AusBonsai

Hi all,

Well for the last year or so we have been dealing with Artists Impressions and Architects Plans; well now we have the real thing.

Construction has started at the new site and I will endeavour to keep you informed on an erratic basis.
Pic 1 Birds eye view from the Grassy Knoll. Here you can see the entire footprint of the future home of the NBPCA. The direction of view is looking east. The NBPCA site will take full advantage of facing north.
Things to note are;
• The reinforcing for our masonry back wall
• The reinforcing for the wall between the Front of House and the Back of House. Although this is a timber wall it will be quite heavy and structural
• The cement rain water tank that will collect the rain water harvested from all the roofs of the Visitors centre and the NBPCA.
• The outline of the walls nearest to the lake
• The holes dug for sewerage and water to the right middle of the picture
Pic 2 Filling in with soil around the underground tank. This tank will be hidden underground within the NBPCA outline
Pic 3 The corner of the building outline. The Covered Outdoor Learning Area (COLA) will be in this corner. This will be an area for teaching, workshops etc; but not for our sole use. Pic 4 This pic shows the reinforced cement pads that will support the poles that support the curved roof of the visitors centre. Pic 5 This is the start of the ACTEW AGL Waterwise Garden. This is directly next to us and is facing south.

Grant

EXCELLENT!!!

Thanks Grant. Great to be able to be up to date with this forum. Keep em coming.

Exciting times for Bonsai in Australia.

Congrats to all those that have done all the hard work

Tony

This is very, VERY exciting

Im planning on visiting during winter with the family, as were in canberra visiting friends

It will be good to see the collection and the new works.

Cheers Grant, looks like a great location,

Looking real nice there and what a great view to have wile working thru the day

You are a lucky boy

Ken

tex048 wrote:This is very, VERY exciting

Im planning on visiting during winter with the family, as were in canberra visiting friends

It will be good to see the collection and the new works.

Look forward to seeing you at the NBPCA in its temporary home in Commonweatlth Park.

The new site will be a construction site for the next 12 to 18 months and so is closed to all visitors except Sundays when you are able to walk, bicycle or horse ride through it.

It will be open for 2013.

Grant

Hi all,

just got back from photographing the progress in the last two weeks.

The plumbing has gone in where there will be toilets and showers etc and then I presume the foundations can be finished off.

More pads for the poles to hold up the roof of the visitors centre have also been poured.

The water tank is filled around with some soil but not to level with the top yet. More plumbing to do I suspect; pumps, pipes etc.

I have to go back on site next Monday so more photos then,,
Grant

Last Tuesday Waverley Bonsai club was lucky enough to have Grant and Leigh stop by and give a presentation about the development of the new NBPCA site as well as the overall Nation Arboretum. From the plans and current works it certainly looks like its going to a very impressive site. As a bonsai community we are certainly very privileged to have such passionate, knowledgeable and devoted people working for all our interests. Keep up the great work and thanks for dropping by, it was a pleasure to meet you both

Cheers, Ryan

Hi all,

Some shots of the construction at the new site 28th Sept 2011

From the hill overlooking the site. In the above shots you can see the slab for the offices, volunteers room, storage rooms and COLA Covered Outdoor Learning Area. The steel framing is going up that will then be infilled with a Dry (ish looking) Stone Wall.

All plumbing is in place and some are now covered over with foundations for the other walls in the collection.

Shots from down on the site. My first time down on the site.

Thank you for this Grant it is coming along nicely by the look of it. Glad to have you and all the helpers doing such a wonderful job.

Tell Leigh, I have just read his article in the Wirrabara news letter about the Callistemon. Very nice indeed I have also found a very early pic of the tree in flower and at the angle we have now chosen. It is a scanned copy, and not that good a resolution but I will send it any way.

Cheers Pup

Pup wrote:Thank you for this Grant it is coming along nicely by the look of it. Glad to have you and all the helpers doing such a wonderful job.

Tell Leigh, I have just read his article in the Wirrabara news letter about the Callistemon. Very nice indeed I have also found a very early pic of the tree in flower and at the angle we have now chosen. It is a scanned copy, and not that good a resolution but I will send it any way.

Cheers Pup

Thanks Pup.

Grant

Update.

Hi all,

As you can see from the above photos the work on site is progressing. The pillars that will support the roof are in place. These will support a roof that is 12 meters high at its highest point and the roof will enclose cafe, shop and a large area for meetings and display etc.

Our area is being used to stage the roofing that will go up over the next months. Walls are being built in the opposite end of the structure to us where the cafe will be.

It is good to get on site at ground level and really start to get an idea of the size of everything. Our back of house area seems immense after what we currently have and this will allow us tom hold more trees and rotate the display more frequently.

Grant

Certainly taking shape now progress should be quite spectacular in the coming months thanks for the update Grant!

Cheers, Ryan