you…and yes, three Floriades is absurd

Samuel

Canberra_unsung_hero10:07 pm 09 Jun 05

I heard you on the radio Samuel. The idea of 3 floriades is absurd !

Botanic Gardens is free but the parking is steep.

We have no shortage of trees in the ACT.

Samuel Gordon-Stewart9:59 pm 09 Jun 05

I heard some person from the car rental industry on the radio this afternoon complaining about a lack of tourists and how he thought that the arboretum would bring in lots of tourists…I still stick by the points I made on the radio just before him.
1. No tourist is going to want to pay $20 to see a garden full of trees when they can go to the spectacular botanic gardens for a fraction of the price (or is it free? I can’t remember)
2. We don’t have enough water for it.
3. The extra 8 Million+ can be better spent on better things.
4. 3 Floriade’s each year??? The one floriade we have is enough work. Floriade is supposed to be a celebration of Canberra in spring, not a bland generic “Look, we have flowers” cashcow.
5. We don’t need the bloody thing.

I was walking whilst listening to this person and found myself ranting out loud for the next 5 minutes.

Samuel

Canberra_unsung_hero9:55 pm 09 Jun 05

Three cheers for our brave leader.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !

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