Garden grows

By Emma Sun
Minister for Environment and Climate Change Ryan Smith credited the removal of entry fees as one of the reasons for the increase during his visit to the Australian Garden last Saturday.
He toured the garden along with City of Casey Mayor Shar Balmes, Balla Balla Ward Councillor Geoff Ablett and Hastings MP Neale Burgess and planted a Kanooka, better known as a water gum, to mark his visit.
“In July 2011 the Victorian Coalition Government granted all Victorians free access to one of the state’s highly prized environment assets, the international award winning Australian Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne,” he said.
“As a result of the Coalition Government’s free access policy, the Australian Garden, one of the most impressive collections of Australian plants anywhere in the world, has seen a huge boost in visitor numbers.”
Mr Smith toured the Australian garden and planted a Kanooka, better known as a water gum, to mark his visit last Saturday.
Director of the Cranbourne gardens Chris Russell said they were delighted by the initiative and the increased funding from the government.
“The permanent removal of entry fees to the Australian Garden has meant that more families than ever before have had the opportunity to discover and learn in the Australian Garden,” he said.
“In August 2011, we had 3.5 times the number of visitors compared with August 2010. Perhaps more revealing are the annual figures to date – we have had 2.5 times more visitors this year, over the period since removal of fees, compared with the same period last year.
“These figures are set to increase as we open the second and final stage of the Australian Garden in mid-2012.”