National Arboretum Canberra

Canberra bushfires: The Himalayan Cedar forest lost about one third of its trees, and the commercial Radiata Pine plantation was burned out, allowing the arboretum to be created. In 2004, the Government of the Australian Capital Territory held a nationwide competition for an arboretum, which was to be part of the recovery from the 2003 bushfires. The winning design by landscape architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean and architects Tonkin Zulaikha Greer proposed 100 forests and 100 gardens focussing on threatened, rare, and symbolic trees from around the world. The site has been planted since 2005, and includes ceremonial trees planted by visiting heads of government and ambassadors. It was officially opened in February 2013. Over 15,000 visitors came to the Opening Day Festival. Since that day, over a million visitors of all ages and nationalities have explored the beauty and scale of the Arboretum's forests, landscapes and architecture.

Plantings

The established areas include existing forests of Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara) and cork oak (Quercus suber)[5] planted under the guidance of early town planners under general direction from the city's planner, Walter Burley Griffin. The arboretum is generally in keeping with Griffin's plan for such an arboretum, as expressed by the earlier forests.

A forest of Turkish Pine Pinus brutia, a species native to the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, has been planted to commemorate Australian service personnel killed in all conflicts.[6] In addition, a number of ceremonial Aleppo Pines (Pinus halepensis) have been planted on the summit of Dairy Farmers Hill, propagated from seed of the Lone Pine tree planted at the Australian War Memorial. These complement a number of mature specimens of this species already existing on the hill.

The National Bonsai and Penjing Collection of Australia, previously in Commonwealth Park, has been relocated to the arboretum.

Plantings include:

• California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera)
• Chinese tulip tree (Liriodendron chinense)
• Western old white gum (Eucalyptus argophloia)
• Yoshino cherry (Prunus x yedoensis)
• Dragon tree (Dracaena draco) – famously, 12 were stolen, of which some were recovered
• Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba)
• Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum)
• Giant redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
• Camden white gum (Eucalyptus benthamii)
• Chinese rubber tree (Eucommia ulmoides)
• Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)
• Monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana)
• Bunya pine (Araucaria bidwillii)
• Weeping Snow Gum (Eucalyptus lacrimans)
• Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis)
• Illawarra flame tree (Brachychiton acerifolius)

Address: Forest Dr, Molonglo Valley ACT 2611, Australia
Hours: Closes soon ⋅ 4PM ⋅ Opens 9AM Mon
Phone: +61 2 6207 8484