A $100,000 facelift for Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens’ World Heritage Centre was officially opened last Friday, June 5 by Penrith MP Stuart Ayres.
The displays at the five-year-old centre showcased the significance of the bush grandeur surrounding the gardens. The $100K was spent on replacing some displays, and expanding or renovating others, such as the Claustral Canyon display. It is now called the Botanists Way Discovery Centre.
“You learn how in the early 1800s, the Joseph Banks-appointed botanist George Caley explored the northern Blue Mountains to seek rare plants as he tried to find a crossing to the west,’’ Mr Ayres said.
“Not only was Caley the first white man to cross the largely impenetrable expanse of the Grose Valley with the help of Aboriginal guides, he discovered 30 new plants and was the first botanist to seriously study eucalypts. “The Greater Blue Mountains is where 13 per cent of the world’s eucalypts grow – and one of the reasons why the area is World Heritage Listed.
“The region boasts 127 plants of conservation significance — some of the species such as the Wollemi pine and dwarf Blue Mountains pine have remained virtually unchanged in appearance for many millions of years.”
Dr Shane Smither’s exhibition ‘This is Darug Art’ is also on display, until July 31. Dr Smithers is a Darug man of the Burraberongal clan.
His traditional lands extend along the Hawkesbury River and up into the Blue Mountains, including the Mount Tomah area. Shane spent many years searching caves and rock platforms, old books and museums looking for the art of his people.
This exhibition presents a collection of paintings and artefacts that bring to life the ancient stories, style and symbols of the Darug people.The Discovery Centre is open from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Sunday in the lower Visitor Centre. Entry is free.
