All members of the community are invited to attend the official opening of the Bendigo Botanic Gardens exciting new $7M precinct Larni Garingilang at 2pm Saturday October 8, 2022.
The new precinct will be officially opened by Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf, Deputy Premier, Member for Bendigo East the Hon Jacinta Allan and Federal Member for Bendigo Lisa Chesters and will feature a smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country.
Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said she encouraged members of the community to come along to the opening and afterwards enjoy the multicultural entertainment and food available at Bendigo's Zinda Festival which commences at 3pm in the adjacent Garden for the Future.
"Larni Garingilang, which means home of growth in the language of the Dja Dja Wurrung - the traditional owners of the land, has been constructed on a one-hectare site located between the existing heritage gardens and the Garden for the Future," Cr Metcalf said.
"The new precinct has filled a void between the existing gardens and encourages people to connect and interact with the landscape and the Bendigo Creek.
"It's an exciting new cultural precinct for Greater Bendigo with a strong focus on the indigenous plants that have been used by the Dja Dja Wurrung People for over 60,000 years. The precinct features over 15,000 local indigenous plants and 106 trees many of which were used for tools, food, clothing and medicine by the Dja Dja Wurrung people.
"Larni Garingilang will be a fantastic space for residents and visitors to attend events, recreate, learn, play, eat, drink and enjoy."
Features of the new precinct include a new café/restaurant/function centre building with community rooms, gathering and educational spaces, wetlands and ponds and a stormwater harvesting system.
A feature of the new garden is a substantial water element with wetlands and ponds in front of the new café/restaurant/community Centre building. The wetlands are fed by water captured and diverted to underground water holding tanks via the new storm water systems. Water from the underground tanks is then pumped throughout the wetlands. The wetlands and ponds have been planted with approximately 1000 indigenous water plants and there are plans to introduce small indigenous fish species.
The $7M project has been 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.
Federal Member for Bendigo, Lisa Chesters MP said the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program supports local councils to deliver priority road and infrastructure projects, supporting jobs and the resilience of local economies following the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The Bendigo Botanic Gardens are a much loved and well used space for local families and community members and the Larni Garingilang precinct is a fantastic addition," Ms Chesters said.
"This project has created more than 50 construction jobs plus ongoing employment for maintenance and hospitality workers.
"I know this development is a passion project for the Friends of the Bendigo Botanic Gardens, who first raised this project with me a decade ago. I'd like to thank them for their vision, passion and advocacy. I also commend the Dja Dja Wurrung Enterprises for their contribution to the design of the precinct, raising community awareness to our cultural heritage."
