Free Tours for National Science Week

Post

Subscribe

Posted 2014-08-10 by Jen ⇒ follow

Sat 16 Aug 2014 - Sun 24 Aug 2014

Royal Botanical Gardens Melbourne and Cranbourne are having FREE tours and guided walks with the experts for National Science week on the 16th, the 17th, the 23rd and 24th of August. The tours will cover topics from bushland biodiversity to water conservation and will be led by Gardens' scientists and horticulturists. All the tours are FREE, however the "Mistletoes with Peter Rogers and Nutty about Nuytsias with Warren Worboys" in Cranbourne has a cost attached to it. If you're a keen bean, I suggest you race over to the phone and make a booking as spaces are limited and some of the tours are already FULL! Keep abreast of activities and events via their Facebook Page as well.

CLICK HERE for tour information and for **BOOKINGS / ENQUIRIES call them as follows:
Melbourne Gardens (03) 9252 2429 or
Cranbourne Gardens (03) 5990 2200
**

At the Cranbourne Gardens, one can explore heathlands, wetlands and woodlands on this 363 hectare area. It is recognised as a garden of State significance for flora and fauna conservation and boasting over 25 species that are listed as endangered, threatened or at risk of extinction. Established in 1970, apart from enjoying the natural bushland experience and visiting the 'Australian Garden' (completed in October 2012 and features approximately 170,000 plants from 1,700 plant varieties), one can enjoy over 10 kilometres of walking tracks and 6 kilometres of cycling tracks. There is also a lookout tower, picturesque shelters, barbecues and picnic tables, a visitor centre, cafe, gift shop and interpretive displays. Year round it has a range of visitor programs as well as self-guided walks.

The Melbourne Gardens has been around for more than 165 years. Established in 1846 by Lieutenant Governor Charles La Trobe, this originally swampy site was transformed over the next 60 years by this visionary and Ferdinand von Mueller (he was also appointed Victoria's first Government Botanist in 1853, establishing the National Herbarium of Victoria the same year) who was appointed Director of the Gardens in 1857. Not only loved by those of us whom love visiting the gardens for recreation, it also holds an important role as a resource for education, conservation, science and horticulture. The Melbourne Gardens is over 38 hectares and has more than 10,000 species of plants from around the world including some rare and threatened species. Today the vision remains to connect people to the gardens through excellence in biodiversity research and management, horticultural displays and public programs. We need nature in our lives and finding a way to live with it, within it, without destroying it is going to prove to be a huge management plan of which I have not doubt.

Many hands make light work they say, hence to conserve something that is of great value to us takes a lot of support and you can do that in many ways to ensure its longevity for future generations as well as for our enjoyment in the here and now. You can of course donate online to the Royal Botanic Gardens Foundation or give to a specific project. Sponsor a tree perhaps or dedicate a bench to someone special (sounds so much more worthy than perhaps empty values we expend at other momentous occasions in our lives). You can also join some of the valued support groups like the Director's Circle or the Friends of the Botanic Gardens at both Melbourne or Cranbourne, become a volunteer or leave a gift to the gardens in your WILL . You can also contact the Development Team via post to Private Bag 2000, South Yarra VIC 3141 or call them on (03) 9252 2303 or email [email protected]

For your convenience, I have copy and pasted the tours below to give you a birds eye view. You will find these details on their website via the link given above. Though current at time of writing, please be aware there may already be more tours filling up or sold out.

The Secret of the Eucalypt
Join expert staff at both Melbourne and Cranbourne Gardens for an informal walk and discover the secret life of Eucalypts and the science behind our most iconic of trees.
Melbourne Gardens, Saturday 16 August (SOLD OUT); Cranbourne Gardens, Saturday 23 August, 1.30 - 2.30pm

Greening the Gardens
Join Landscape Architect, Andrew Laidlaw, on a tour of the Melbourne Gardens' vibrant, diverse and healthy wetland. Learn how the Gardens has reduced the reliance on potable water while maintaining high-quality landscapes and water bodies.
Melbourne Gardens, Saturday 23 August, 12 noon - 1pm

**Bushland Biodiversity – in our Gardens
**Join Professor Tim Entwisle, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, on an informal walk as he explores the biodiversity present in our Gardens and demonstrates how records of seasonal change can help us tune into the amazing biodiversity present in urban Melbourne. Tours at both Melbourne and Cranbourne Gardens will provide visitors with a seasonal tool for recording change in their own neighbourhoods.
Melbourne Gardens, Saturday 16 August, 10 - 11am & Cranbourne Gardens, Saturday 16 August, 1.30 - 2.30pm

Conserving rare and threatened species
Explore the Rare and Threatened species being conserved by the Royal Botanic Gardens with Neville Walsh, Senior Conservation Botanist, and Liz James, Conservation Geneticist. Neville and Liz will lead an informal walk where you can see some of Victoria's Rare and Threatened plants in cultivation, and learn about the efforts being made to ensure their survival in the wild.
Melbourne Gardens, Sunday 24 August, 11am - 12 noon & 1 - 2pm

Hidden treasures of the Herbarium SOLD OUT
A unique opportunity to enter the National Herbarium of Victoria and view first-hand the specimens used by botanists for their scientific research. Collections Manager, Dr Pina Milne will also highlight the work of staff and volunteers in the curation of specimens, thus making them accessible.
Melbourne Gardens, Sunday 17 August, 10.30 - 11.15am & 1.30 - 2.15pm
**
Mistletoes with Peter Rogers and Nutty about Nuytsias with Warren Worboys***
The Cranbourne Friends celebrate National Science Week with a fascinating session on some of Australia's most attractive and important parasitic plants including Nuytsia floribunda, the Western Australian Christmas Tree.
Cranbourne Gardens, Sunday 24 August, 11am - 12.30pm

Please note: this is a paid tour - $15 Friends' members or $20 non-members