Chief Minister Gallagher is letting it be known that there is to be a community festival to open the arboretum:
“The opening of the Arboretum is the realisation of many years of work to transform the site, which emerged from the ashes of the devastating Canberra bushfires, to be transformed into a place of beauty, tranquillity, recreation, research and learning.”
People can enjoy a wide range of activities on the day. These include:
— walking trails through rare and symbolic forests
— hands-on workshops for all ages including art activities and children’s amusements
— guided tours by the Friends of the National Arboretum and members of the Southern Tablelands Ecosystem Park
— sustainable garden advice from ACTEW Water at The Canberra Discovery Garden
— special talks by those involved in the Arboretum project including landscape architect Chris Johnstone and botanical consultant Mark Richardson.Live music will keep people entertained throughout the day and kids will have the opportunity to fly kites in the outdoor amphitheatre.
The Chief Minister reminded people that there will be no parking available on site except for holders of a disability parking permit, event staff and volunteers. The best way to attend the opening festival is to utilise the free chartered Arboretum shuttle bus services which will operate from Canberra Stadium, Civic Bus Station, the bus stop servicing the Waldorf Apartments in Civic, the Federal Treasury building on Langton Crescent in Parkes, Stromlo Forest Park and Woden Bus Station.
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What’s Your opinion?
The Grand Arboretum Opening
And which bus station is going to be blessed by our CM and her mates? I will bet money that somehow a carpark will be arranged for herself and cronies.
You could add to list of things to do:
– avoiding junkies and charity muggers in civic before you get the bus to the arboretum
– walking trails through rare and symbolic forests
– hands-on workshops for all ages including art activities and children’s amusements
– guided tours by the Friends of the National Arboretum and members of the Southern Tablelands Ecosystem Park
– sustainable garden advice from ACTEW Water at The Canberra Discovery Garden
– special talks by those involved in the Arboretum project including landscape architect Chris Johnstone and botanical consultant Mark Richardson.
So, they have shuttle buses to get there [pretty much the only way to get there], with 6 departure points. Each bus capable of 45ish passengers, with 13 departures for the day. That makes a total of 8100 people who don’t ride bicycles up steep hills who will visit the arboretum for the opening festival.
If you believe ACTION’s website, there are only 5 departure points running only till 1:30PM, making it only possible for 2025 people to arrive at the opening. What do you believe?
Also, if the event closes at 3:00PM and the last bus leaves at 3:30, what happens to the [possibly] hundreds of folks who can’t fit on the last shuttle service because they wanted to stay for the end of one of the live bands or are still walking back from the farthest reaches of the park?
Typical abysmal planning by a pathetic government, trying to think green on everything but failing to think logically. I hope I’m wrong, but I predict many frustrated and perplexed families and interstate travelers who have relied on our brilliant technology and organization [not].
The so-called lack of parking is ONLY for the opening night … check their site, I think they have 750 parking spaces. http://www.nationalarboretum.act.gov.au/
Ah, just looked at the event page – no public parking unless you’re disabled. But lots of shuttle buses (and bicycle access) so what’s the problem?
Um, isn’t there an enormous two-level dirt carpark at the top of the hill, or has that all been given over to other functions? I’ll agree the access road up to the top seems a bit narrow, but it can’t be that much of a challenge if they get busses up there.
And for those who do like riding their bikes the ride up said road is a bugger, but the scream down the exit road from the top is awesome 🙂
National museum, arboretum, other arboretum, rock garden, zoo, multistorey underground parking with some sort of shuttle around the venues, ferry link to the city, I don’t know, maybe there’s some flaws with how I would of seen it, but I reckon there’s wasted opportunities. I like the arboretum though, really looking forward to visiting it, not on the big day though.
gasman said :
Nobody wants to ride a bloody pushbike.
neanderthalsis said :
I agree, definitely money well spent. I wish all their ideas and execution was as good as this one
gasman said :
If you were elderly, disabled, with small children etc etc, after the last public concert there, you’d not be going again without greater consideration being given to accessing the site – no car park within cooee on a major highway,, no lighting for functions finishing after dark, one way in, bottleneck. Totally inadequate for what it will become, be used as or promoted as.
It needs parking access in several locations, belco side, parkway side, down near the lake near older arboretum area.. simple!
Yeeeeaahh, now if we could just go ahead and make sure we replace the trees with a car park, that’d be greaat. Mmkay?
So where there were once trees, there are once again trees! And we’re allowed to walk around under them. Money well spent…
RiotFrog said :
As well as the free shuttlebus mentioned, there is also a magnificent bike path right to the front gate.
Think outside the car.
Even our Chief Minister can’t get the history right. The arboretum did not “emerge from the ashes of the devastating Canberra bushfires”.
It was a single fire in 2001 that destroyed the radiata plantation where the aboretum now stands. There was nothing “devastating” about that fire.
Like the director of our centenary celebrations, the CM has confused the genesis of the aboretum with the 2003 fires.
The almost total lack of parking is interesting. Is this our cheerless leader’s latest parking policies in action?
I’m also wondering how many people will read/be aware of the fact that there is no parking?