Australian National Botanic Gardens
An Introduction to the Australian National Botanic Gardens
Location: Clunies Ross Street, Black Mountain
GPO Box 1777, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
Telephone: 06-2509450 (international +61-6-2509452)
Facsimile: 06-2509599 (international +61-6-2509599)
e-mail: general enquiries: murray@anbg.gov.au
(Murray Fagg)
computer/data-base enquiries: jrc@anbg.gov.au
(Jim Croft)
The logo
is a Banksia branch with one flowering and one fruiting
inflorescence superimposed on an outline map of the Australian
continent. Another version of the logo has a
dark
background.
ABOUT THE GARDENS
The Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) are
administered
by the Australian Nature Conservation Agency (ANCA).
The aim of the ANBG is to:
grow, study and promote Australia's flora.
The ANBG
Plan of Management outlines the vision and direction of the
Gardens for the next five years.
The Australian National Botanic Gardens maintains a scientific
collection of native plants from all parts of Australia. The plants
are displayed for the
enjoyment and
education of visitors and are
used for research into plant classification and biology. A herbarium
of preserved plant specimens is closely associated with the living
collection.
The Gardens also cultivates plants threatened in the wild. This helps
protect them against extinction and provides information which might
assist re-introduction to their natural habitat.
The diversity of native plant species in the gardens provides food, shelter
and a haven for birds
in greater variety and larger numbers than might otherwise be
expected in Canberra.
Gardens area: Canberra 90 hectares (40 hectares developed)
Jervis Bay
80 hectares (15 hectares developed)
Development of the Gardens
The history of the Gardens began in 1933.
The first trees at the Gardens were planted in 1949. After a period of
rapid
development in the 1960's, the Gardens was opened to the
public in 1967 and officially opened in 1970.
The Gardens covers 90 ha on Black Mountain. About 40 ha are currently
cultivated and plans are being prepared for the development of the
steeper slopes on the south of Black Mountain Drive.
Jervis Bay Botanic Gardens
In 1951 an 80 ha annexe to the Gardens was established at Jervis Bay,
on the New South Wales south coast. The
Jervis Bay
Botanic Gardens provides frost-free
growing conditions for many plants unsuited to Canberra's climate.
They combine cultivated and natural areas and are set around Lake
McKenzie, a naturally occuring lake.
In November 1995 the ownership of the Jervis Bay Botanic Gardens and the associated National Park was handed back to the local Aboriginal community at Wreck Bay. It will continue to be managed by the Australian Nature Conservation Authority.
(Latitude: 35deg10'S, Longitude: 150deg40'E)
The Gardens' Collection
About 90 000 plants representing more than 5 000 species are
cultivated at the Gardens in Canberra and
Jervis Bay.
Up-to-date scientific names are used on all plant labels. If the
common names of plants are widely accepted they are included on the
label of mature plant specimens.
Layout of the Gardens
In addition to decorative plantings, the Gardens' plant displays are
organised into taxonomic or ecological groups. Taxonomic displays
feature related plants, such as
wattles (Acacia
species); ecological displays contain plants which grow in similar
environments, such as rainforests.
Finding Plants
Information on how to find particular plant species in the Gardens is
available from computer data-base in the
Visitor Information
Centre.
Canberra's Environment
The environmental conditions of the Gardens' site on Black Mountain are not ideal for horticulture because the natural soils are rocky and feature clay loams and heavy clays. The altitude ranges from 580 to 670m. The average rainfall of 655 mm falls evenly throughout the
year. An average of 100 frosts occur each year.
Latitude: 35deg6'S, Longitude: 149deg6'E.
Visitor Information Centre
Bookshop
A wide range of botanical and horticultural books are on sale at
the Bookshop located in the
Visitor Information
Centre.
(Open daily from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm, telephone 06-2573302)
Cafe
Refreshments and lunches are available from the Kookaburra Cafe located near
the Rainforest Gully. PHOTO
(Open daily from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm, telephone 06-2489680)
Use of Gardens facilities for private functions
Some Gardens facilites are available for use by private and non-Gardens
groups following arrangement with the Gardens Director and the Visitors
Services Section, provided the activities are compatible with the aims
of the Gardens. These facilities may be available outside normal
Gardens opening hours, and charges may be incurred to cover attendance
of Rangers. Guidelines and a
schedule of
charges is available form the
Visitor Information
Centre.
SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE GARDENS
Most of the plant displays in the Gardens are organised to show
either plants closely related to each other or plants which grow in
similar environments. A few of these are listed below.
Near the carpark, Cafe and Information Centre, some colourful plants (PHOTO 1, PHOTO 2) are grouped for visual impact.
Rainforest Gully
The cool, shady environment of the Rainforest Gully makes it one of
the Gardens' most popular attractions. The Gully features many
remarkable plants from the rainforests of eastern Australia. PHOTO
Rock Garden
Special soils in the Rock Garden allows cultivation of a wide variety
of plants which naturally occur in habitats ranging from alpine areas
to deserts. Many brightly coloured flowers add to the beauty of this
special area of the Gardens.
Sydney Basin Flora
The Sydney Basin supports one of the world's most diverse range of
plants and this area is being developed to display examples of the
flora of the region. Many plants are already on display in this
tranquil and beautiful gully.
Mallee Plants
Multi-stemmed eucalypts, called mallees, cover much of dry southern
Australia. Two areas in the Gardens display a range of mallee trees
and the grasses and shrubs which are associated with them.
PHOTO
The Joseph Banks Centre Garden
Banksias, waratahs and grevilleas (Family Proteaceae)
Many plants belonging to the family Proteaceae are grouped together
in several displays throughout the Gardens. The plants often have
great horticultural value.
Bottlebrushes, tea trees and honey-myrtles (Family Myrtaceae)
Displays of plants from the family Myrtaceae are a feature throughout
the year, but are especially attractive during the spring and summer
flowering periods.
The Eucalypt Lawn
Wattles (Genus Acacia)
There are few places in Australia where
wattles cannot
be seen. Several areas in the Gardens display the remarkable diversity
of the genus Acacia.
Hybrids and Cultivars
The gardens has several
cultivar
displays and plantings of hybrids based on Australian native plants.
The Australian Cultivar Registration Authority (ACRA) is based in the
Gardens and many of the registered cultivars are represented in the collection.
THE WORK OF THE GARDENS
The Nursery
Most plants in the Gardens are propagated in the Nursery, usually
from cuttings collected from the wild. Special collections of
frost-sensitive species are kept in glasshouses; and plants with
special cultivation requirements, are maintained in pots. This area
is not open to the public, except during special events.
Herbarium
The
Herbarium houses a
large
collection of pressed, dried plant specimens which are used for
scientific research and as a reference for the
identification
of plants, including those growing at the Gardens. The Herbarium
is not open to the public, except during special events.
The Botanic Gardens Herbarium is presently being amalgamated with the
herbarium of the CSIRO Division of Plant Industry to form the
'Australian National Herbarium' to be managed within a new joint
research facility 'The
Centre for
Plant Biodiversity Research'.
Scientific Research
The Gardens is involved in research into the botany, biology and
horticulture of Australian and related plants. Both the preserved
specimens in the Herbarium and the living plants are also resources
for the scientific community. Research facilities are not open to the
public.
Databases
The Gardens manages several large plant databases, along with much
other botanical information relevant to Australian botanic gardens,
and makes these readily available to all via biological gopher
networks. The 'Australian Plant Name Index' and the 'Census of
Australian Vasular Plants' are the most important. The total living
collection and over half the herbarium collection are on database.
The Photograph Collection
The Gardens manages a large collection of photographic slides of its
activities and Australian Botany. The bulk of the collection cosnsists
of identified Australian plant species, but also a large number of
environmental and conservation images. The slides are available for
internal
use and also by arrangement, for
external
use.
Education
The Gardens' runs an
education service
and the Education Officer can assist teachers to plan excursions to
the Gardens and provide worksheets and associated materials. Bookings
are essential. Telephone: 06-2509450.
Horticultural Training
Friends of the Gardens
The Friends
of the Gardens are a community-based support group for the Gardens.
Members have the chance to meet others with a keen interest in plants
and gardens and have an opportunity to be involved in special
activities associated with the Gardens. For further information
telephone 06-2509538.
EXPLORING THE GARDENS
A number of trails are marked to guide visitors around some of the
highlights of the Gardens. Information about the trails is available
from the Visitor
Information Centre.
White Arrow Walk (1.5 km, about 60 minutes)
This trail passes through the Rainforest Gully, Rock Garden and the
lower slopes of the Gardens. It is marked by white arrows on
angle-topped logs.
Blue Arrow Walk (additional 1.5 km, about 60 minutes)
This trail branches from the White Arrow Walk and passes through the
higher areas of the Gardens. It passes the Nursery and the Eucalypt
Lawn. It is marked by blue arrows on angle-topped logs.
No Steps Trail (1.5 km, about 60 minutes)
This trail has been designed without steps. It passes through the
lower slopes of the Gardens and the Rainforest Gully.
Aboriginal Trail (1 km, about 45 minutes)
The
Aboriginal Trail passes through the Rainforest Gully and the
lower slopes of the Gardens. Signs explain how Aborigines used plants.
It is marked by a trail logo on angle-topped logs.
Guided Tours
Regular guided tours are conducted by the Voluntary Guides Service.
Information on tours is available from the
Visitor Information
Centre.
- Australian National Botanic Gardens
- GPO Box 1777
- Canberra ACT 2601
- murray@anbg.gov.au
(Murray Fagg)
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[ cartography by
Murray Fagg
- murray@anbg.gov.au - surrealist projection ]
Australian National Botanic Gardens