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If only politicians looked as far ahead as the planners of the National Arboretum! It’s early days yet, and I won’t be around to see groves of mature gingkos, or tulip trees, or Wollemi pines, or Californian palms. But I can see the beginnings: from the groves of Himalayan cedars and cork oaks planted in the 1920s which escaped the brutal bushfires of 2003, to more recent plantings, nearly a hundred forests of rare, endangered and symbolic species. The vision for this 250 hectares overlooking Canberra is 100 gardens and 100 groves of trees. While you wait to see the full vision realised there’s plenty to do. You can test your muscles mountain biking, walk your dog, ride your horse (and corral it while you have a coffee), get married (if you don’t mind a long engagement – bookings are two years in advance), listen to music in the amphitheatre, eat a classy lunch, see 360° views of Canberra nestled in its hills with the alps in the background, and of course enjoy horticultural and sculptural pleasures.
As you approach the shallow-domed building, you pass panels tracing the history of plant life on earth and I nod knowingly at Silurian, Carboniferous, Devonian, Pliocene. Inside, rafters of native timbers, prefabricated in Melbourne and transported to the site for assembly, overarch a cafe, a restaurant, exhibition space, a shop and numerous panels and trays about all things tree.
My favourite spot was a very attractive garden, amongst the first of 100 gardens, showcasing plants that don’t need much water, sponsored ironically (or responsibly) by the provider of Canberra’s water.
Some of the plants are under the cover of these attractive circular stencils-on-a-pole.
Two hilltops are home to dramatic sculptures.
“Wide brown land” actually sits on its hilltop sequentially, but I couldn’t get it all in one photo. The script is that of Dorothea Mackellar who wrote the iconic poem celebrating Australia which begins its paean of praise with I love a sunburnt country.
Just down the hill from the wide brown land is the grove of mature Himalayan cedars. This photo shows part of the grove, companioned with a bonsaied version of the same tree.
Which brings me to …
I’m not a big fan of bonsai, and even less of penjing with its kitschy little creatures. Why interfere with the perfection of a full-grown tree? Enthusiasts spend a lot of time manicuring and trimming, and the creators are designated “artists”. The shaping are always pleasing, and I suppose the art does enable you to see the tops of trees that are usually frustratingly invisible.
I celebrate a pleasant morning with a somewhat classier lunch than usual, avoiding kalamata olives and tomato soil, and feasting on goats cheese and puffed grain, followed by braised kangaroo and native plums. This is a fitting prelude to my first encounter with my 6-week-old great nephew, Samuel Victor.
Lucid Gypsy said:
This kind of place makes me envy the generation that will see it come to maturity. I l love wide brown land and the look of your lunch.I’ve never seen much point in bonsai, it seems unfair that a tree is controlled by someone’s whim.
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morselsandscraps said:
I’m so with you on bonsai. I was very conscious of Christine while I was prowling around. I remember her post on this place quite vividly. I’d visited shortly before and saw NOTHING, compared to her. She was also with me via a waterlily pond at my accommodation.
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Pingback: The National Arboretum: a taster | snippetsandsnaps – Wolf's Birding and Bonsai Blog
icelandpenny said:
Love this, just love it. And how pleasing, also, to project the mind and imagine the Arboretum 30 years from now…
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Heyjude said:
Ooh, I envy you. I didn’t get to the arboretum as the weather turned foul so we headed indoors to a museum instead. Next time, if there is a next time. My eldest granddaughter is still living in Canberra so you never know!
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morselsandscraps said:
I’ll be going back. Last time I didn’t get beyond the cafe, and I had no understanding of its scope and vision. I just thought “ho-hum. Lots of little trees and bare dirt.” This time I went on a short and invaluable information tour.
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restlessjo said:
Woo Hoo! That does look like a classy dining experience 🙂 🙂 I can’t imagine being 6 weeks old but I bet he was wonderful to cuddle.
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morselsandscraps said:
He was indeed, and wonderful to watch his parents in parental action. Have you ever heard of tomato soil as a food item??
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restlessjo said:
I did look askance! 🙂
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morselsandscraps said:
Maybe a misprint? I should’ve asked!
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restlessjo said:
What did it taste like? 🙂 🙂
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morselsandscraps said:
I avoided it!
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restlessjo said:
I won’t accuse you of being a coward. Becky told me at lunch today that she’d been offered sheep’s brain. She ate it out of politeness and said it was very nice. I was glad we were in a fish restaurant. 🙂 🙂
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Tish Farrell said:
So good to see so much thoughtful planting. Can’t have too many trees, can we.
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morselsandscraps said:
I’m just sorry I won’t be around to see it in 50 years. Next time it’ll be a beeline to the cork forest and a bit more walking – it was hot and I was tired, and a lot of it is still quite bare.
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Sue said:
Thanks for the virtual wander about this place, Meg!
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morselsandscraps said:
You’d have expired in the heat on a real wander! When everything matures there’ll be shade all over the place – it’s a great heat reducer.
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Sue said:
I’m sure it would be a killer for me, worse than Warsaw!
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Suzanne said:
That looks like a wonderful place to visit. Do you have drive up the dreaded Brown Mountain to get to Canberra from your place? That is such a tortuous drive.
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morselsandscraps said:
I go up the Clyde. It used to be a nightmare, but there are a lot of turnouts and extra lanes now – and I got used to it when I was driving up and back twice a week a few years ago.
It was wonderful. Last time I visited I had no idea of the concept behind it, and young plantations aren’t very dramatic without the story. This time I took a short introductory walk, and that made all the difference. I was sorry not to get into the cork grove – I ran out of time. But there will be a next time, in cooler weather.
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Suzanne said:
The cork grove sounds fascinating.
Your route sounds better but I still don’t like mountain driving. The traffic on the roads these days sometimes makes me wonder if I still like driving at all. 😦
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morselsandscraps said:
Me too – but my first use of satnav reduced my dislike by heaps.
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Suzanne said:
I’ve never tried it. I’ll consider it if I decide this is the year I finally get to the Flinders Ranges. 🙂
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