Secretary and Honorary Curator, Camperdown Botanic Gardens and Arboretum Trust Inc.
CASSANDRA NICHOLS
Chief Executive Officer, BGANZ
JO HOADLEY
Graphic Designer
DISCLAIMER: Please note the views expressed in articles are not necessarily the views of BGANZ Ltd. We aim to encourage a broad range of articles.
Feedback and comments on the magazine and articles are welcome. Please email: media@bganz.org.au
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY:
BGANZ acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to Elders past and present.
COVER IMAGE:
Norfolk Island Botanic Garden’s Plant Petting Zoo, a hands-on experience highlighting how plants have different shapes and textures. Credit Norfolk Island National Park and Botanic Garden
CONTENTS
2 Editorial insights
Rebecca Harcourt, Managing Editor
Feature interview
4 Simon Duffy, a passionate advocate for nature conservation through education and learning
Rebecca Harcourt interviews Simon Duffy, Chief Executive of Botanic Gardens of Sydney
Feature garden
10 Chihuly in the Botanic Garden: reflections from the public engagement team
Mak Djukic, Michael Harvey, Lindl Lawton, Polly Macaulay and Ryan Sims, Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of South Australia
Feature articles
18 Engaging students with nature at Norfolk Island Botanic Garden
Sara Freeland, Visitor Experience Manager, Norfolk Island National Park and Botanic Garden
20 PBEAT 2025: where art meets environment at Pearl Beach Arboretum
Robyn McConchie and Mary Knaggs, Crommelin Native Arboretum/Pearl Beach Arboretum
24 Engaging communities in species conservation
Eilish Roberts, Southern Brown Bandicoot Outreach Officer, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
28 Shaking up a community’s connection to – and knowledge of – their local nature: Nature Shake, a new annual event for the Wollongong Botanic Garden
Sam Crosby, Education and Outreach Specialist, Wollongong Botanic Garden
Pollinating great ideas
30 Living plant collections: a digital renaissance
Richard Ackland, Curator, North Coast Regional Botanic Garden and Rhonda Sorensen, Friends of Coffs Botanic Garden Volunteer Coordinator of Living Plant Collection Records
32 Community Greening – taking the Gardens to the people
Darren Martin, Community Greening Officer, Botanic Gardens of Sydney
36 A Gabo Island garden in Mallacoota
Max Elliott and Bryce Watts-Parker, Friends of Mallacoota
Botanic Gardens Week 2025
40 Guardians of the green. Protecting our future
Rebecca Harcourt, Marketing and Administration Manager and Cassandra Nichols, CEO, BGANZ
What’s new?
44 Botanic news from home and abroad
Cassandra Nichols, CEO, BGANZ
The theme of the next edition of THE BOTANIC GARDENer is Advancing our reach: innovation and leadership in botanic gardens. The deadline for contributions is 12 November 2025. Please contact media@bganz.org.au if you are intending to submit an article or have a contribution to other sections.
Editorial insights
Rebecca Harcourt, Managing Editor
Welcome to Issue 64 of THE BOTANIC GARDENer, with the theme 'Outreach and education in botanic gardens' .
This issue highlights the valuable role of botanic gardens and arboreta as places that inspire nature conservation through education and learning – both behind and beyond the garden gate. I was fascinated to read about the many and varied ways gardens engage with the public to achieve this.
Bigger gardens, such as Botanic Gardens of Sydney, have the resources to take their garden to the people with their Community Greening program. This program is outlined in both the feature interview with Chief Executive Simon Duffy and an article by Darren Martin, a Community Greening Officer. The impact of this program is huge – not only in terms of the number of gardens created and number of people participating, but because about 25% of participants will go on to study something plant-related.
In the feature garden article, the public engagement team at Adelaide Botanic Garden describe the wonderfully creative ways in which they made the most of their recent exhibition of glassworks by Dale Chihuly. I particularly love the way they engaged young people using old and new technologies in the Moore Critters drawing competition and the Watching Glass Grow digital design challenge.
I also love the idea of the plant petting zoo, as outlined in Sara Freeland’s article from Norfolk Island Botanic Garden. This article illustrates that creativity is not limited to large gardens – Norfolk Island’s is only 5.5 hectares. Another example is the environmental art trail ‘PBEAT’ at the 5.5-hectare Pearl Beach Arboretum on NSW’s Central Coast. Like the Chihuly exhibition in Adelaide, the PBEAT program allowed visitors to experience and connect with nature and its conservation through art, albeit on a much smaller scale.
How do you engage with and empower an entire community to protect a threatened species? The article from Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria details a plan that does just that. Even though the plan is designed to protect a small marsupial rather than a plant, the strategy behind it is relevant to the protection of any species.
This issue also contains great stories from Wollongong, Coffs Harbour and Mallacoota. It’s wonderful to see the impact these gardens are having on their communities and the plants they grow and protect.
Rebecca Harcourt
Finally, I’d like to thank three former members of the magazine’s volunteer editorial team. Thank you, Dale Arvidsson, Alan Matchett and Tom McCarter, for your help over the last five years. Alan has now retired while Dale and Tom have taken on new and demanding roles – Dale at Royal Botanical Gardens Tasmania and Tom at University of Oxford Botanic Garden. Fortunately for me, and the readers, Janet O’Hehir, from Camperdown Botanic Gardens and Arboretum Trust, is happy to continue in her volunteer role on the editorial team. Her eagle eyes have improved many an article. Thank you, Janet.
I hope you enjoy reading this issue – and that it will give you some ideas you can use in your own gardens.
Rebecca
I live and work on the land of the Garigal Clan of the Wannanginni Guringai people, who are the ancestral custodians of Bulbararing, Allagai and Tdjudibaring, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.
P.S. Please send feedback on this issue or suggestions for future themes to media@bganz.org.au
THANK YOU TO OUR DIAMOND SPONSORS
Thank you to the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria for their very generous support of BGANZ.
This support enables us to focus on key projects that drive significant benefit to botanic gardens and we look forward to servicing and delivering higher benefits to all members thanks to their support.
Simon Duffy, a passionate advocate for nature conservation through education and learning
Rebecca Harcourt interviews Simon Duffy, Chief Executive of Botanic Gardens of Sydney
Simon Duffy
Simon has just celebrated his first anniversary as Chief Executive at Botanic Gardens of Sydney. He literally ‘grew up’ in zoos, volunteering at Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo at the age of 15, then went straight from an education degree to Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. Simon helped transform Taronga from a tourism destination to a conservation organisation. His journey from zoo to botanic garden has taken almost 30 years, during which his vision of a wilder and greener future remains.
Why are outreach and education important for botanic gardens?
The opportunity for botanic gardens to play a role in conservation of nature has never been greater, and we are very lucky to have the skills and expertise to do so.
One area where we can make a significant impact is through education. Education is one of our theories of change and at Botanic Gardens of Sydney we’re committed to creating impact so that we can have a better, brighter, wilder and greener future for everyone. We invest in education in the broadest sense, providing learning experiences for people of all ages when they visit, walk around, smell, see, feel and touch, and interact with our people.
The gardens – and education – are for everyone. There are many people in our society who for many reasons can’t always come to the gardens, so we go to them. We have a very successful outreach program called Community Greening. We have staff on the road all year round visiting different communities, creating gardens, relationships and opportunities, and awareness of nature conservation. Each year they engage with thousands of people and have helped to create over 1,000 gardens. Our staff work with groups that are often marginalised in society, sitting down with them
and asking what they would like to create. ‘Would you like to create a community garden, a vegetable garden, a herb garden, or a wildlife-friendly garden?’ They then create something special together.
I love the fact that of all the people who participate in the Community Greening program, around 25% go on to study something to do with plants. It is life changing.
But we don’t do it alone; we do it in partnership with Homes NSW.
This community education program is not only inspiring, it is also measurable, which is something that is not always easy in botanic gardens, or in education and conservation. I would encourage anyone interested in this approach to look for sponsors or partners, and volunteers, to help deliver it. There are so many people in our society with relevant expertise and skills; think of all the people who have retired from teaching or have a passion for gardens, for example.
Are there any approaches used in zoos that botanic gardens could learn from?
Botanic gardens and zoos are very similar in that they’re both working to conserve nature. They can learn from each other, share successes and learnings, and work together across conservation, science, and education.
One area where we could learn from zoos is in professional or vocational education. Taronga is a registered training organisation (RTO) and trains zookeepers in Sydney and Dubbo, and all the other major zoos in Australia. This is something gardens could probably work on doing together as there is a need and demand for horticulturalists and botanists.
Our science team does a great job supporting young and/or emerging scientists at the honours, masters and PhD levels. We could also look at Taronga’s Youth at the Zoo (YATZ) program, which gives teens the opportunity to learn more about how zoos operate, develop skills for the future and spend time with like-minded people who share a passion for animals and conservation. Programs like this also bring a young person’s voice to your organisation, which is so important to keeping current and relevant.
Community Greening Herb Garden Workshop
Are there any approaches used at Botanic Gardens of Sydney that zoos could learn from?
Botanic Gardens of Sydney has a large team of expert scientists, and some are world leaders in their field. We have a long history in science, and this has really come to the fore. Increasingly, our scientists and horticulturalists are called upon to provide critical knowledge, advice and actions while we experience the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and disease more often. Zoos are developing in this area as their expertise is also being recognised and utilised. I particularly love [BGANZ member] Alice Springs Desert Park. It mixes wildlife and horticulture, and all species are from the Northern Territory, so it highlights the ecosystems found there and helps visitors understand them.
Do you have any advice on how smaller and/or regional gardens with few resources can approach education and outreach?
My advice would be to gather good people. People that are inspiring, who are going to challenge the status quo but will also help provide support. Use these people to plan what you want to achieve and really try to come up with innovative and inspiring ways that education and learning can address a social opportunity or problem. Gathering good people can be volunteers or the creation of a task force. Partnerships are also essential, because these things can’t be done alone, and partnerships can often bring funding or resources.
Also, small gardens shouldn’t undersell what they have to offer. Botanic gardens have beautiful spaces and wonderful people with great skills and expertise. Use these people and spaces to create beautiful learnings experiences and charge accordingly, if it’s not for a social purpose. People are happy to pay for programs when they’re getting a great experience. If the experience is top-notch, it can generate revenue to invest back into the garden.
Alice Springs Desert Park. Credit ASDP
What role can BGANZ play?
The role is around networking. BGANZ can bring all of us together to share and learn from each other. Together, we can raise the bar in what we are offering in education and community outreach.
BGANZ can also play an increasing role in professional development. We’d be happy to be involved in these discussions.
What does the future hold for Botanic Gardens of Sydney in education and outreach?
We want to unlock all the amazing resources we have in the botanic gardens for students. We have a rich history in our collections, both colonial and First Nations, from beautiful old books and images, historical maps and diaries to our herbarium collections. We are currently fundraising to create a learning space where we can showcase some of these items. Digital technologies are now available that can bring these to life and make them interactive. We are at the early stages of this project.
Workshop in The Cadi (Cadi Jam Ora) Garden at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney featuring First Nations art, weaving, and jewellery making.
Lightscape, an after-dark illuminated trail at Royal Botanic Garden Sydney in 2024.
Eucalyptus specimen collected by the late First Nations painter Albert Namatjira in 1939.
On one of my first days working in the gardens, Brett Summerell [Chief Scientist and Director of Science, Education and Conservation at Botanic Gardens] took me into the National Herbarium of NSW, pulled out one of the containers and opened an old manila folder. Inside was one of Sir Joseph Banks’ first banksia specimens. This made the hair on my neck stand up! We want to provide these types of experiences for students. All our herbarium collection is now digitised. This unlocks so much potential.
You were appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2019 for your work in wildlife conservation, including your work with African primates. How did you become involved in this?
I met Jane Goodall in my first year at Taronga Zoo in 1997, when I was working in their education team. We organised a group of high school students to meet and talk to Jane.
Later that night, a few of us sat around someone’s kitchen table listening to Jane’s stories. She later wrote me a note saying, ‘Lovely to meet you. Listen to your heart and stay on the journey with me.’
One of the first banksias collected by Joseph Banks in 1770.
Simon in 2012 with ‘Kalume’, a rescued chimpanzee
And I did. With a couple of other colleagues, I helped set up and run a chimpanzee orphanage in the Democratic Republic of Congo for baby chimps stolen for the illegal pet trade or for bush meat. I did it in my own time, but Taronga was very supportive. The orphanage is still running, and Taronga remains a partner of the Jane Goodall Institute to this day.
To finish off, what is your favourite:
Plant: the banksia, so beautiful and unique.
Animal: the short-beaked echidna; it’s unique, smart, adaptable and found across Australia.
Botanic garden: I am determined to visit more botanic gardens to be able to decide which is my favourite!
Zoo: Zürich; it has a beautiful, giant glasshouse based on Madagascar. It is a fully immersive experience, with a holistic approach to plants, animals and fungi. Every detail is lovely, from the wildlife to the gardens to the food.
Part of the job: Planning for the future. Where do we need to be in the next 5, 10, 50 years to best support nature conservation and how can I support the organisation to get there.
The glasshouse domes at Zoo Zürich, made from acrylic glass. Credit Mebatech AG
All images credit Botanic Gardens of Sydney unless otherwise stated.
Chihuly in the Botanic Garden: reflections from the public engagement team
Mak Djukic, Michael Harvey, Lindl Lawton, Polly Macaulay and Ryan Sims, Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of South Australia
Education Coordinator Mak Djukic shares insights from the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of South Australia’s (BGSHSA) public engagement team.
Adelaide Botanic Garden is the city’s green heart – 50 hectares of carefully curated landscapes on the edge of the CBD. From September 2024 to April 2025, the garden was transformed by the vibrant, organic forms of Chihuly in the Botanic Garden
This was the first major outdoor exhibition of glassworks in Australia, exclusive to Adelaide, of one of the world’s most celebrated contemporary glass artists, Dale Chihuly.
Fifteen large-scale installations were thoughtfully integrated into the garden’s landscapes, drawing in record-breaking crowds. Over seven months, more than 1.4 million people visited the garden, engaging with the exhibition by day, and through the ticketed Chihuly Nights experience after dark. Our Bicentennial Conservatory was home to In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly, the ticketed smaller-form collection of glass artworks.
The public engagement team at the BGSHSA played a key role in shaping the visitor experience through artful interpretation, dynamic education programs, and welcoming, informative encounters. What follows is a reflection on some of the creative and collaborative ways our team brought Chihuly in the Botanic Garden to life for our diverse audiences.
In this article I speak with Manager Interpretation and Cultural Collections Lindl Lawton, Education Projects Coordinator Polly Macaulay, Volunteers Coordinator Ryan Sims and Director Michael Harvey.
Lindl, can you share some insights from working alongside Chihuly Studio to display these works in a botanic garden?
It was a huge undertaking with many stakeholders and partners. BGSHSA was supported by the SA State Government to bring Chihuly to Adelaide. Previous host gardens for Chihuly’s Garden Cycle charged entry fees. Our gardens are free to enter, and we had to find opportunities to strategically raise revenue for re-investment into the garden at the end of the exhibition run. BGSH pitched two proposals to the Chihuly Studio in Seattle. The first, Chihuly Nights, was a ticketed night-time program that allowed visitors to explore the garden from dusk until late, with the glass artworks illuminated. The second was In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly, a ticketed interpretative space in the Bicentennial Conservatory that featured clusters of smaller glass sculptures accompanied by interpretation unpacking the story of Dale Chihuly, his life, work, inspirations and impact. While daylight opening hours enabled the public to view the larger format artworks at no cost, the In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly exhibition remained ticketed and was included in the cost of a Chihuly Nights ticket. The heritage-listed Bicentennial Conservatory proved to be the perfect home for the smallerform artworks set among the temperate rainforest plants.
What factors were considered for the interpretation accompanying the In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly exhibition?
As a rule, the Chihuly Studio is reluctant for aesthetic reasons to include too much interpretation near artworks. We secured their support for In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly, partly by showing them images of Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibited in the same conservatory space the year before. In that exhibition, award-winning photographs were displayed on specially commissioned metal A-frames nestled among the lowland rainforest plant foliage. We pitched a concept where the A-frames would be repurposed, featuring text that explored aspects of Chihuly and his work, and large-scale photographs illustrating his career. Film footage was made available for display on large screens, sourced from the Chihuly Studio archives. These were spliced into several loops tracing Chihuly’s career, how he worked in the hot shop, and his Garden Cycles exhibition at previous locations. At that stage we knew we’d also be partnering with Adelaide’s JamFactory, a renowned centre for glass excellence. We also suggested a commissioned film that profiled South Australian glass artists reflecting on their practice and Chihuly’s influence on it.
The last interpretive element was a program engaging young people – a concept that brought together Chihuly forms with the work of successful South Australian glass artist Tom Moore. Tom creates fantastical, futuristic creatures that reflect his concerns about the environment. These creatures, often hybrids or combinations of species, come from an imagined world where nature has engulfed our cities. Glass potatoes wink at us with human eyes, bug birds swoop and pufferfish kangaroos leap. Tom had developed a popular public program that accompanied his major touring exhibition Abundant Wonders where young people were invited to draw a creature inspired by Tom’s whimsical hybrids. Based on the success of this program, we asked Tom if he would be interested in a similar program in the gardens where we recast Chihuly’s work as glass habitats. Tom loved the idea, and we launched the program in partnership with JamFactory who absorbed his hot shop costs.
The interpretative project was a new concept for Chihuly Studio, and they proceeded cautiously. I provided a detailed exhibition brief, outlining themes and stories, and the Seattle studio carefully vetted all text and graphics. Resources on Chihuly are plentiful, both web-based and in the numerous publications produced by Chihuly Studio, so the key was sifting through this information to generate bite-size and accessible slices of text on various themes for the public.
Education was another pillar of the approach to engaging the public, and our Education Project Coordinator Polly Macaulay designed and oversaw the schools, youth and community education programs. Polly, what can you tell us about the process and offerings made available to South Australian schools?
There were several identified groups to engage – youth in the community, school groups and teachers. We designed offerings that were equitable for disadvantaged schools thanks to support from the South Australian Department for Education, which allowed us to subsidise ticketing. We were part of an exciting and novel digital partnership with Makers Empire (a STEM online program for schools with a gamified 3D modelling tool) for the duration of the exhibition, and now have
a resource that is free for anyone to use. For youth engagement, we had an exciting opportunity to work with Tom Moore, who displayed some works among In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly Moore Critters invited young visitors to In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly to imagine the type of creature that might dwell among Chihuly’s sculptures, their adaptations, camouflage and features. As well as being publicly available, entry into the competition was built into education offerings as self-guided (free) and as an educator-led (paid) experience for learners.
The educator-led trail focused on the arts and science bands within the Australian Curriculum and explored principles of art in shape, form and colour found in Dale Chihuly’s nature-inspired work. The trail included hands-on drawing and creative tasks that took place around the garden, directly responding to the work and the living collections in which the work was situated. Our Education Officers facilitated the trails, prompting students from early years through to senior years to consider and creatively respond to how plants adapted to their environments using shape and colour. The trail concluded in the magnificent setting of the Bicentennial Conservatory among the rainforest plantings and otherworldly glass artworks.
The Moore Critters competition received more than 12,000 entries from young people visiting the exhibition! Each month, members from the public engagement team met with Tom Moore to go through thousands of submissions to select the top three. The first-place design was re-created in glass and the winner was invited to come to JamFactory to watch their creation being made, and to meet Tom Moore in the hot shop. The winner also had their critter on display next to the work of Dale Chihuly and Tom Moore for a month. In total, seven winning entries were chosen by Tom Moore to be created in glass. The winners were aged between 4 and 15 with one Victorian, one Tasmanian and five South Australian winners from the public, home schools and school groups.
Joshua, the first Moore Critters winner, with their critter Spikey, and Tom Moore.
Winning sculpture from Hez, age 14, titled ‘Sunny Pillar’.
Moore Critters was a hit with visiting students on site. How did you support schools in their own sites, and rural and regional schools, to engage with Chihuly and our collections?
We had an exciting partnership with Makers Empire to design a ‘Challenge Course’. Centred on a design-thinking approach, we worked together to design modules for a Challenge Course we called Watching Glass Grow. The Challenge Course teaches the users about the history of glass, how glass is used as a material, introduces five South Australian glass artists and explores how artists, including Dale Chihuly, look to nature as inspiration to create beautiful and unique works of art. The Challenge Course culminates with a final design-thinking challenge that invites students to design their own artwork inspired by nature, which could be 3D printed or viewed in Augmented Reality (AR). From the thousands of works submitted, 10 final designs were chosen and displayed throughout Adelaide Botanic Garden in term two, 2025. Visiting school groups, as well as the public, were able to visit this virtual gallery by scanning QR codes located around the garden, and to place the winning designs into nature using AR. By the exhibition’s end, over 4,000 students (with some from overseas!) had participated in the design challenge. We’re excited that this project will have some legacy and remain available on our online Learning Hub for students and the public to continue to use for free, and be inspired by nature to hone their design-thinking and digital-modelling skills.
We know a core part of our work in botanic gardens schools’ outreach is enabling educators. What was on offer in the way of professional development?
We had a range of teacher professional development (PD) sessions in the lead-up and during the exhibition’s run. We held a free online PD session and engaged in a co-presenter format for facilitated on-site sessions. One of our more engaging sessions for visual arts teachers was co-presented by the garden’s education team, Makers Empire, members of University of South Australia’s Creative faculty, as well as local glass artists Gabi Bisetto, Chris Boha and Tom Moore. Educators were then guided through the Chihuly Nights exhibition, and the In Full Colour and Moore Critters exhibitions nestled within the Bicentennial Conservatory. We also worked with Makers Empire on transitioning a digital program into a meaningful engagement in our garden and nature.
Lindl, what is the legacy of this exhibition for our garden?
The project’s legacy is rich. Almost 1.4 million visitors have experienced our gardens in an entirely new way. While drawn in by glass, the enduring public response was a deep and often renewed appreciation of the gardens, their beauty, diversity, colour and calm. By hosting an extraordinary installation of glass sculpture, we have reconnected former visitors with the gardens and developed a new audience eager to engage with art-based programs.
Chihuly in the Botanic Garden has recast both our gardens and structures, such as the conservatory, as outdoor galleries where art, as stunning and inspiring as pieces hosted by the Art Gallery of South Australia, can be viewed. Visitors appreciate that the Bicentennial Conservatory has become a space where science collides with art, where we connect audiences to nature in unique and surprising ways.
The two Chihuly legacy pieces acquired by the State, inspired by the cobalt glass in our Palm House, and our State’s floral emblem Sturt’s Desert Pea Swainsona formosa (Glacier and Lapis Chandelier in the Palm House and Jet and Crimson Fiori in the Bicentennial Conservatory) means that we can keep exploring that story with our visitors.
The enthusiastic reception of Chihuly in the Botanic Gardens and the fact the gardens now have a template for delivering ambitious, large-scale installations suggests that there may be more of these large-scale public programs in the future. Our Museum of Economic Botany (MEB) was also home to our retail space, led by JamFactory. The incidental foot traffic meant the MEB was explored by many.
What is coming next? A large-scale exhibition like this over seven months is a massive undertaking.
What’s next for us all? A rest! The gardens, staff and our army of volunteers are tired and in need of rest. Projects this year are smaller scale and less ambitious. From September 2025 to January 2026, we will host Wildlife Photographer of the Year for the third time, and for the second time in the Bicentennial Conservatory. This exhibition of superb wildlife photography will be followed by an exhibition in the MEB showcasing original natural history paintings from the National Museum of Singapore, Tails from the Coasts. Commissioned by colonial administrator William Farquhar, employing local artists from the Malay Peninsula, these beautiful but curious paintings show how flora and fauna were perceived in the early 19th century. Tails from the Coasts features in South Australia’s Oz Asia Festival, and we will develop public programs that connect these works to collections in the Museum.
Collecting and depicting the creatures and plants of new places was part and parcel of empire building, yet even while delighting in these curiosities, the British colony was decimating native habitats to plant cash crops such as rubber, coconut and tobacco.
Volunteers Coordinator Ryan Sims enabled much of the public interface through a coordinated approach to volunteer support of the exhibition. Ryan, can you give us an overview of the volunteer involvement and the successes of the volunteer program for this exhibition?
More than 250 volunteers were recruited to the Chihuly-specific volunteer team (from a total number of over 480 BGSHSA volunteers).
They made an extraordinary contribution of over 10,000 volunteer hours, supporting the success of the exhibition in many and varied ways, with roles in visitor engagement, guiding tours and horticultural support – all invaluable.
The visitor engagement volunteers, who were based in our temporary visitor information booth, the MEB and the In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly exhibition were our friendly and adaptable faces of the garden. They answered questions, assisted wayfinding and provided our interstate and international visitors with valuable tourist information about the city of Adelaide and South Australia. Our volunteer Chihuly tour guides were encouraged to bring their own skills and knowledge to tailor twice-daily public tours and booked tour groups to meet the groups’ interests.
Volunteers also provided invaluable support to the garden’s horticultural team by assisting with the propagation, preparation and planting of new Chihuly-related garden displays, as well as keeping the world-class garden looking fresh and welcoming for so many visitors. Their support has also been valued in the renovation and revisioning of garden displays at the conclusion of the Chihuly exhibition.
The volunteer team that was recruited had significant diversity. Volunteers varied in age (from teenagers to octogenarians), knowledge and skills, and cultural and social backgrounds (people from all over the globe, speaking over 25 languages). The team included people who are living with disabilities or are neurodiverse, and a strong LGBTIQA+ contingent. Our visitors were able to see in our volunteering crew the faces of those they could easily relate to and with their support we were able to welcome and provide tours for visitors in languages other than English, English language learners and visitors with disabilities and access requirements.
Our volunteers were also word-of-mouth marketers for the exhibition and the gardens. Many volunteers organised group visits for their community groups, neighbours, families and friends but also told everyone they knew.
This busy exhibition schedule was seven days a week for 30 weeks requiring 15–30 volunteer shifts to be filled every day. This also coincided with the challenging and complex process of setting up and introducing a new online volunteer management system to assist with scheduling and communications. A small team of volunteer team leaders, administrators and ‘digital champions’ was established to help with rostering, inductions, administration and the set-up, testing and advocacy of new (digital) systems with volunteer peers.
Their support has been essential not only for the success of the Chihuly volunteer program, but also to deliver the most visited Chihuly exhibition anywhere in the world. Plus, excitingly for us, many of the volunteers who joined the team are staying on, which is great for the gardens’ volunteer program in the long term.
Lastly, I chatted to Director Michael Harvey, who was interviewed in the Summer 2024 issue of THE BOTANIC GARDENer ‘mid-Chihuly’. Michael, since that interview in December, what have you seen happen in our gardens, and what does it mean for the future?
In over 30 years working in museums, science centres and botanic gardens, I have never been involved in a project that captured the imagination of so many people – staff, volunteers, visitors, project partners, the broader business and philanthropic communities – everyone. The combination of epic-scale world-class art and the beautiful collections, landscapes and buildings of the Adelaide Botanic Garden has been genuinely magical.
It has been such a huge undertaking for the public engagement team, from ticketing systems to volunteer management and education offerings. We were all hands-on deck. We’ve seen the increased media attention, partnerships, goodwill and word of mouth of our visitors lead to new, first-time visitors and those who come back again and again. Our horticultural and logistics teams are the absolute heroes of this exhibition. Their tireless work meant our garden not only hosted worldclass art but also looked world class.
At the start of the project, we all knew it would be a challenge to manage all the disparate elements and to deliver on the promise of all that it could be. Looking back today, as we have just closed the doors on the last outbound shipping container and bid farewell to the Seattle team, I am incredibly proud of everything the team has achieved. That magic has been picked up by the gardens team, all of whom have given their all: problem-solving, creative thinking, openness, collaboration, customer service, and sheer hard work. I’m sad that it’s over – but so happy it happened.
Engaging students with nature at Norfolk Island Botanic Garden
Sara Freeland, Visitor Experience Manager, Norfolk Island National Park and Botanic Garden
Botanic gardens are more than just places to admire plants – they’re valuable spaces for education and connection with the natural world.
At Norfolk Island National Park and Botanic Garden, we run curriculum-linked programs each year with students from Norfolk Island Central School, using the garden as an outdoor classroom to explore local biodiversity and conservation.
This year, prep students (kindergarten) took part in a hands-on lesson designed to engage their five senses and encourage different ways of observing nature. By playing interactive games based on sight, sound, touch, smell and taste, they developed new skills in noticing and understanding the environment around them.
Looking: learning from tree fern fronds
We started with an observation activity, comparing a living tree fern frond with a dead one. The students examined the differences – green vs brown, soft vs crunchy, attached to the plant vs lying on the ground – and discussed what these clues tell us about a plant’s life cycle. This simple comparison helped them understand how to recognise signs of health and decay in nature.
Listening: matching birds to their calls
Sound was the next activity. We placed images of different birds around the deck and played recorded bird calls through a speaker. The students had to listen carefully and stand in front of the bird they thought was making each sound. This activity not only made them more aware of the variety of birds in the garden but also showed them how sound is an important tool for identifying wildlife.
Touch: exploring a plant petting zoo
One of the most popular activities was the ‘plant petting zoo’. We collected saplings from the nursery, each with a different texture – smooth, spiky, soft, rough – and encouraged students to gently feel and describe them. This hands-on experience highlighted how plants have different shapes and textures and gave students a new appreciation for the variety of plant life in the garden.
Smell: comparing similar plants
The students then used their sense of smell to compare two plants that looked almost identical –one native and one an invasive weed. By crushing the leaves, they could pick the weed by its much stronger scent. This led to a discussion about how smell can be a helpful tool in the bush to identify different plants.
Taste: a simple morning tea break
Unlike many other places, Norfolk Island doesn’t have a strong tradition of bush foods, so taste wasn’t part of the plant activities. Instead, we took a break for morning tea, reinforcing the idea that food connects us to our environment and provides an opportunity to reflect on what we had learned.
Why these activities matter
This session wasn’t just about having fun (though there was plenty of that) – it was about helping young students engage with nature in a meaningful way. By using their senses, the students developed observation skills that will help them better understand the environment as they grow up. Encouraging curiosity and hands-on learning in early education helps build a lifelong appreciation for the natural world.
At Norfolk Island National Park and Botanic Garden, we see the value in making education active, engaging and relevant to the local landscape. Programs like this help strengthen the connection between young people and nature, ensuring they grow up with an awareness of the unique environment that surrounds them.
All images credit Norfolk Island National Park and Botanic Garden
PBEAT 2025: where art meets environment at Pearl Beach Arboretum
The arboretum, established in Pearl Beach on NSW’s Central Coast in 1976, is a natural botanic garden open to the public for free. It is a 5.5-hectare sanctuary for rare and threatened plant species.
The Pearl Beach Environmental Art Trail (PBEAT) has become an important demonstration of how contemporary art can serve as a catalyst for public engagement with natural spaces. Now in its fourth year, the 2025 exhibition brought 36 regional and interstate artists to the arboretum, creating new pathways for community connection with this important ecological site.
Drawing new audiences to nature
‘The arboretum has become a significant attraction on the Central Coast,’ notes Mary Knaggs, Arboretum President. ‘It’s a powerful space for artists to engage with, and the project is well supported by the community.’ Hosting a major art exhibition with a $3,000 prize has been deliberate and strategic move. PBEAT attracted new visitors who might never otherwise explore a native plant reserve. The five-week program, running through March and April, created multiple entry points for diverse audiences to discover the arboretum’s ecological value while experiencing specially created environmental art.
Winner of the general PBEAT2025 competition, ‘Drop-Inns’ by Joanne Mott PBEAT2025. Credit Duncan Bridel
Robyn McConchie and Mary Knaggs, Crommelin Native Arboretum/Pearl Beach Arboretum
Creating cultural access points
The exhibition’s opening on 23 March exemplified PBEAT’s inclusive approach, featuring performances from NAISDA Graduate Students, African drumming by In Rhythm, Indian Fusion, Gamelan and Celtic music. The multicultural program, themed ‘Harmony Through Nature’, demonstrated how the arboretum can attract diverse community interests.
The inaugural Artist-in-Residence program, made possible by the Creative Art Central program run by Central Coast Council, marked a particularly successful expansion of public engagement.
Fiona Gavino, a renowned weaver from Western Australia, used the arboretum as an open studio space where she conducted workshops. These attracted over 50 participants aged 14 to 80.
Gavino’s presence at the arboretum was described as ‘palpable’ by attendees. During her two-week residency, she created two major site-specific installations using cane and the technique of random weaving, which mimicked natural patterns found in the environment.
‘Unlike many of my previous residencies, this one was more public-facing, and I enjoyed the community engagement it offered,’ Gavino reflected. Her residency extended beyond the arboretum itself, reaching the Mingaletta Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community centre in Umina Beach, and involving approximately 60 students across multiple schools.
Building community connections
Local emerging artist Anna Francesca Seymour’s collaboration with Gavino demonstrated how PBEAT nurtures artistic development while strengthening community ties. Seymour indicated that the two-week residency had influenced her art – the scale, form, and dyeing processes, using materials collected on site, creating lasting connections between artists and the natural environment.
The exhibition’s success in community building was evident in the volunteer roster, with dozens of community members supporting the event. This volunteer engagement creates stakeholders invested in the arboretum’s ongoing success.
‘Pangaia-All of Earth’ by the inaugural PBEAT Artist in Residence, Fiona Gavino
Educational opportunities and youth engagement
PBEAT’s commitment to education is particularly evident in its youth programs. The Under 16s category awarded three equal prizes, with students and their schools receiving $250 each. This investment in young artists aims to ensures future generations will value and engage with the arboretum.
Terrigal High School’s winning entry ‘Ephemeral Embrace’ involved multiple students working with teacher Gail Wright and demonstrates how PBEAT creates curriculum connections between schools and the arboretum. The integration of initial drawings in the exhibition catalogue showed the educational journey from concept to completion.
Economic and cultural benefits
The biennial exhibition brings significant economic benefits to both the arboretum and the wider Pearl Beach community. Catalogue sales, workshop fees, donations and event admissions generate revenue for arboretum maintenance and conservation programs. The influx of interstate artists and visitors, including first prize winner Joanne Mott from Melbourne, brings tourism dollars to local businesses.
The People’s Choice Award, sponsored by Belle Property Central Coast, demonstrates how PBEAT attracts business partnerships that benefit the arboretum. This corporate engagement creates sustainable funding models while raising the profile of the arboretum as a community asset.
Programming for diverse interests
Highly Commended in the general PBEAT2025 competition, ‘A Stretch of the Imagination’ by Andrew Alter
Throughout the five-week exhibition, varied workshops ensured multiple access points for community engagement:
• Liz McCarthy’s ‘Harmony Through Nature Installation’
• Shellie Christian’s clay leaf workshops
• Marijke Greenway’s adult painting workshop
• Fiona Gavino’s weaving sessions.
This diverse programming attracts different demographics, from families seeking weekend activities to serious artists developing their craft. By offering both drop-in sessions and structured workshops, PBEAT accommodated various levels of commitment and interest.
Environmental education through art
PBEAT’s artistic works were able to make environmental themes more accessible to broader audiences. Works addressing habitat loss, climate change and conservation create conversations that might not occur in traditional environmental education settings.
The site-specific nature of the installations encouraged visitors to explore areas of the arboretum they might otherwise overlook, transforming passive visits into active discovery experiences.
A model for public engagement
PBEAT brings multiple benefits to the Crommelin Native Arboretum. First, it increases visibility and visitor numbers to this ecological treasure.
By attracting and introducing new visitors to a native plant reserve, the exhibition helps raise awareness about conservation efforts and the importance of native flora.
The exhibition also provides a source of revenue through catalogue sales, donations and associated events, which can support the arboretum’s ongoing maintenance and conservation work. Beyond financial contributions, PBEAT helps position the arboretum not only as an environmental resource, but a cultural one as well, broadening its appeal and relevance to the wider community.
Perhaps most importantly, PBEAT creates a unique dialogue between art and environment. When artists respond to the natural setting, they encourage visitors to see the landscape through fresh eyes, fostering a deeper appreciation for the ecological value of the arboretum. The environmental themes present in many of the artworks – such as Joanne Mott’s exploration of habitat loss –complement and reinforce the arboretum’s conservation mission.
All images credit Pearl Beach Arboretum unless otherwise stated.
Highly Commended in the general PBEAT2025 competition, ‘Colour your World’ by Vanessa Drinkwater
Engaging communities in species conservation
Eilish Roberts, Southern Brown Bandicoot Outreach Officer, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
How does one mobilise a community to act for a threatened species? It may be simple enough to educate certain people, or help them see that something should be done, but how do you drive a collective movement of actively engaged backyard conservationists?
Many people may agree that they care about nature, but that doesn’t necessarily correlate to tangible actions. Recently, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) have been challenging this question while designing a five-year strategic plan to catalyse local communities to protect the Southern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon obesulus obesulus, a small marsupial which lives at RBGV’s Cranbourne Gardens and in the surrounding residential suburbs.
Southern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon obesulus obesulus. Credit Ricardo Simao
With Cranbourne Gardens situated in one of the fastest growing Local Government Areas in Australia, the native Southern Brown Bandicoot population faces mounting threats, such as habitat loss, introduced predators and busy roads. While large-scale work is under way to build wildlife corridors and manage the land to allow for their survival, community support is vital to the ongoing success of these measures. After all, how useful is a wildlife corridor if people walk their dogs through it? How effective is fox control if people still allow their cats to roam freely? And how protected is a species if people don’t even know it exists, or worse, mistake it for a pest (in this case, an oddly proportioned brown rat)?
Of course, these questions don’t only apply to bandicoots. We plant-loving people know the trials of trying to preserve rare plant populations while competing with colonial land practices and plant blindness on an epidemic level. It may be hard to claim a one-size-fits-all approach, but the insights gained throughout the process of creating this extensive community engagement plan can ring true for a diversity of species in need of community conservation efforts.
The ACTS model
The main aim of this strategic plan, developed by RBGV in collaboration with Kelp Creative, is to establish bandicoot-friendly communities in targeted neighbourhoods over the next five years. To help achieve this, RBGV developed the ACTS model, an acronym that expresses the key qualities of a bandicoot-friendly community, to serve as an ongoing planning tool for engaging and empowering local communities to protect Southern Brown Bandicoots.
A bandicoot-friendly community is one that ACTS on behalf of Southern Brown Bandicoots: one that is Aware, Connected, Takes action and Showcases
A – Aware
A bandicoot-friendly community is not only aware that they share their backyards with Southern Brown Bandicoots and aware of the threats these marsupials face, they also understand their role in protecting the local population.
A lack of awareness of Southern Brown Bandicoots is a significant threat to their survival. Without knowledge of how one’s everyday actions impact bandicoots, members of the community will most likely continue to behave in ways that harm bandicoots and other wildlife. While raising awareness alone may not lead to changed behaviours, helping people understand and value Southern Brown Bandicoots (or any species) is a critical step towards embracing their furry neighbours and creating a community of advocates. Research has shown that attitudes are more likely to shape future actions when information is readily recalled and remains consistent over time. As such, part of this strategy also involves fostering positive community attitudes towards Southern Brown Bandicoots through various engagement initiatives.
C – Connected
A bandicoot-friendly community is connected with existing conservation initiatives and stakeholders working to protect their shared bandicoot backyard.
Knowing that community members aren’t alone and that they can join a growing number of conservation efforts to help protect Southern Brown Bandicoots is an empowering message.
From State Government and local councils, to community groups, non-government organisations and researchers, there is a wide network operating across a range of projects to help bandicoots in the suburbs. Increasing connectivity between these groups through community engagement initiatives promotes sharing of information, identifies new collaboration opportunities and improves the reach and impact of this vital work. Linking these groups may require varied approaches, such as e-newsletters, community events, social media or public forums. Be it grant programs, working bees, plant giveaways or access to specialised resources, there is great value in ensuring that opportunities are available to the target audience.
T – Takes Action
A bandicoot-friendly community is one that takes action to help protect their furry neighbours.
Once community members understand how they can help their local bandicoots and are supported with resources available from the wider bandicoot protection network, acting is the next crucial step. This may include planting long strappy grasses, avoiding the use of baits and poisons in the garden, keeping cats indoors and reporting bandicoot sightings.
As part of this strategy, engagement campaigns will work to remind people of the target behaviour until it becomes second nature.
For instance, while people may be aware that they should keep their dog on a lead when walking beside a wildlife corridor, having visual prompts such as footpath decals reminding them to keep their dog on a lead because bandicoots are active in the area, will help trigger passers-by to take this action. While there is no guarantee that people will follow the instruction, the previous steps of establishing pro-bandicoot attitudes and values in the community will play a key role in eliciting positive responses.
S – Showcases
Bandicoot-friendly communities proudly showcase that they share their neighbourhood with Southern Brown Bandicoots.
As is often the case with plants, bandicoots aren’t always noticed by those who share their environment. The ACTS model seeks to improve the visibility of the Southern Brown Bandicoot. It aims to engender a sense of pride in sharing one’s backyard with Southern Brown Bandicoots and is followed by providing the means for people to showcase their love and commitment to helping their endangered neighbours (e.g. stickers on letterboxes, signs on fences). Part of this strategy will aim to create public art that displays bandicoots in the environment, as well as working with conservation partners to embed bandicoots into the community, including streetscapes, community events, school curriculums, local playgrounds and more. There is also value in championing the efforts of community members who become active bandicoot advocates, and inspiring others to follow their example.
Engaging communities in species conservation demands more than good intentions. It requires a strategic, multifaceted approach that inspires lasting action. The ACTS model developed by RBGV offers a practical and adaptable blueprint for nurturing bandicoot-friendly neighbourhoods.
By fostering awareness, strengthening community connections, promoting proactive behaviours and celebrating local involvement, the strategy helps embed the Southern Brown Bandicoot into the social and environmental fabric of the region.
Although designed with one species in mind, the model holds relevance far beyond bandicoots, offering a valuable tool for mobilising communities to protect the full diversity of life they share their environment with.
Further reading
1. McKenzie-Mohr, D. (2011). Fostering Sustainable Behavior, 3rd edn, New Society Publishers.
2. Glasman, LR, & Albarracín, D. (2006). Forming attitudes that predict future behavior: A metaanalysis of the attitude-behavior relation. Psychological Bulletin, 132(5): 778–822. https://pmc. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4815429/
Shaking up a community’s connection to – and knowledge of – their local nature: Nature Shake, a new annual event for the Wollongong Botanic Garden
Sam Crosby, Education and Outreach Specialist, Wollongong Botanic Garden
Sometimes there is a freedom that comes with a new place of work, the excitement of being able do things a little differently, a chance for a refresh. I found this out for myself in early 2024 as I was appointed into the newly established role of Education and Outreach Specialist at the Wollongong Botanic Garden (WBG). This new role gave me the chance to do a bit of a reset with event planning and community engagement.
Nature Shake silent disco.
Events are an important community engagement tool; they bring new audiences and provide a different kind of face-to-face interaction. The downside is that they involve a lot of planning, can be expensive to run and are at the mercy of the weather. No risk, no reward, right?
Every year, WBG delivers a much-loved event and engagement program to the public and the local botanical community. Enviroday, part of that program, was a schools environmental education event that ran for nearly 20 years. Then COVID-19 happened, and the event was put on hold. I decided it was time for a rethink and Nature Shake was born.
Rebranded and rejigged to a new two-day event, one for schools and one for the public, Nature Shake’s aim was to be a hands-on, experiential celebration of Wollongong’s nature.
The event program evolved from a council and local environment services showcase to an event where new external providers were invited to deliver event experiences. The new content included nature play and Aboriginal cultural experiences alongside native flora and fauna activities. There were also some unique ‘outlier’ experiences, such as a silent disco and electrified pancake making.
The program’s overall feel was designed to avoid negative aspects of environmental messaging such as biodiversity loss, climate change and habitat destruction. Instead, the aim was to celebrate and connect with the beauty and uniqueness of the garden and the local Illawarra environment.
Every provider’s stall had to have a hands-on activity, either making, creating, playing or exploring. Providers were asked to avoid providing visual displays only, and give people a chance to have a go themselves.
The inaugural Nature Shake in 2024 was blessed with great weather, which certainly contributed to its success. Teacher feedback from the schools day was that they enjoyed the festival feel of the event. Students and teachers could drop in to each activity at their own pace and interest, rather than having scheduled workshops and presentations. This removed the stress for teachers having to be somewhere at a certain time and place – they could choose to do an activity or simply ‘be’ in the garden and enjoy the space based on their own interests. This is something that our packed school excursions rarely allow.
Nature play seed sorting.
The public event on day two was the new, untested addition. Would people turn up? Would they enjoy the activities? Would there be something for everyone to enjoy and learn from?
The short answer is yes. Fathers danced with their kids at the silent disco, families built cubbies out of natural materials, and people chatted to experts and had their questions about their gardens and the local environment answered. The festival atmosphere continued until it was time to pack down and rest our weary legs.
We didn’t get everything right, but there was enough joy and participation from schools and the community to continue with Nature Shake again in 2025. We aim to add a little more to the program this year including more Aboriginal Cultural activities, work with some new partners and hopefully attract some sponsors to boost the funding.
If you are in the area on 5 and 6 September, drop by the Wollongong Botanic Garden for Nature Shake 2025 – and dance like everyone is watching!
All images credit Wollongong City Council
Making native seed bombs.
Living plant collections: a digital renaissance
Richard Ackland, Curator, North Coast Regional Botanic Garden and Rhonda Sorensen, Friends of Coffs Botanic Garden Volunteer Coordinator of Living Plant Collection Records
Over the past 18 months, the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden (NCRBG) in Coffs Harbour, northern NSW, has revolutionised the way it manages records of its living plant collection. As a sanctuary of biodiversity, the botanic garden has long been a guardian of rare and significant plant species, yet its record-keeping systems had become outdated and fragmented. Today, a cuttingedge transformation is under way, bringing these invaluable records into the digital age with Hortis, a modern, cloud-based plant collections management platform.
For decades, meticulously kept records of the garden’s 5,000-strong plant collection were confined to ageing computers, hand-drawn maps and paper files. The process of tracking plant species, their provenance and their health status was labour-intensive and relied on legacy systems that were at risk of being lost to time. Now, thanks to Hortis, these essential data are being securely stored and made interactive, vastly improving accessibility and management for conservation, research and development efforts.
A committed team of Friends of the Gardens volunteers is at the heart of this transformation. These dedicated individuals are actively verifying the data – validating plant locations, assessing the condition of trees and capturing high-quality photographic records. Using Hortis on their own mobile phones, the team ensures that the information remains current, reliable and accessible, not just for garden management but also for scientific research and conservation initiatives.
This new digital record-keeping system has already yielded significant results. One striking example is the rediscovery of crucial historical data regarding two Syzygium glenum trees, a critically endangered species endemic to Cooper Creek in the Daintree Rainforest. Thanks to the thorough onboarding of records into Hortis, it was revealed that these specimens were originally received in 2004 and 2006 from renowned botanist Lyndley Craven (CSIRO Canberra), who formally described the species. It’s almost as if you can hear the voices of two old botanists, Alex Floyd and Lyndley Craven, strategically planning 20 years ago, knowing that these plantings might one day play an important role in conservation!
With these historical records now well integrated into Hortis, NCRBG staff and volunteers swiftly located the trees within the 20-hectare garden and took immediate conservation action. Remarkably, one of these trees has been fruiting annually – an unusual occurrence compared to its wild counterparts. Recognising the importance of this anomaly, the garden has contributed to conservation efforts by sending seeds back to the Daintree Rainforest Rescue nursery at Cow Bay, supporting the preservation of this rare species.
NCRBG is set to complete the full digital transition of its plant database by the end of 2025. As part of this transition, NCRBG is inviting experts and plant specialists to contribute to the validation and verification of plant records. Efforts are also under way to enhance visitor engagement by integrating the collection with a public-friendly version of Hortis. Soon, visitors will be able to use their smartphones to explore the garden’s collection interactively, locating plants through an intuitive digital map.
As the living plant collection records continue to evolve, NCRBG stands as a testament to how technology and dedicated stewardship can bring historical records back from the brink and secure them for future generations.
The living plant collections at NCRBG serve as a vital reservoir of biodiversity, conservation and education – offering a beacon of hope for ecosystems like the distant Daintree, where evolution has shaped unique flora now increasingly threatened by habitat loss and climate pressures.
As Toby Golson, recently retired specialist rainforest horticulturist from the Australian National Botanic Garden in Canberra notes, ‘This is very exciting news, and another example of the critical role botanic gardens can play in conservation.’
Fruiting Syzygium glenus in the NCRBG Credit Cheryl Cooper
Community Greening – taking the Gardens to the people
Darren Martin, Community Greening Officer, Botanic Gardens of Sydney
When asked what I do for a living, I proudly say, ‘I work for the Botanic Gardens of Sydney’. It’s at this point that I’m usually showered with words of awe and adulation and told how lucky I am. I’m then reminded, just in case I’ve forgotten, about the beautiful views of the harbour, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and of course, the spectacular Gardens. For a few brief moments I revel in the glory only to then explain that while I would love to spend my days working in the award-winning Gardens, with those amazing views, my role as a Community Greening officer involves taking the Gardens to the people. It’s about now in the conversation that I’m asked, ‘So, what exactly do you do’?
Put simply, with a van full of tools, plants and the odd bag or two of something smelling rather earthy, my Community Greening colleagues and I travel the state of New South Wales providing guidance and ongoing support to vulnerable communities while sharing our passion for gardening and the environment and promoting sustainable gardening practices. In partnership with tenants and stakeholders, we build garden beds of all shapes and sizes anywhere we can fit them – in lane ways, on rooftops, in courtyards and on verges. No vacant piece of land is left unexplored. We work with communities to grow fruit and vegetables, create native gardens, herb gardens, floral gardens and low-maintenance gardens, and more. We promote soil building through composting and worm farming, and we advocate for chemical-free pest and weed control and the importance of creating healthy ecosystems by highlighting the benefits of biodiversity. Come to think of it, we’ll give most things that are related to horticulture a go.
Community Greening supporting 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfireaffected communities. This food forest was created by locals with a knowledge of the area and a desire to move forward.
Our green spaces are for all. We welcome and value everyone. Regardless of age, gender, skill set, strength or level of mobility, everyone has something to offer. Our gardens reflect the people we call, ‘the Community Greening family’.
It’s at this point in the now one-sided conversation that most people are impressed, tell me that I have an awesome job and that they would love a job like mine. But to stop here wouldn’t be telling the whole Community Greening story. There’s so much more to the Botanic Gardens of Sydney’s outreach program.
Proudly sponsored by the Botanic Gardens of Sydney and Homes NSW, the program focuses on providing meaningful, real-life gardening experiences for people from all walks of life and culturally and linguistically diverse communities, including refugees and First Nations Peoples.
While there are many gardening programs that do amazing work, Community Greening’s point of difference is that we provide ongoing support in the form of free resources and materials, guided workshops on topics of interest and assistance with maintenance and garden care.
A typical garden project starts with a meet and greet and a site inspection. Meeting the tenants face to face is very important because at the end of the day it will be their garden, so they need to have a say and provide input. They may not always get what they want, but we do our best to cater for as many needs as possible. Once a plan has been devised, the construction phase starts. We usually start off small with the possibility of increasing the gardening space over time. When the infrastructure is in place, we start with monthly visits that provide opportunities to share knowledge and skills, care for the garden and build community. Over time, garden visits may be reduced as the tenants become more independent and confident. As can be imagined, when working side by side in a garden for several years many rewarding and trusting relationships are developed. The Community Greening team is often privileged with conversations that delve deep into the lives of the people we garden with. We share the good and the not-so-good times, but at the end of the day, we share the joys and life stories that gardening brings.
In the garden we all speak the same language – culturally diverse communities coming together to share their gardening knowledge and skills.
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A Gabo Island garden in Mallacoota
Max Elliott and Bryce Watts-Parker, Friends of Mallacoota
Mallacoota is a small township of around 1,300 permanent residents in Far East Gippsland, Victoria, surrounded by wilderness. Located on the corner of Allan Drive and Buckland Drive at the Parks Victoria office, the Mallacoota Endemic Garden (MEG) was created after the devastating 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires.
The fires devastated the natural environment on an unprecedented scale. Far East Gippsland is considered a biodiversity hotspot, with many rare and endangered endemic flora species found nowhere else. Fearing some species may not survive another catastrophe, a small, dedicated group of volunteers – the Friends of Mallacoota – created a landscaped native garden on Parks Victoria land in the heart of the Mallacoota township. The Friends of Mallacoota are a well-resourced environmental volunteer group, numbering close to 10% of the town’s population, who work on various projects around town.
The Mallacoota Endemic Garden located at the corner of Allan Drive and Buckland Drive.
The Mallacoota Endemic Garden features seven garden beds showcasing the seven major vegetation communities found in Far East Gippsland: lowland forests, warm temperate rainforests, coastal scrub, rocky outcrop shrubland, granite rivers, heathlands and Gabo Island. It contains representative samples of endemic plants within each garden bed. Public interest is high, with many visitors commenting on the way our flora is well-represented in such a small area. Currently, the garden has over 160 species, 60 of which are either endangered, rare, vulnerable or endemic to the area. Our aim is to concentrate as many rare plants as possible on the site and to give visitors the opportunity to view unusual species without the expense and difficulties associated with finding those plants in the wild. Gabo Island is renowned for wild seas, making boat trips difficult, and many of the rainforests in which some our garden’s plants are naturally located are inaccessible to the average visitor.
Gabo Island
Gabo Island is a 154-hectare windswept granite island located 20 kilometres to the east of Mallacoota, on the corner of the continent where Bass Strait meets the Tasman Sea. The island has a long human history, including an Indigenous population when the island was joined to the mainland. The famous magnificent pink granite lighthouse was built in 1864. Geologically, the granite mass of Gabo is continuous under Bass Strait and pops up again on Flinders Island in Tasmania. In fact, Mallacoota is closer to Flinders Island than it is to Melbourne.
A weed-free area with lichen-covered granite on Gabo’s west coast. Howe Hill can be seen on the mainland in the background, close to the border of New South Wales. Penguin and shearwater rookeries are in this area in sandy burrows underneath the Pigface Carpobrotus rossii. Prior to 2018, large areas like this were covered in Mirror Bush Coprosma repens
The Friends of Mallacoota have been visiting Gabo Island regularly since 2018. Our weeding program has concentrated on the removal of Mirror Bush Coprosma repens and, after seven years we find ourselves close to its elimination. Many other weeds are present on the island, however, providing challenging work into the future.
The Gabo Island garden bed in the MEG features low-growing, salt- and wind-tolerant plants commonly found around the rocky windswept coast. We have tried to replicate the soil conditions by including granitic sand as a base and granite rocks and boulders for added aesthetics.
The garden has several critically endangered Zieria littoralis – a low-growing form of Zieria only found on Gabo Island and nearby Howe Hill on the Victorian mainland. This plant is being tested in cultivation around Mallacoota township and is showing promise as a popular garden plant. Its lowgrowing form combined with a glaucous, soft foliage has been well received.
The Triggerplant Stylidium armeria has proven easy to grow from seed and has been noted in past records from Gabo Island. We have plans to re-introduce this plant to a weed-free area of the island in the future to help promote biodiversity and to help return the island’s flora to a more pre-European form.
The rare Shore Spleenwort Asplenium decurrens is also featured in the garden. This tough little fern species,
while not endemic to the area, is restricted in Victoria to offshore islands and some coastal cliffs. This fern is naturally found in granite crevices very close to the high tide mark and is extremely salt tolerant. Tall granite rocks provide at least half a day of shade for our specimens and the plants are doing very well.
The Mallacoota Endemic Garden is becoming a useful tool for education. Students from Mallacoota P12 College are now engaging with us on trips to Gabo Island and using the MEG for referencing our endangered flora.
The low-growing Zieria littoralis on a bed of Disphyma crassifolium.
Stylidium armeria (foreground) and Asplenium decurrens among the granite rocks.
The table below lists the complete flora for the Gabo Island garden bed in the MEG:
Scientific name
Zieria littoralis
Common name
Downy Zieria
Alyxia buxifolia Sea Box
Correa alba alba
White Correa
Carpobrotus rossii Pig Face
Disphyma crassifolium Baby Pig Face
Austrostipa stipoides
Stylidium armeria subsp. armeria
Lobelia anceps
Coastal Spear grass
Thrift-leaved Triggerplant
Angled Lobelia
Senecio pinnatifolius var. maritimus Coast Groundsel
Dianella tasmanica
Tasman Flax Lily
If you find yourself in this beautiful and remote part of Victoria, visit our garden and discover some of the rare plants our region has to offer.
For more information, contact the authors, friendsofmallacoota@gmail.com, or visit www.friendsofmallacoota.com.au and www.facebook.com/FOMNursery. All images credit FOM.
Guardians of the green. Protecting our future.
Rebecca Harcourt, Marketing and Administration Manager, BGANZ
Thank you to all the gardens, from every state and territory in Australia and from both islands in New Zealand, who participated in the 10th anniversary of Botanic Gardens Day (now Week) this year. This year the GUARDIANS OF THE GREEN campaign positioned botanic gardens as ‘zoos for plants’, inspired by the success of zoos in raising awareness for wildlife conservation.
A new approach to reach new audiences
The purpose of Botanic Gardens Week is to raise awareness of botanic gardens and the incredible work they do in conservation, education and connecting communities. We aim to increase conversation, spark interest, inspire more visitation and support, not just for the week, but to botanic gardens in general. It’s about deepening knowledge to shift perceptions and transform how botanic gardens are valued by the greater community.
The success of the Trans-Tasman national campaign is dependent on member involvement. The number of members participating was up by almost 40% and involved more than half of our Institutional Members. Consequently, we were able to amplify our message significantly and our combined reach was over 1 million – a feat we could not have achieved alone! The campaign attracted new followers and significantly more engagement with the content.
The diversity and creativity of events held over the week was wonderful. Many gardens had floral safaris or trails highlighting their ‘Big Five Plants’, including Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Geelong Botanic Gardens, Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden, Friends of Noosa Botanic Gardens, Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens, Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden and Australian National Botanic Gardens.
The Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden’s poster highlighting their ‘Top 5’ plants. Credit: AALB
Here are just some of the events that gardens held around the theme of education and outreach:
• Kings Park and Botanic Garden: held a seminar ‘Native Botany – Proteaceae family 101’
• Friends of Gisborne Botanic Gardens: planting of endangered Myrnong seeds
• Wollongong Botanic Garden: ‘poetry to music’ performance
• Tasmanian Arboretum: a ‘Guardians of the Green’ panel discussion
• Sale Botanic Gardens: presentation on the ‘Raising Rarity’ project
Our Costa-hosted webinars were inspirational as always with over 9,000 views of the first webinar alone. Comments from the audience included, ‘What an awesome thing to stumble onto! I’ve always been passionate about our native ecosystems. Taking this as a sign to finally get involved!’ and ‘I will be thinking differently next visit to the botanic gardens, so
Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens program of events. Credit FLRBG
Friends of Noosa Botanic Gardens noticeboard during Botanic Gardens Week 2025. Credit: Friends of Noosa Botanic Gardens
much behind the scenes that I have never considered before. Incredible work.’ Thank you, Costa, and thanks to all the webinar speakers. If you missed the webinars, you can watch them on our YouTube channel.
A big thank you to the seven video makers who contributed to the success of our The Plant Files: Strange Species and Their Stories series – especially to Cadel Boyce from Cairns Botanic Gardens, who made not one, but four videos! Thanks to Simon Duffy, Sara Freeland, Emma Simpkins, River Foster, Prue McGruther and Tim Uebergang for sharing their wonderful stories with us all. [Congratulations to River from Wellington Botanic Garden, who recently won Young Amenity Horticulturist of the Year 2025!]
We also had six news articles, and five radio stations cover events in NZ, Vic, QLD and NSW. Shoalhaven Heads Native Botanic Garden even made it onto the TV!
Thank you to Eucalypt Australia, Plant Ark, Tropical Garden Society of Sydney and Hortis for your help with online promotion as well.
A big thank you to those gardens that completed the evaluation survey and to Tim Entwisle for donating a copy of his latest book, The Sceptical Botanist, as incentive. The Friends of Noosa Botanic Gardens were the winners of the book draw. Congratulations!
The speaker line up for webinar 1
The speaker line up for webinar 3
The speaker line up for webinar 2
Some invaluable feedback from the survey included that although one garden was unable to directly participate themselves, they noticed increased visitation and enthusiasm in visitors, and many people mentioned Botanic Gardens Week while there. This is an excellent demonstration that our message is gaining traction.
Thank you also to the Botanic Gardens Week working group; Tracey Whitby, Amalia McLarenBrown, Lynne McInnes, Ella Williams, Lara Sharp, Sally Ingham, Candy Yan, Morgan Watson and Alison Morgan.
To further increase success in 2026, we are intending to set the theme by October this year, so keep your eyes peeled. If you’d like to be involved in next year’s planning, please send an EOI to media@bganz.org.au
Shoalhaven Heads Native Botanic Gardens on the front page of the local community newspaper.Credit: SHNBG
Botanic news from home and abroad
Cassandra Nichols, CEO, BGANZ
A strong start to the year: celebrating impact and planning for the future
This year began on a high note as we celebrated the completion of the Growing Victoria’s Botanic Gardens Grants Program with the launch of the program’s Collective Impact Report. The event, held at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Melbourne on 26 February, brought together nearly 90 attendees, including the Victorian Minister for Environment, to acknowledge the achievements of gardens across the state.
I extend my congratulations to every botanic garden that received a grant for the outstanding projects delivered.
These initiatives are already enhancing local communities, conservation efforts and visitor experiences. You can read about these inspiring projects in the Collective Impact Report available on our website here
We were also pleased to launch our new website earlier this year. If you haven’t explored it yet, jump on and look around. It offers improved functionality, including a search function and access to news, jobs, upcoming events, past events and their recordings, resources, and connections with regional and professional groups. It is our means of communicating important messages, so please do check in regularly. There is also a members-only directory, which will become an invaluable resource for connecting with colleagues across the sector. Please ensure you add your profile to maximise its value.
Planning is in full swing for the 2025 BGANZ Congress, to be held at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. This year’s theme – ADVANCING OUR REACH: Innovation and leadership in botanic
Cassandra Nichols
gardens – promises an inspirational three days of networking, sharing ideas and partnership building to excel and grow our impact as an industry. Earlybird registrations are open until 31 August, so be sure to secure your ticket and be part of this important event.
Finally, Botanic Gardens Week was a huge success this year.
This initiative’s primary goal is raising awareness of botanic gardens and the important work we do in educating communities and driving conservation outcomes.
We had a lot of fun and great engagement with this year’s theme, significantly increasing our reach across media channels. Thank you to every member who got involved. Together, we can amplify our message and gain far more traction for the vital work of botanic gardens.
One of the projects funded by the Growing Victoria’s Botanic Gardens Grants program, the indigenous wetland plantings Larni Garingilang, Bendigo Botanic Gardens. Credit City of Greater Bendigo
