NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces the Hon. Rob Stokes and Publics Spaces, NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney the Hon. Stuart Ayres, Botanic Gardens Greater Sydney Chief Executive Denise Ora and the local member for Camden Mr Peter Sidgreaves MP officially welcomed the commencement of major works on a new National Herbarium of NSW in Western Sydney following an official sod turning at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan on Thursday 20 August during National Science Week.
The NSW Government is funding the construction of the new Herbarium with a $60 million package as part of the Western Sydney City Deal to safeguard the collection of over 1.4 million botanical specimens.
The Herbarium collection is currently located at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and over 8000 new plant specimens are added to it every year, exhausting the storage capacity by 2022.The Herbarium collection has recently been valued at $299.2 million and houses some of the most significant and important collections of plant specimens in Australia. These include over 800 specimens collected by botanists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander on Captain Cook’s first voyage to the Pacific in 1770.
FDC Construction is delivering the significant project in conjunction leading Australian architectural firm Architectus. This follows the first stage of works FDC successfully completed last month, which entailed the construction of a world-class nursery facility. Delivery of this facility allowed staff at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan to decamp their existing facility, which is the site for the new Herbarium.
The NSW Government is funding the construction of the new Herbarium with a $60 million package as part of the Western Sydney City Deal to safeguard the collection of over 1.4 million botanical specimens.
Construction of the new Herbarium is expected to be completed by late 2021.
To find out more, visit the Garden’s website here https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/about/major-projects/building-a-new-herbarium .
