Canberra’s secret forest: inside the beautiful Bendora Arboretum

The Canberra Times

Tim the Yowie Man took a trip deep into the Brindabellas to explore Bendora Arboretum, an 85-year-old forest hidden high above Canberra and rich with exotic trees, towering pines, and untold stories.

Transcript

00:00The National Arboretum in Canberra is one of the best places to see autumn colour.

00:06Most of the trees were planted here around 20 years or so ago but can you imagine how even

00:13more spectacular it would look in another 60 or 65 years? Well we don't have to imagine too much

00:21because we actually have a comparison. Another arboretum although on a much smaller scale

00:28that was planted that long ago.

00:38High in the Brindabellas and established in 1940 was the Bendora Arboretum. It was one of over 30

00:46arboreta planted throughout the Canberra region and surrounds. The idea was to see which exotic

00:53timber species would grow better be more productive in local conditions. After the 2003 fires ripped

01:01through the ACT this was the only upland arboretum left standing. Most of the 52 different species

01:11planted here are conifers, spruces, firs and white pines and by 1974 foresters had determined that the

01:20Monterey pine also known of course as Pinus radiata was the best species to grow in most sites in cool

01:30temperate southern Australia like here in the ACT. But in autumn the most eye-catching species here

01:39are the deciduous larches and also the European small-leaved lime. Look at that lovely yellow.

01:50One of my favorite parts of the Bendora Arboretum is this sugar pine forest. I love just sitting back

02:09in this this stuff it's almost like a throne isn't it? But the sugar pine one of the more interesting

02:13facts about the sugar pine is that it produces the longest pine cones in the world. This isn't that

02:21good an example but they grow up to 65 centimeters in length. One of the reasons I like this part of

02:27the arboretum. If you do make the trek up here to the Bendora Arboretum be sure to check out the Bendora

02:35hut it's just next to the arboretum and it's 85 years old but despite its age inside it's in pretty good nick.

02:43Set on bush poles and with a corrugated iron chimney when you come inside one of the quirks of this hut

03:09is this panel this wooden panel over here which is actually emblazoned with the words from NASA

03:18from NASA logistic network site in Baltimore. Now if you look closely at these wood panels you'll see

03:26that they're the remnants of an old packing case that was sent to Honey Suckle Creek tracking station

03:34and it was at that tracking station that in 1969 first vision of man landing on the moon

03:41came through to NASA as part of the Apollo 11 mission.

03:55you

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