Anzac Parade works

Alert 17 September 2020

To continue on from our alert below regarding our next Community Meeting, please see the following details:

Date    Tuesday 22 September 2020 at 11.00am

Where Anzac Parade median, south of the Blamey Crescent, Currong Street intersection – the meeting will then move on to relevant areas for discussion.

Our professionals will be on hand to answer any questions you may have regarding the current works at Anzac Parade.

If you have any questions ahead of the meeting, please write to info@nca.gov.au

Alert 11 September 2020

Further to our commitment to keeping the community up to date, the NCA are looking to hold the second of our onsite Community Meeting on Tuesday 22 September at Anzac Parade.

You’ll hear from NCA experts and this will give you an opportunity to ask any further questions you may have.

Please note that this is subject to change due to varying factors, please check here for further updates closer to the date as we’ll confirm the meeting time and the exact meeting point closer to the date.

Alert 16 July 2020

As advised earlier below, the NCA is starting works to empty the Hebe plant beds along Anzac Parade that will see trucks and heavy machinery working in the area for the next few months ahead of Remembrance Day 2020.

You may have already seen our annual preparations ahead of Anzac Day, but the current works that are starting will include removal of remaining Hebe, soil and irrigation replacement and replanting activities. This requires the movement of heavy trucks in and around the Anzac Parade precinct. The movement of heavy trucks and equipment is scheduled to occur largely during July and August 2020. Planting of the new Hebe is scheduled for September. The works are anticipated to be completed in October, prior to Remembrance Day 2020. 

 Along with the works on the Hebe plants and beds in the centre of Anzac Parade, there will be other works around the memorials lining Anzac Parade. This will include additional plantings and refreshing the area to compliment the work on the Hebes.

Anzac Parade Works

To help remediate the soil-borne disease in the Hebe plant beds along Anzac Parade, works will be starting in July along the Parade. You may see a lot of trucks and activity that will continue through to November 2020. Rob Tindal from the NCA explains in this video:

As you have probably noticed, the Hebe Otari Delight plant display (the Display) on Anzac Parade is currently in significant decline. A full replacement program of the Hebes on Anzac Parade will begin in Winter 2020 and is anticipated to be be completed by Remembrance Day 2020.

History of Hebes on Anzac Parade

Anzac Parade is Australia’s premier commemorative way, hosting the Anzac Day service and a range of other commemorative events annually. The Parade was originally opened on 25 April 1965 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the ANZAC landing in Gallipoli. The Display has been a feature of the Parade since its original opening.

The Parade symbolises the shared commitment of both Australia and New Zealand during times of war and peace and the plantings along Anzac Parade are symbolic of this alliance. The Hebe is a plant species native to New Zealand and complements the flanking Australian Blue Gums, planted down the verges.

In recent years, the NCA has been grappling with a gradual decline of the Display. This is despite a range of endeavours to maintain the quality of the Display.

Hebe Investigation and Findings

In 2019, the NCA commissioned an independent, broad ranging horticultural investigation of the Display including plant pathology and soil chemistry laboratory testing. It was established that the Hebe on Anzac Parade are slowly dying due to two relatively common soil borne diseases, Pythium and Fusarium. The diseases, which result in root rot, were found to have impacted all beds on the Parade to a greater or lesser extent. The identified diseases have been slowly attacking juvenile and mature plant roots, reducing the ability of the affected plants to take up water, particularly in hot and extreme weather conditions.

The spread of Pythium and Fusarium is difficult to control. There is no fungicide that is considered fully effective, especially on the scale currently presenting on the Parade. A disinfection protocol for ongoing maintenance operations in the Display is part of the NCA’s strategy to try and minimise plant loss. Given the advanced state of the diseases this has only met with partial success.

Future Replacement Strategy

The NCA’s independent horticultural advisor has advised that the Display’s Hebe Otari Delight should survive if kept disease free and maintained appropriately. The NCA therefore plans to retain the Hebe species given its heritage significance to the Parade. However, the only way to ensure that the diseases are fully removed and practicably controllable into the future is to:

• completely replace all of the planter bed soil, plants and drainage layer;
• disinfect each empty planter bed prior to new works commencing;
• install replacement soil, plants, drainage and irrigation; and
• implement a maintenance regime that reduces the risk of disease.

In preparation for a full replacement the NCA is currently cultivating replacement Hebe plants in a local nursery. Removal of the existing plants and planter bed materials is scheduled to commence after Anzac Day 2020 with full replacement complete prior to Remembrance Day 2020.

Talking with New Zealand

The NCA has been liaising with the New Zealand High Commission in Canberra and the National Arboretum of New Zealand in Gisborne regarding its proposed replacement strategy. We are also seeking ongoing specialist horticultural and other advice to successfully manage interim arrangements and the full replacement. 

Local Community Meeting

There was a planned Community Meeting on Wednesday, 11 March 2020 to provide information regarding upcoming works on the 28 raised planter beds in Anzac Parade. Works were planned to occur between March and November 2020 and our efforts to letterbox local residents and businesses to advise had been delayed by heavy rains. The proposed meeting was called to answer questions or receive feedback from the community.

The proposed meeting was called to answer questions or receive feedback that the community may have about the works. 

Meeting details

5.30pm on Wednesday, 11 March 2020
Anzac Parade median, south of the Blamey Crescent, Currong Street intersection.

If you have any further questions about the project, please write to info@nca.gov.au