Mr SETTER - 1996-08-22
What progress has been made with the major upgrade being carried out at Darwin's Botanic Gardens?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, any honourable members who have visited the Darwin Botanic Gardens in recent times know that it is like an ongoing construction site. I can assure members that the finished result will give Darwin a landmark to be proud of. The work is part of a master plan and an election commitment to bring the Darwin Botanic Gardens up to international standard. It will include the reconstruction of some natural waterways and the provision of infrastructure for future construction of a major lake within the gardens.
The Northern Territory government is spending more than $1m to complete the first stage of this plan which includes upgrading the lower car park, stormwater diversion from the Amphitheatre, infrastructure for the water reticulation system and reforming Amphitheatre Creek. The key element is the construction of a fountain near the existing lily pond which will become a major visual focus in the gardens. Work in the Gardens began in
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January but was disrupted by the wet season. It is anticipated that the fountain will be functional later this month and landscaping will be completed in October.
Another aspect of works under way in the gardens is a new playground. The old playground has been removed progressively. Like many aspects of the gardens, the new play facilities are expected to take on an exciting look later this year through funding from the `Discovering Darwin' program. I had the pleasure recently of seeing the first part of this playground, shortly after the finishing touches were put in by a local modeller. The first part was a model fossil based on an ichthyosaur, a large marine reptile that existed more than 100 million years ago. The model, which measures 7 m, is a replica of the fossils found along the Darwin coastline. The idea is for the model to be buried partially in sand. Children will be encouraged to dig down and reveal the fossil. Cycads will be planted around the fossil and signage will tell the story of these plants as living fossils which have remained essentially unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs.
This interesting concept permeates the playground design which has been developed in consultation with local schoolchildren along the theme of an evolutionary plant time-line. This will provide not only a stimulating children's play area, but also creative opportunities to learn about plants. To give an idea of this, I will give a brief description. As they come into the play area, the children will go initially through the first forms of waterborne plant life, then through the various stages of the evolution of plants as they move around the garden, finally coming to the modern tree and shrub species. It is not only visually attractive and interesting, but has an educational component and interpretative signs associated with it.
Part of the play equipment will include a tunnel, constructed to give the children, as they venture through it, the sense that they are actually crawling downwards and seeing the roots of the trees underneath the ground. This will give them the experience of how plants lived in the area. Of course, the ichthyosaur takes us right back to the time when dinosaurs roamed here. The model is moulded largely from fossilised remains found on the beaches around Darwin.
It is expected that the playground will be completed this year. These works have been quite considerable and have continued over a fair period of time. There is no denying that there has been some disruption, in this section of the gardens at least, to the normal, quiet venue that visitors and locals enjoy. However, I am aware that, in general, people have been quite patient. While they may have been inconvenienced by the considerable construction works under way, I believe most will be able already to see that the end result will be well worth the wait.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, any honourable members who have visited the Darwin Botanic Gardens in recent times know that it is like an ongoing construction site. I can assure members that the finished result will give Darwin a landmark to be proud of. The work is part of a master plan and an election commitment to bring the Darwin Botanic Gardens up to international standard. It will include the reconstruction of some natural waterways and the provision of infrastructure for future construction of a major lake within the gardens.
The Northern Territory government is spending more than $1m to complete the first stage of this plan which includes upgrading the lower car park, stormwater diversion from the Amphitheatre, infrastructure for the water reticulation system and reforming Amphitheatre Creek. The key element is the construction of a fountain near the existing lily pond which will become a major visual focus in the gardens. Work in the Gardens began in
Page 1540
January but was disrupted by the wet season. It is anticipated that the fountain will be functional later this month and landscaping will be completed in October.
Another aspect of works under way in the gardens is a new playground. The old playground has been removed progressively. Like many aspects of the gardens, the new play facilities are expected to take on an exciting look later this year through funding from the `Discovering Darwin' program. I had the pleasure recently of seeing the first part of this playground, shortly after the finishing touches were put in by a local modeller. The first part was a model fossil based on an ichthyosaur, a large marine reptile that existed more than 100 million years ago. The model, which measures 7 m, is a replica of the fossils found along the Darwin coastline. The idea is for the model to be buried partially in sand. Children will be encouraged to dig down and reveal the fossil. Cycads will be planted around the fossil and signage will tell the story of these plants as living fossils which have remained essentially unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs.
This interesting concept permeates the playground design which has been developed in consultation with local schoolchildren along the theme of an evolutionary plant time-line. This will provide not only a stimulating children's play area, but also creative opportunities to learn about plants. To give an idea of this, I will give a brief description. As they come into the play area, the children will go initially through the first forms of waterborne plant life, then through the various stages of the evolution of plants as they move around the garden, finally coming to the modern tree and shrub species. It is not only visually attractive and interesting, but has an educational component and interpretative signs associated with it.
Part of the play equipment will include a tunnel, constructed to give the children, as they venture through it, the sense that they are actually crawling downwards and seeing the roots of the trees underneath the ground. This will give them the experience of how plants lived in the area. Of course, the ichthyosaur takes us right back to the time when dinosaurs roamed here. The model is moulded largely from fossilised remains found on the beaches around Darwin.
It is expected that the playground will be completed this year. These works have been quite considerable and have continued over a fair period of time. There is no denying that there has been some disruption, in this section of the gardens at least, to the normal, quiet venue that visitors and locals enjoy. However, I am aware that, in general, people have been quite patient. While they may have been inconvenienced by the considerable construction works under way, I believe most will be able already to see that the end result will be well worth the wait.
Page 1541
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016