This morning saw His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Ret’d) Governor of New South Wales and Mrs Hurley open the new pavilion at the Eurobodalla Botanic Gardens.
The official opening and unveiling of a plaque by His Excellency saw a warm welcome by Mayor Liz Innes and Friends of the Gardens president Peter Hickman. His Excellency was provided with an overview of the pavilion project by Michael Anlezark, the Botanic Gardens Manager.
The event was followed with a morning tea with staff, volunteers and guests
The new pavilion will help the Gardens meet demand for bookable meeting spaces and areas for workshops. Existing facilities are too distant from parking areas to permit easy access for those with limited mobility. The new facility has Eurobodalla’s first wheelchair-accessible barbecue.
The new pavilion is constructed predominantly from sustainably harvested Australian timbers. It utilises rain water and incorporates LED lighting.
This project was funded by:
Eurobodalla Shire Council
Friends of Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens (through fundraising efforts)
Forestry Corporation (donation)
IMB Bank (Community grant funding)
Moruya businessman Michel Nader (donation)
Last week Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis on Wednesday announced a $460,000 commitment towards the Gardens project, which will help the facility cope with growing visitor demands. The latest funding boost adds to the significant fundraising efforts of the Friends of the Botanic Gardens group, almost $200,000 from Eurobodalla Council and smaller grant funds.
Eurobodalla Council’s Botanic Gardens Manager and redevelopment working group spokesman Michael Anlezark said the funding announcement was “fantastic news” for the collaborative project, which is driven by the Friends, Eurobodalla Council and the community.
“We’re pretty excited. This has been in the pipeline for a couple of years now and our project working group has worked very hard to make this dream a reality,” he said.
Mr Anlezark said the improvements would make the Gardens one of the best in regional Australia.
“Our visitor numbers are continuing to grow and are expected to reach well over 100,000 by 2020,” he said.
“The funding and redevelopment plans will ensure the Botanic Gardens continues to grow and connect people with plants in a free and safe environment with world-class facilities. We’re incredibly grateful to Ms Sudmalis for her support in obtaining this important funding.”
The $1 million redevelopment includes an exhibition and event space, additional toilets and increased storage. The existing Visitor Centre will be extended to accommodate these new spaces and its interior repurposed to include a new café and information and sales area. The heritage-listed Wallace Herbarium will also be relocated to a new purpose-built, climate-controlled structure near the nursery area.
