The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan is a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

located in a hilly area of the

southwestern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

suburb of , between Campbelltown and Camden,

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. It is the largest botanical garden in Australia, specializing in native plants, with a collection of over 4000 species. Officially opened in 1988, it was known as Mount Annan Botanic Garden, until 2011.

History and management

The traditional custodians of the land now occupied by the gardens were the

Dharawal The Tharawal people and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people, identified by the Yuin language. Traditionally, they lived as hunter–fisher–gatherers in family groups or clans with ties of kinship, scattered along the coasta ...

indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

people. Later, it became dairy pasture land, before the land was acquired by the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust in 1984 and The garden was opened to the public in 1988 by the Duchess of York,

Sarah Ferguson Sarah, Duchess of York (born Sarah Margaret Ferguson; 15 October 1959), also known by the nickname Fergie, is a British author, philanthropist, television personality, and member of the extended British royal family. She is the former wife of P ...

. The gardens are managed by the Botanic Gardens Trust trading the Botanic Gardens & Centennial Parklands, that also has responsibility for the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a heritage-listed major botanical garden, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government are ...

and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden at . The trust is a division of the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. The original name was Mount Annan Botanic Garden and the name was changed in 2011 to The Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan. From 2014, Save a Species Walk has been conducted to raise funds to support saving specific species.

Description

Eremophila lachnocalyx at the Australian Botanic Garden 2

The garden consists of Australian Bushland with cultivated displays. It is the Australian Plant Garden of the Botanic Gardens Trust and includes not only picnic areas and over of walking tracks, but also a native flora research facility and the NSW PlantBank. Its themed features include: * Woodland Conservation Area * Woodland Picnic Area * Stolen Generations Memorial * The Australian PlantBank * Visitor Centre, Cafe & Playground * Lakeside Lawn * Connections Garden * Fig Tree Wedding Arboretum & Knot * Sundial of Human Involvement * Wollemi Discovery Walk * Big Idea Garden * Mountain Bike Trail * Wattle Garden * Banksia Garden * Callitris Grove * Kurrajong Arboretum * Mallee Eucalypts * The Blue Tree The Woodland Picnic Area highlights the endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland found within the estate. The garden is also a haven for over 160 species of birds as well as wallaroos, wallabies and kangaroos that call the garden home. With the rapid growth occurring in the Macarthur region it is fast becoming a wildlife corridor for our local native fauna. Mount Annan Botanic Garden covers a vast area and is accessible by two loop roads that traverse the site, however visitors will miss the beauty of the location if they do not stop throughout and walk around the different garden locations. From the top of Sundial Hill visitors have spectacular 360° views of the surrounding countryside including views of the Sydney skyline. Since inception, the garden has undergone intense development including major changes to what was once the Terrace Garden that has been renamed to the Connections Garden, which is now the showcase of the estate.

SeedBank

The SeedBank was established in 1986 as an integral part of Mount Annan Botanic Garden. Its initial role was to provide wild collected seed for the development of this new Garden, particularly the garden's major collections of wattles, eucalypts and plants in the family Proteaceae. The NSW Seedbank continues to support the ongoing development of Mount Annan Botanic Garden, but today the Seedbank also plays a major role internationally in conservation and research.

Plantbank

A major new PlantBank building was opened in October 2013 by Professor

Marie Bashir Dame Marie Roslyn Bashir (born 1 December 1930) is the former and second longest-serving Governor of New South Wales. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positions ...

, at the time the

governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...

Wollemi Pine

The conservation and research includes the endangered Wollemi Pine that was discovered in 1994 in the Wollemi National Park, (part of the Greater Blue Mountains area), north-west of Sydney. The discovery of the species is considered to be one of the major botanical finds in recent history; it was previously thought to be extinct with only fossil records remaining. After the discovery, on or about 10 September 1994, the

Wollemi Pine ''Wollemia'' is a genus of coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae, endemic to Australia. It represents one of only three living genera in the family, alongside ''Araucaria'' and ''Agathis'' (being more closely related to the latter). The ge ...

was first cultivated at Mount Annan in 1995. Prior to them becoming commercially available the trees were so valuable that they were grown inside steel cages to protect them from thieves. As part of the Conservation Management Plan for the pine, Mount Annan Botanic Garden is now home to the only publicly accessible collection of first generation pines (clonal replicas), in the Wollemi Walk of Discovery. The Walk was opened in March 2006 and is currently home to sixty of these Wollemi Pines.

Lakes and weather station

There are five major lakes in the garden. Lake Gilinganadum and Lake Nadungamba are in the northern section, passed by vehicles entering the garden. In the centre are Lake Sedgwick and Lake Fitzpatrick; whilst in the south is the Wattle Garden lake. Beyond the Wattle Garden lie three even smaller unnamed lakes. To the east of Lake Nadungamba lies the Campbelltown Weather station, operated by the

Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Government of Australia, Australian Government that is responsible for providing Weather forecasting, weather forecasts and Meteorology, meteorological services to Australia a ...

Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living

At the northern end of the garden is the Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living, which educates the local community on organic gardening. The centre is home to a large community garden for those wishing to grow their own vegetables and other plants, but who have no space in their own backyard. The aim of the centre is to promote sustainability, social equity, cultural diversity and economic stability. The site includes interactive displays of alternative energy production and use, waste water recycling, water and energy efficiency, waste avoidance and management. The facility functions to demonstrate how sustainability can be achieved at the individual household, community and regional levels.

Activities

* Guided tours * Walks and scenic views * Bird-watching, including a public

bird hide A bird hide (blind or bird blind in North America) is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides or hunting blinds were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now comm ...

adjacent to Lake Nadungamba * A dedicated

mountain bike A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling (''mountain biking''). Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in r ...

area which has singletrack for competent, intermediate, and advanced riders * Picnic shelters with barbecue facilities * Café and visitor centre

Map

References

External links

* of the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan
Official Royal Botanic Gardens, SydneyPhotographs of The Australian Botanic Garden at Mt Annan
{{Authority control Botanical gardens in New South Wales Parks in Sydney 1988 establishments in Australia Buildings and structures awarded the Sir John Sulman Medal