Membership Application form for new Members:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16xAGLJJWT0WDztujzp9pUqauB997NOS5/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103895442693074099791&rtpof=true&sd=true
This is your opportunity to join our environmentally friendly, growing community.:
click on the link to download and fill in or fill in on your computer our Membership Renewal & Payment form for the next year after the first year of membership: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zcMB2xZjcck7KyHetQtV0GQIuqBjXJNc/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103895442693074099791&rtpof=true&sd=true
WINTER 2025 Newsletter – read up on what’s on……..
| Welcome to the Winter 2025 E-newsletter for the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens  |
| AUSTRALIAN INLAND BOTANIC GARDENS NEWS- A LETTER FROM OUR COORDINATOR The picture above is the Koelreutaria elegans, Flame Gold Tree located in the main carpark area and Asia Bed 2. It is a strikingly beautiful tree that showcases everyone’s hard work within the Gardens. Many people have stopped and asked questions about it and now that the carparks have been cleaned up, they really do stand out. The staff and volunteers have done an amazing job since the last newsletter and the effort is well and truly visible wherever you look. The gates to the Rose Garden, Heritage Food Citrus path, new Coolibah plantings and our first real lot of annuals are helping to showcase the Gardens’ new direction. Our newest staff member has been doing an amazing job looking after lawn edges and garden beds and is a very welcome part of our team. Our volunteers are forever working hard and achieving great things and each and every one of them deserves a well earned pat on the back. On top of all of this we have been continually repairing and upgrading our irrigation and finishing small projects as we go. The Plant Committee have audited several beds as well as we work toward the instigation of the Master Plan. I am looking forward to a busy, productive last half of the year and to be able to watch the Gardens future growth. Well done to everybody, an exceptional effort. Cheers, Brian Cuddy TREE OF NOTE Continus coggygria This plant is more readily recognised by its common name of “smoke bush”. Its botanic name is synonymous with Rhus cotinus and its common name has several regional variations including European smoketree; Eurasian smoketree; smoketree; Venetian sumach or dyer’s sumach. Nurseries may offer several ornamental cultivars. It has Eurasian origins and has been found in Pliocene fossils in the Caucasus region which is in the border region of Europe and Asia. It tends to be a bush, rather than a tree, up to about 3metres tall. It is most noted for its flowering panicles that produce few fertile flowers, as most abort forming elongated feathery plumes. It is these plumes that create the smoky appearance through summer. Its wood has been used as a source of a yellow dyestuff. Its foliage has been used for a red dyestuff. Hence the use of sumach in localised common names. Rhus is a genus of over 250 species that are cultivated for their autumn colour. Some species are outright poisonous, and others noted for causing skin irritation or even dermatitis. The ‘smoke bush’ can cause dermatitis in some people when the sap comes into contact with the skin. While it is most noted for its smoky appearance through summer (image 1) it is also quite outstanding in its autumn guise as can be seen in the attached photo (image 2).   PRYTEC LASER ENGRAVERWith a volunteer very keen to produce new and up-to-date plant labels to help the public identify what plants they are looking at, it was decided that our old engraver was defunct. It was very slow and cumbersome. Through the generosity of the Friends of the Gardens, we have been able to purchase a Prytec PLS-1060 laser engraver. Not only will this make all engraving faster but we can label stock for the gift shop with the Gardens’ logo or any type of design that we wish to create. Drink bottles, glasses, mugs, coasters etc can now be produced. This means the Gardens will benefit not only from new labelling but also in a financial way as well. The laser engraver was an expensive item but will help pay for itself as the stock gets designed, made and sold.  HERITAGE FOOD GARDEN CITRUS SITEPrior to the Easter weekend, the staff went to work neatening and cleaning up the citrus site in the Heritage Food area. A 3m wide path had already been marked out prior to the citrus being re-located to their final site and crusher dust has now been laid along it. Staff then placed the poly irrigation pipes under ground to protect against weather and vehicle damage. The area was then brush cut and slashed. The section of the Heritage Food Garden yet to be done was then levelled to make slashing easier and safer. With the new growth in the citrus trees the site looks fresh and appealing.  A LION OF A TEAMThe Mildura Lions Club has been volunteering a lot of their time at AIBG. They are always finding different things to do and are always looking for more. Some of their achievements include: installing drinking fountains and town water pipes to supply them; planting Salt Tolerant Bed 1 and installing a pathway through; fixing pavers at Peaka to enhance safety; insulation around Magenta Woolshed and paving at Garnpang. This dedicated team turn up on Tuesdays under the direction of Kevin Ashelford and help out in any way they can. They are currently working on a plantation of coolabah trees and a bird hide at the Northern Lake site, after assisting with planting the gaps in Australia Bed 15. The Northern Lake site car park, along the Self-Guided Tour road, has also been completed by them. This dedicated team deserve a huge thank you from us all, for their continuous input and infectious personalities and for the light-hearted banter that always guarantees a laugh.  ENTRY UPGRADEThe Botanic Gardens’ sign at the entry gates on River Road has undergone a small makeover using limestone rock. We have removed the old treated pine posts and created a new design. The rocks vary in size and shape and have been placed in such a way that we could plant a low growing plant or annuals around them. The reason behind the change is to create a follow through effect along the driveway where two more rock features will be created, one on either side of the driveway to continue the link to the new rockery using similar styles of rock. Our local limestone was formed on the seabed hundreds of million years ago. Comprised of calcium carbonate, limestone can stand up to weathering and erosion, remaining strong and stable over hundreds of years.  FROM THE GUEST BOOKMelbourne, VIC Wonderful place with beautiful plants. The scones and jam were great. Toowoomba, QLD Fabulous! Well sign-posted. Keep up the great work. Love the rose garden. Enfield, SA Beautiful Place. Loved visiting as a kid. Good to be back. Maclean NSW Enormous area. You are doing a beaut job. Italy & Japan First visit. Lovely. Worcestershire, UK Enjoyed the Gardens Roses are still giving good colour and scent. Good coffee too! Redland Bay, QLD Great to see all the arid plants, Lovely staff. Fort Nelson, Canada Wonderful! New Zealand Love my Sturt’s Desert Peas! Central Coast NSW Great place and Gracie, our dog, loved it – beaut smells. FROM THE SHOP Most of the goods we sell in the shop have a flora or fauna theme. Because of this they are usually very colourful. Whether it’s an apron with bright native flowers or a tea towel with bush animals or birds, they can be a cheerful addition to a home. While most purchases are for gifts, many visitors are buying for themselves. They want to brighten up their kitchen, or the clothes they are wearing. We have new stock in featuring our beautiful banksias. What could be better on a cold morning than drinking from a cup with a golden banksia emblazoned on it. Or having them on a tea towel, place mats and coasters or perhaps a heat mat. Next time you pop out to the Gardens to walk the dog, enjoy the wattles starting to flower, drop into the shop for a coffee or tea and purchase a brightly coloured souvenir.  WHAT’S ON AT THE AIBG  Santa’s Workshop – Can you help?This year I have decided to trial a Santa’s Workshop display at Christmas. We have a brilliant facility in Magenta Woolshed that often sits dormant in the hotter months so why not utilise it and see if we can get some people through the gates. My idea is to decorate the inside of the building with a conveyer belt and lots of toys, wrapped presents, Santa sack, etc etc but any help would be good. I have a committee of dedicated supporters, each with their own role to play but you can help as well. Do you have any unwanted Christmas paper, bows and ribbon, tinsel and other decorations, maybe some unwanted toys that could be wrapped or left unwrapped, and placed on display? Maybe boxed jigsaw puzzles or board games, old sporting equipment like tennis racquets or cricket bats, unwanted, unpainted wooden toys, the ideas are endless. They could range from dolls to teddies, trucks and scooters, maybe bikes of varying sizes, anything that could be wrapped to look like a toy in a pile. If you have any unwanted book cases I wouldn’t mind a couple to sit toys on and any old chimney stockings to add to the wrapping area. I will accept various sized cardboard boxes as well but don’t fold them as these will become wrapped presents also. And one last thing, does anyone know of a full- sized Santa sleigh in the district that we may be able to use? Thanks in anticipation! Brian Cuddy – AIBG Co-ordinator 0408 604 879 | email: ausibgmw@gmail.com   PLEASE JOIN USSupporters and Friends, we invite you to become a member of the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens. We are now working as one united group of volunteers: the Friends of the Gardens; the Board; volunteers and supporters. Membership is annual and costs $20, concession $15, or for a 10-year membership the fee is $200. Payment can be made by direct deposit to: Name: AIBG membership account; BSB: 633 000; Acct. Number: 200 525 509Please put your name on the transfer as reference. Collect a membership form from the Garnpang shop or digitally by email to: aibgfiles@gmail.com  BECOME A VOLUNTEER If you would like more information on how to become a volunteer at the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens, email your details to us here or call 5023 3612.1183 River Road, Mourquong, NSW, 2739 | Phone: (03) 5023 3612 |
To subscribe to the emailed newsletter send an email to aibgfiles@gmail.com
Historical Background:
Friends’ of the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens
A Brief Overview
In and around 1983, three local scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), approached the Mildura Development Council with the concept of creating a semi-arid land Botanic Garden in the area. Their efforts were championed by Ms Kaye Gambetta, the first female Mayor of Mildura.
Additional details – refer About.
Eventually, the land in Buronga (Mourquong) owned by the government of NSW, was identified as appropriate for the purpose, in terms of area and affordability. Proximity to Mildura also played an important part in its selection. Many members of the communities of Wentworth Shire and Mildura joined hands and volunteered their services to make the project a success. In 1986, the Sunraysia Oasis Botanical Gardens Inc (name changed to Australian Inland Botanic Gardens Inc in 1997) was incorporated as a not-for-profit under Consumer Affairs Victoria.
At the time, there according to the records there were close on 400 volunteers, from both areas who undertook various activities around the botanic gardens (Gardens), such as planting and pruning roses, helping in maintaining and upgrading both international and native plant beds, and generally assisted in helping the incorporated not-for-profit association become a going concern.
The first public meeting of the Friends of the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens (Friends) was held on 28th June 1989 at the Grand Hotel in Mildura. A Gallagher chaired the meeting, with Peter Smith, a renowned horticulturist as Speaker. It was generally acknowledged in 1990 at a Committee meeting of the incorporated association, that the Friends would function as a Committee of the association.
However, sometime after the above minute, the Friends decided to convert to an unincorporated entity, functioning under the umbrella of the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens Inc (AIBG). The Friends have their own ABN and are also registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission (ACNC).
Today, the Friends, other than assisting the staff with general maintenance, rose deadheading, tree pruning, weeding etc, also run the highly successful Gift and Coffee Shop located in the Garnpang Homestead. Possessing the requisite Food Handling and other certification, the Friends are also able to provide refreshments for small tour groups, functions, and workshops.
It is noteworthy, that the Board of Management of AIBG is also made up of Friends volunteers who give freely of their time and expertise to the organization.
The key groups and leaders, made up of Friends members are as follows:
1. The Dead headers: Marge Donellan, a colourful personality heads the team of dead headers who can be seen in season deadheading the roses at 6.30am in the morning.
2. The Gift & Coffee Shop: Valerie Wakefield, Suzanne Evans and Phyl Clay, three charming ladies always ready to serve you with a smile, who spearhead the volunteer team that faithfully keep the Gift and Coffee Shop functioning for visitors, including tour groups.
3. The Magenta Artists: an independent group of Artists led by Val Wakefield who meet every Wednesday and turn out beautiful works of art, some of which are on sale at the Gift and Coffee Shop. Keep an eye out for the annual Exhibition that is held during the Easter Weekend. Their talent is awesome!
4. The Nature Trailers: Val and Valerie Barnes, an unassuming and dedicated couple who keep the Nature Trail up to scratch with regular weeding and pruning and keep the indigenous trees and plants surviving through drought and dust storms.
5. The Prickle Hounds: a group of dedicated volunteers, led by leader Michael Keenan who meet every Wednesdays and are responsible for keeping the Gardens weed free.
6. The Z-team: a committed group of talented individuals led by Richard Munro who meet on Tuesdays are responsible for any task that involves expertise with woodwork, steel and other media. Their excellent workmanship means that they are a team AIBG cannot do without. Their activities cover the extensive daily maintenance work at the Gardens.
7. Next we have Val Wakefield, Gwen Wilkinson and Anne Zirngast who form the industrious support team that often undertakes catering activities for small functions. Gwen and Anne also undertake additional support activities such as lawn mowing, pruning and weeding, with Gwen creating the awesome Sturt Desert Pea bed – one of the main attractions at the Gardens.
8. Finally, we have Vic Eddy, currently Board Director who attends to hard core activities such as tree pruning, waste management by bonfire, etc and spends most of his waking time at the Gardens. Vic is an expert in Forestry and is largely instrumental in identifying the 2,500-year-old WOW tree at the Gardens.
The current Committee of the Friends is as follows:
Peter Bramsen, Chair
Jenny Eagle, Secretary/Liaison Officer AIBG
Judi Harris, Asst. Secretary
Lynette Hose, Treasurer
The Friends maintain links with other Friends organisations and other botanic gardens around Australia.
Please refer below for the relevant links.
Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG)https://parksaustralia.gov.au/botanic-gardens/
Friends of the Australian National Botanic Gardenshttps://parksaustralia.gov.au/botanic-gardens/
Botanic Gardens of Australia and New Zealand. (BGANZ)https://www.bganz.org.au/
Landcare Australiahttps://landcareaustralia.org.au/
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