A booming Macarthur population and major improvements are behind record visit numbers at the Australian Botanic Garden in Mount Annan.
New data has revealed that more than 400,000 visitors visited the garden during the past 12 months.
Over the past six years, the jewel of the Macarthur region has surpassed its previous 23 years’ visitation figure of 1.6 million by a whopping 500,000.
The number is projected to increase dramatically as urban development continues to swell at its borders.
“We often talk about pressures for green spaces, parks and gardens in inner Sydney, but the reality is that in western Sydney, the demand is just as great,’’ says John Siemon, the curator manager of the Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan.
“The Macarthur region is pitted as one of Sydney’s fastest growing regions, predicted to hit 500,000 by 2036, and we are increasingly seeing major urban and residential developments attracting new residents to the outer suburbs here,’’ he said.
“We are a native species botanic garden but we are also a valuable green space and an open space for community enjoyment.
“With this knowledge, we have invested a great deal in facilities and visitor services in recent years, and it is clearly paying off.
“This year we opened the Australian PlantBank science facility for the very first time on weekends in autumn, and we have focussed on growing existing community events, such as our annual AnnanRoma food and wine festival, which this year had an impressive record attendance of around 11,000.
“People need opportunities to connect with nature and it is key to what we provide the community.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“We have 416 hectares of more than 2,000 native plants and tree varieties on site for people to explore,’’ Mr Siemon said.[/social_quote]
The Australian Botanic Garden is open 365 days a year from 8am to 5pm and 8am to 7pm during summer, with exciting nature-play themed Bush Rangers and Kids Vs Wild programs for the upcoming school holidays, science tours in August and a host of walks and horticultural displays to enjoy.
Find out more about the free activities and bookable events on the Australian Botanic Garden website here.
It’s because our green space is getting smaller in the suburbs due to overcrowding and greed