The BGANZ Victoria network came together on 20 May 2026 at Bendigo Botanic Garden, with 70 members attending a highly engaging and collaborative face‑to‑face meeting hosted in the impressive Larni Garingilang precinct.
This relatively new venue proved an outstanding setting for the event with sweeping 360‑degree views across the surrounding Indigenous gardens and wetlands. The location provided a fitting backdrop for a day focused on sharing knowledge, showcasing innovation, and strengthening connections across the botanic gardens network.
The event was officially opened by Councillor Thomas Prince, Mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo, and set the tone for a strong and engaging program of presentations. Richard Barley led proceedings with his keynote address, sharing insights from his time at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was inspiring to reflect on the positive impact of his 12‑year tenure, while also recognising many of the shared challenges faced by botanic gardens across our local network.
This was followed by a series of member showcase presentations, highlighting the breadth and diversity of work taking place across Victoria. Highlights included updates on the Bendigo Botanic Gardens Masterplan, a behind‑the‑scenes look at Ballarat’s Begonia Festival, and the ambitious vision for the new Melbourne Arboretum. The session concluded with a memorable presentation from Amy Downie and Ollie Sherlock, who shared the extraordinary efforts undertaken to support conservation of Eucalyptus stenostoma following the Black Summer fires (spoiler alert it involves abseiling down a cliff face). Ollie and Amy then helped Kirstie plant one of the E. stenostomas propagated and grown on from this project in the Bendigo Botanic Garden.
The day concluded with a lively “Round the Traps” session, where participants shared updates, ideas, and achievements from across the network – reinforcing the strength and diversity of work underway in botanic gardens throughout the state.
Overall, the meeting was a great success, combining a high‑quality program with valuable networking opportunities in a truly inspiring setting.
On behalf of the BGANZ Vic Convenor, Tex Moon, we would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of the presenters – Richard Barley, Kirstie Paterson (Bendigo Botanic Gardens), Donna Thomas (Ballarat Botanical Gardens), Matt Weller (Melbourne Arboretum), and Amy Downie and Ollie Sherlock (Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria) – for sharing their insights and inspiring work. We also gratefully acknowledge the Friends of Bendigo Botanic Gardens for their support for the event, along with the fantastic team at Bendigo Botanic Gardens and Omari Bendigo Café and Events for their warm hospitality and for hosting such a memorable day.
