THE Entwine project connecting the Botanic Gardens and the Museum of the Riverina has taken steps forward with further upgrades at the gardens' zoo and aviary this week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The project is set to develop additional leisure spaces in the gardens and create a user-friendly pedestrian connection to the museum to encourage visitation between the two facilities.
This week, internal fencing for the kangaroo, emu and alpaca enclosures in the zoo began installation.
Henry Pavitt, Wagga City Council's manager of parks and strategic operations, said the overall project is "huge for the Wagga community".
"It's a much-loved site. We average 110,000 visitors a year at the moment," Mr Pavitt said.
"The poor old thing hasn't had a great deal of work over the last 30 years, so it is timely.
"It's really a good move forward to get some of these fences done, which would hopefully lead to new animals and new exhibits.
"You should see some remarkable changes over the next 6 to 12 months."
Mr Pavitt said residents have shown interest in seeing more Australian animals, including the echidna.
Entwine is occurring concurrently with the $3.2 million redevelopment of the Museum of the Riverina (Botanic Gardens site), which is scheduled to re-open in spring 2021.
The $900,000 project is funded through a $739,466 grant from the NSW Government and the balance contributed by Wagga City Council.
