The City of Greater Bendigo has appointed real estate experts Colliers International Bendigo to secure a tenant for a new café at the Bendigo Botanic Gardens.
The new Café is located within the new $7 million Bendigo Botanic Gardens Larni Garingilang (meaning home of growth in the language of the Dja Dja Wurrung) garden currently under construction and due to open later this year.
City of Greater Bendigo Presentation and Assets Director Brian Westley said the new café provides an exciting opportunity for the right company to operate a successful food business at one of Greater Bendigo's most beautiful and iconic settings and growing event spaces.
"The opportunity to establish a new food business like this doesn't come along very often and we really want to secure an operator who is prepared to make the gardens a go to dining destination for both residents and visitors to the City," Mr Westley said.
"The Bendigo Botanic Gardens is a truly beautiful setting and we believe a great food business will only enhance what the gardens already have on offer.
"Successful cafés and restaurants operate in Melbourne and Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens and many other iconic Victorian parklands and this is an opportunity for Greater Bendigo to provide a similar offering.
"Colliers International Bendigo are an experienced real estate company with the ability to widely market this opportunity to potential café and restaurant operators."
The new Larni Garingilang garden is under construction on a one-hectare site located between the Bendigo Botanic Gardens existing heritage gardens and the Garden for the Future. The garden fills in what was a vacant section of land and provides a seamless transition between the existing gardens.
Larni Garingilang is an exciting cultural project for Greater Bendigo that will enhance the flow of the existing gardens and provide unique visitor experiences that encourage people to connect and interact with the landscape and the Bendigo Creek. The garden features:
- A new Café/Restaurant Function Centre building with community rooms and toilet facilities
- New gardens featuring over 15,000 local indigenous plants
- Gathering and educational spaces
- Wetlands and ponds
- Stormwater harvesting system
A highlight of the project is a strong focus on the indigenous plants that have been used by the Dja Dja Wurrung People for over 60,000 years including over 15,000 local indigenous plants and 106 trees to provide shade for the new gardens with many used by the Dja Dja Wurrung People for tools, food, clothing and medicine.
A feature of the new garden is a substantial water element with wetlands and ponds in front of the new Café/Restaurant Function Centre area. The wetlands will be fed by water captured and diverted to underground water holding tanks via the new storm water systems. Water from the underground tanks will then be pumped throughout the wetlands.
The wetlands and ponds will be planted with approximately 1000 indigenous water plants with plans to introduce small indigenous fish species.
The new gardens will enhance Greater Bendigo and the wider region's arts and recreation strengths by providing opportunities for social participation, lifelong learning, cultural enrichment and enhanced physical and mental health and will be a place for residents and visitors to attend events, recreate, learn, play, eat, drink and enjoy.
The $7M project is funded by $3.75M from the Victorian Government - Building Works package, $1.75M from the Australian Government Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, $550K from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and $1M from the City of Greater Bendigo. A further $10K contribution from Friends of the Bendigo Botanic Gardens assisted with the design of the project.
Businesses interested in learning more about the café opportunity should contact Travis Hurst at Colliers International Bendigo on 0423 388 932 or by email to [email protected] or visit https://www.realcommercial.com.au/for-lease/property-27-hamelin-street-white-hills-vic-3550-504109543
