Spring at Cranbourne Botanic Gardens
Twenty members and two friends had a great day on 13th October visiting the magnificent Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne. Feedback was that the day was relaxing and informative amidst the sunshine and the stunning plants.
Many members of the public have no idea this annexe to the Botanic Gardens exists, although it was established back in 1970. Some of our members were expecting bushland, rather than a patchwork of artfully designed micro-climates with the Red Centre as highlight. All up, 170,000 plants and 1700 varieties from Australian landscapes are on display!
The party arrived by bus from the Docklands and after a coffee break was guided along the Flora Australis walk. We viewed ancient-origin plants including cycads, Queensland bottle trees, West Australian grass trees and fine examples of Woolemi pines. The walk took us through diverse stands of eucalypts – stringybark, peppermint and box, to name a few - and ended in the Ironbark Garden. Our guide Ron emphasised the significance of water in the evolution of the Australian landscape and flora, and this was reflected clearly in the design of the gardens.
A lunch of freshly made sandwiches and cakes, was followed by further exploration of the gardens by foot, or on the Garden Explorer, an electric buggy. The more adventurous walked to the lookout that gave an overview of the area as well as an appreciation of how much sand needed to be removed to establish the site. Also, the gift shop did a good trade with Ute Berberich being spotted with a new botanic book (for grand-daughter) within minutes of our arrival.
The day was not just inspiring but a great example of Probus fellowship. Our thanks go to Marg Thomas for organising this event.
