SHANE Rattenbury says over half a million visitors made their way to the National Arboretum during the last financial year.

“In its second year, the National Arboretum continued to attract visitors from across Australia and the world. Over 530,000 visitors walked through the Village Centre in 2014/15 compared to 490,700 in 2013/14,” Shane said.

“School groups have also visited the National Arboretum in large numbers to tour the facility and learn about ecology, conservation, geography and horticulture. A number of the educational workshops and programs for pre-school to secondary students at the Arboretum are linked to the Australian curriculum.

“The National Bonsai and Penjing Collection has proven to be a highlight with over 160,000 visitors making their way to the exhibition adjacent to the Village Centre during the past year. The oldest trees in the collection are more than 60 years old with a dedicated, frost-free room and column heater to protect some of the more sensitive plants from Canberra’s harsh winter.

“With more than 44,000 trees growing on site, a number of improvements to the National Arboretum have also been undertaken during the financial year. These include five shade structures for the popular Pod Playground, two drinking fountains, improvements to both car parks and three new trails will soon be completed.

“It is also pleasing to see that people are choosing to celebrate special times in their lives at the National Arboretum with 111 couples walking down the aisle and 367 functions all taking advantage of the unique views across Canberra.

“I strongly encourage Canberrans to find some time to visit the National Arboretum and enjoy the range of activities it has to offer. For more information visit nationalarboretum.act.gov.au or call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.”

[Photo by Rodtuk, attribution licence]