Latest News! - Friends of Williamstown Botanic Gardens

Santa's schedule!

4/12/2016

Top secret! We have Santa's schedule for Hobsons Bay and he's visiting our gardens on Wednesday!!! Put on your Christmas cheer and join in the festive fun. Enjoy stories, songs, a craft and meet a very jolly visitor!

Wednesday 7 December
10.30am to 11.15am
Williamstown Botanic Gardens

Monday 12 December
6.30pm to 7.15pm
Santa and The Bookends concert
Logan Reserve, Altona

Tuesday 13 December
10.30am to 11.15am
Altona North Community Library

Wednesday 14 December
10.30am to 11.15am
Altona Meadows Library and Learning Centre

Thursday 15 December
10.30am to 11.15am
Altona Library

Friday 16 December
9.30am to 10.15am
Newport Community Hub

Saturday 17 December
10.30am to 11.15am
Williamstown Library

Reading Corner Volunteers

5/9/2016

The Reading Corner has been hibernating over winter but now it's time to get it going again. We rely on our very generous volunteers to set up and pack the items away. Without our volunteers, this amazing and appreciated activity would not be able to happen.
If you'd like to get involved, please contact Carol (0411042511) or carol @ challispalace.com and you can be on our roster for Spring.
Get in early for the dates that suit you.

Winter Reading

15/7/2016

Friends maybe interested in reading an article about Urban Tree Management - Strategies for Climate Change by Greg Moore, University of Melbourne, Burnley College in July's issue of Botanic Gardener.
Here is a link to it.

Open Botanic Gardens Day - Sunday 29th May

24/5/2016

On Sunday 29th May, our Gardens, which is one of Victoria’s earliest and most intact botanic gardens, will celebrate the Australia and New Zealand wide inaugural Botanic Gardens Open Day with mini tours of the Gardens at 11am and 2pm, an historical display of the Gardens and children’s activities such as a nature table, Nature I Spy and our ever popular reading corner.

Invite your family and friends to bring a picnic lunch and a comfy chair to join us amongst our majestic Washington Palms, Moreton Bay Figs and Aleppo Pine from 10.30am to 3pm.

We would love to hear from you if you can help out on the day and/or contribute cupcakes for morning tea.

Get involved in 2016

4/2/2016

Our latest newsletter is filled with activities for everyone to get involved with. There are guest speakers, excursions, Storytime under the Elm as well as a Friends Get-Together Picnic for ALL members on 14th February under the big blue gum at 2 pm.

Please download our newsletter below and update your diary with our calendar of activities.

A garden get-together in 1922
Photo courtesy SLV

newsletter_no_26_jan_2016.pdf
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A Bush Christmas in the Gardens

2/12/2015

Our gardens will host a special visitor on Friday, 4th December at 10.30 am. There will be stories, activities and songs with the theme Bush Christmas.

Bring a picnic and enjoy this special event put on for you by Hobsons Bay Libraries and the Friends of the Williamstown Botanical Gardens.

Finding the Reading Corner!

19/9/2015

It's spring and the September school holidays have started already! If you're wondering what to do with the kids or grandchildren, why not head down to the gardens to explore until you find our Reading Corner which is 'hidden' in a different location every day by volunteers.

The cushions, rugs, stands and a selection of garden related books have been made available to you to enjoy in the gardens by a Hobsons Bay Community Grant and kind donations from our Friends.

Details: The Reading Corner is set up on weekdays between 10 am and 3 pm and only appears if the weather permits.

If you're interested in helping out with the Reading Corner, just send an email to the Friends of Williamstown Gardens. It's an easy and fun to help out.

August Newsletter - Preparation

20/8/2015

Preparations are underway in the gardens. The pond is getting its biannual clean up and the irrigation system is ready for those long, hot, dry summers. The Friends are also preparing activities, meetings and storytimes including our AGM which will be held on the 21st October. Find out more in our latest newsletter.

May Newsletter

11/5/2015

The leaves are falling and the weather is cool but there's lots happening with the Friends of Williamstown Botanic Gardens including John Hawker's horticultural tour of the gardens on Sunday, 17th May and a visit to the AGM Australian Association of Friends of Botanic Gardens at the Ballarat Botanic Garden. For details, read the May Newsletter here.

Friends visit to Bendigo Botanic Gardens - 14th April 2015

11/5/2015

On Tuesday the 14th of April the Friends of Williamstown Botanic Gardens paid a visit to the Bendigo Botanic Gardens. There were 7 of us in total.

The day was overcast but a very comfortable temperature, looked like rain but it managed to stay fine for the day. We set off from Williamstown around 8.30 and caught the 9.20 train to Bendigo - a great way to go. It was a very comfortable trip, and a chance to have a good natter and enjoy the scenery.

We arrived at Bendigo at 11.20 and from there caught a Maxi Taxi out to White Hills where the Botanic Gardens are. They are officially called the White Hills Botanic Gardens.

There we were met by Jan Cleary who is the President of the Friends of Bendigo Botanic Gardens. We entered the Arch of Triumph and wandered down the extensive drive way to the meeting/work rooms for the gardens.

First we had a cuppa. Jan had made a chocolate cake for us which Jan’s assistants said is most famous, and it was scrumptious. We all had a good chat and talked about the history of the gardens and a looked at few photographs of its beginnings

The Gardens were established in 1857, and, in 2007, celebrated their 150 years. The gardens have changed over the years with salinity causing the death of many trees. It originally had many flower beds, but due to the decline over the years many of the garden beds have been converted into lawn areas.

The gardens have a water area called the lagoon. This is originally where the Bendigo creek ran through the gardens but it has been filled in over time. The area is enjoyed by the waterbirds which inhabit it and is a tranquil quiet spot to relax. The Gardens are very different from our gardens, not as formal but beautiful and graceful – a lovely place for families to enjoy.

After morning tea we had a wander around the whole of garden, Jan gave us a most informative talk about the trees and stories of fame attached to them. There are eight significant and rare trees and these have been listed by the Heritage Council.

From the earliest days the gardens have contained animal exhibits. This practice was encouraged by the Acclimatisation Society with the aim of introducing exotic plants and animals, primarily for the dispersion to suitable parts of the colony. The animal exhibits were popular with children. Appropriate management of the exhibits is an ongoing issue.

The gardens also encompass a swimming pool which was established in 1956. This is still used by the local community today.

The Friends group is very active and their propagating area is something to die for. It is like a commercial nursery and I’m sure they do well from the sales of these.

After our tour of the gardens we all set out for lunch at a nearby café. Jan also joined us for this and we enjoyed her company and her extensive knowledge of all things botanical.

From here it was a taxi back to the station and a train trip back to Footscray. All in all it was a great day and enjoyed by everyone and the gardens are well worth a visit.

The lagoon at White Hills Botanic Gardens, Bendigo

Our Friends on their visit to the White Hills Botanic Gardens, Bendigo

Jan Cleary leading the tour of White Hills Botanic Gardens for Friends of WBG

Flower Display

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