3 minute read
The year ahead What’s exciting Denise Ora most about 2023?
A TASTE OF 2023
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS AND DOMAIN TRUST CHIEF EXECUTIVE DENISE ORA REVEALS SOME EXICITING PROJECTS FOR THE YEAR AHEAD.
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I’m really looking forward to 2023 and the renewed feeling it’s set to bring.
It feels as though the COVID fog has lifted, and we will finally be able to ring in the New Year in full swing, welcoming back even more visitors to our beautiful Gardens. There is so much planned for 2023 and we’ve been hard at work behind-the-scenes ensuring our Botanic Gardens continue to deliver for the future.
To kick off an exciting year, it’s fitting Sydney WorldPride is being held from 17 February to 5 March. The Domain will host major events to coincide with the global event and The Calyx will be brought to life with a kaleidoscope of colour with the spectacular new Love Your Nature exhibit. The immersive horticulture display – now open – will run until 31 July and be sure to ignite the passion of visitors exploring the wonderful world of plant-love.
Speaking of the Domain, the Domain Depot and Lodge Revitalisation is another exciting project our organisation is looking forward to seeing come to life. This project entails the refurbishment and adaptive reuse of the heritage listed Domain Depot and Lodge at the corner of Art Gallery and Hospital Roads. With the original Lodge built circa 1835, the project will create a “gateway” to the Domain and the wider precinct which includes the Royal Botanic Garden, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Modern, and the Macquarie Street institutions facing the Domain along Hospital Road. Works are anticipated to start in the second half 2023 so watch this space.
You also might have seen that the NSW Government announced it is investigating a permanent soundshell for the Domain as part of the Macquarie Street East Precinct revitalisation plans. Not only will the precinct make this historic area more attractive for visitors, but a permanent stage will deliver a more sustainable, green infrastructure outcome and increase year-round access to the Domain for its much-loved events.
Another project that’s set the Gardens and the wider community abuzz is the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan Master Plan. You would have already seen that this went out to public consultation with our ‘six
big ideas’ and by next year we hope to have taken more steps to make these ideas become a reality.
As you also know, when the National Herbarium of NSW moved out to its fantastic new location at the Australian Botanic Garden, it left behind the Robert Brown Building and we’re most excited about its redevelopment in 2023 as well. The refurbishment will result in a revitalised building with renewed facilities for the Research Centre of Ecosystem Resilience, retention of the Daniel Solander Library, and the establishment of exhibition, education, seminar and function spaces in support of the Royal Botanic Garden’s science, education and horticulture programs, and the Australian Institute of Botanical Science. Works are programmed to start in February.
It’s certainly an exciting time for the Gardens and I hope to see you all to celebrate these new milestones in 2023.
