Regional Relevance

Autumn weather in Geelong is a little unpredictable – so come prepared for everything. Temperature range in late April/May can be 10⁰ – 25⁰ during the day and overnight temperatures may drop below 10⁰. 

Bring binoculars, good walking shoes, hat, sunscreen, wind and waterproof jacket etc. 

The tour itineraries may be subject to minor changes

Friday 29 April  Bellarine Tour 

Explore Port Phillip Heads at low tide with Parks Victoria expert staff.  Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, Victoria’s first government botanist and Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, collected algae from this area.

Discover the secrets of Swan Bay, a Ramsar wetland site, with our professional guides.

Enjoy lunch and explore the historic town of Queenscliff.  Early citizens of Melbourne travelled by train or boat to enjoy summer at this popular seaside resort.

Learn about the development of our sustainable seafood industry.  Engage in a talk about the internationally recognised Hatchery for Port Phillip mussels and oysters.

We have a unique opportunity to view an outstanding regional garden with wonderful views across Corio Bay.  This garden displays a magnificent collection of sculpture by internationally acclaimed artists.  These works of art are beautifully sited in an extensive landscape of indigenous plants.

Return to the Conference Centre at 4.00 pm.

Essential: footwear with good grip; old sneakers are ideal.  There will be ‘walking on rough terrain and possibly in very shallow water’.

Tickets available at our office (ph 5222 6053) $50 members, $60 non-members

Monday 2 May  Great Ocean Road and Otway Ranges Tour 

Our coach will travel along the spectacular Great Ocean Road through the seaside resorts of Anglesea, Lorne and Apollo Bay.

We shall travel through the Mountain Ash forest of the Otway Ranges to Melba Gully, the ‘Jewel of the Otways’, renowned for its dense forest of ancient Myrtle Beech and gullies of tree ferns.

At Lavers Hill we shall visit the Otway Ridge Arboretum which holds a unique collection of conifers. The Araucariaceae family is well represented with species from New Caledonia and South America

Lunch will be at a garden in the Aire River environs.

A further highlight will be a visit to the historic Colac Botanic Gardens, set aside in 1865.  Daniel Bunce, the curator of the Geelong Botanic Gardens, was commissioned to plan the gardens in a “proper and scientific manner” and made visits to Colac in 1868. He provided the basic form with an internal carriageway that enabled a circuit of the gardens.  In 1910 William Guilfoyle, who had recently retired as Director of RBG Melbourne, was invited to revise the landscape and improve the plantings.  Not all the recommended changes were implemented but the Guilfoyle influence is evident with numerous clumps of New Zealand Flax, Cordyline, Yucca and Aloe.

We shall enjoy a walk and afternoon tea at the gardens before returning to Geelong inland via Winchelsea.

Essential: flat walking shoes with good grip. The boardwalk and paths may be slippery or muddy.

Tickets available at our office (ph 5222 6053) $90 members, $100 non-members

Western Plains Tour 

Explore part of the Victorian Volcanic Plain – the third largest volcanic plain in the world. We will visit the young emerging ‘dryland’ Melton Botanic Gardens and enjoy morning tea with the Melton Friends. 

Then to the historic Werribee Park precinct and its many delights including the formal gardens, The Victoria State Rose Garden, the Heritage Orchard and the Werribee Park Sculpture Walk.  This property is a significant part of the history of the Australian pastoral industry. 

Lunch will be enjoyed with the Karen volunteers at the historic ‘Homestead’ kitchen gardens which they have helped to rebuild through a community refugee project – sustainable gardening at its best.  

Then visit the extensive wetlands created by the Melbourne Water’s Treatment Plant close to Port Phillip Bay; another Ramsar Wetlands site, this area is a bird-lover’s paradise and we are privileged to gain access to this secure site. 

Enjoy the Kevin Hoffman Walk at Lara - a passive, scenic linear trail (800 m) with significant indigenous vegetation, lush ground covers, flowering native shrubs and trees that overlook part of the tranquil Hovells Creek. 

There will be a drop off at Lara Station (train to Melbourne, taxi to Avalon Airport) if requested

Essential: long pants and long sleeved shirt, flat, closed footwear and socks without holes!

Tickets available at our office (ph 5222 6053) $85 members, $95 non-members

March 26 2016