Media Release

Centenary Projects Close in on our Border

Hundreds of Canberrans turned out in force yesterday to take part in two Centenary of Canberra events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the border survey of the ACT.

More than 250 volunteers planted over 4,000 native trees at the Centenary of Canberra and Greening Australia Community Planting Day in the Lower Cotter with views to Mt Coree, where the new capital’s border survey commenced in June 1910.

An area of 12 hectares was planted, significantly contributing to the goal to plant more than 300,000 native plants in the Cotter by Canberra’s centenary in 2013.

Local Canberra band The Cashews entertained the volunteers with songs such as ‘Cotter River’ and ‘Come to the Mountains’ adding to the community celebration.

Following the tree planting, National Museum of Australia historian Matthew Higgins provided an historical overview of the border survey before the Canberra Bushwalking Club led 35 people on a guided hike to uncover original border markers on the summit of Mt Franklin and Mt Aggie on the ACT’s western border.

“The survey of the Federal Capital Territory was gruelling” said Matthew Higgins.

“Surveyors Percy Sheaffe, Harry Mouat, and Freddy Johnston took 5 years to physically mark the entire 300km of the border with intricately carved reference trees and lines of rocks with timber or metal posts at their centre known as rockspits”

“The surveyors travelled to the border regions largely on horseback, worked from vague Parish maps, and battled snowstorms in the process of marking the border. Sheaffe reported ‘in places the country encountered was so rough that the party carrying out the survey had to crawl on all fours, measure over precipices, and descend in one mile about 1500 feet’. Luckily for us, this beautiful region is now much more accessible.”

The Mt Franklin event was developed by John Evans from the Canberra Bushwalking Club in response to the Centenary of Canberra Show Us Your Limits photographic, short film, and digital media competition.

Entries are being sought that celebrate the centenary of the border survey and how we now interact with the border regions.

The competition runs until 31st August 2010. More information on the competition can be found at www.canberra100.com.au

Media contacts:
Ms Katriina Ovchynik 6207 6517 0434 601 659 katriina.ovchynik@act.gov.au
Mr Dan Watters 6205 8408 daniel.watters@act.gov.au