Page 4317 - Week 13 - Thursday, 17 November 2005
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with their children while having a barbecue or picnic. The playground has original artwork by Matthew Harding incorporated in it, to demonstrate the linkage between the natural world and art.
The other feature is the nature discovery zone, where considerable planning and effort have been invested to create an unforgettable natural experience. This attraction will initially include four unique exhibits, a linking pathway and a program of face-to-face interactions. The four exhibits or experiences will be:
• the Australian bushland, where animals such as koalas, red-necked wallabies and echidnas will demonstrate their normal behaviours in close proximity to the visitors. This exhibit, like all the exhibits, will focus on the ecosystem and how animals function as part of that ecosystem.
• the rocky outcrops exhibit, which will highlight the granite boulders adjacent to the wetlands and their associated environment. The animals featured in this exhibit will be the endangered brush-tailed rock wallaby and a variety of reptiles.
• a wetlands exhibit will be based on the ponds so that visitors can see the animals that live on and around wetlands. Children will be able to dip in the water and see how small animals make ponds their homes, and there will also be a range of face-to-face programs run from this area.
• a riparian exhibit, where an artificial stream will be created so that visitors can take their shoes and socks off and truly explore a riparian system.
These experiences will be within the larger predator-proof fence and a wide variety of species will be in-filled, so the visitor will see the other animals as they walk through the discovery zone. The linking pathway will be an all-ability path, so all members of our community can share this experience.
As Tidbinbilla grows, the programs that add value to the facility will also grow. Creating the infrastructure builds a venue where activity will be held, and this activity will be encouraged through face-to-face experiences delivered by staff and a pool of volunteers. Tidbinbilla is being rebuilt to discover unforgettable natural experiences that visitors will want to return to time and time again.
DR FOSKEY (Molonglo) (3.45): It is certainly a good day for the promotion of Tidbinbilla. There are a number of pamphlets about things mentioned in some of the speeches that we have heard today. There is no doubt that Tidbinbilla is part of the jewel in the crown of the wonderful natural environment that the ACT is fortunate to have within its boundaries. It is not something that I believe our founding fathers thought of when they set us up. Nonetheless, I am going to leave most of the promotional marketing speeches to the previous speakers.
I am going to talk about the future of Tidbinbilla. I am sorry that we did not hear members engaging with some of the more difficult issues that perhaps lie on the horizon for Tidbinbilla. I certainly want to acknowledge the incredible work, the really good work, that goes into managing Tidbinbilla. The haste with which fire recovery programs were set in place is admirable. I went out to Tidbinbilla this year on a day when the
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