Having only attended parts of ANPSA conferences in the past, I decided that this year I would go for the full immersive experience. Part of the attraction was that it was being held in my hometown of Melbourne, and one of the post-conference tours was to The Grampians—an area I had visited several times before. This was an opportunity to explore it again, but this time with local plant experts.
The conference was hosted in a new venue, The Round, owned and managed by Whitehorse City Council in the suburb of Nunawading, 18 km from Melbourne’s CBD. I heard some criticism from Sydney attendees about the location, as it wasn’t in the city center. However, the venue had excellent facilities, was close to public transport, had ample parking, and likely offered more affordable nearby accommodation than the city center. The only real downside was that Nunawading is far from Melbourne’s renowned dining precincts.
My expectations were far exceeded—the conference was an amazing experience on many levels. First and foremost, every speaker delivered an excellent presentation. I’ve written a separate report about Dr. Greg Moore’s lecture on the importance of urban trees, which sparked many conversations in the days that followed. Other plenary sessions included Damien Cook discussing wetland restoration, Prof. John Rayner on the value of naturalistic planting in public landscapes (including creating wildflower meadows), and Julie Weatherhead from Peppermint Ridge Farm in Tynong North, who spoke about the use of native foods. There was a queue to purchase her book at the end of her session—I’ll bring my copy to our next Members’ meeting.
The final session ended on a high note with Dr. Alex Maisey presenting his PhD research on the role lyrebirds play in forest health. His study quantified the amount of leaf litter and soil these birds turn over while foraging for food. The results showed that individual birds turn over truckloads of soil, a critical factor in maintaining forest health and aiding plant germination.
One day was dedicated to concurrent short sessions, focusing on local and community-based projects. Choosing which sessions to attend was a challenge! I prioritized topics linked to tours and excursions, such as Chris Larkin’s talk on Garden Design (since I planned to visit her garden on one of the all-day excursions) and Neill Marriott’s presentation on Conserving Rare Plants of The Grampians. As a former Melburnian, I was also drawn to sessions about familiar places, including the restoration of Merri Creek—a truly inspiring account of community action—and the Indigenous Plants of the Mornington Peninsula. It’s worth noting that there wasn’t an APS Group on the Mornington Peninsula when I lived there.
Two full days of the conference were devoted to excursions. I’ll share more about the two I chose—the Dandenong Ranges and Knox Gardens for Wildlife—and show some photos at our January meeting.
Another highlight of the conference was the people I met. It was wonderful to have the company of fellow Parra Hills members Sarah Tyrell-Adams for the entire conference and Tony Maxwell, who attended for a day. It was also lovely to reconnect with old friends from other Sydney groups and to finally meet people who had been familiar names in the Australian plant community for years. For example, Rodger Elliott led our walk in Sherbrooke Forest; Neill Marriott presented multiple papers and guided two days of The Grampians and Wimmera tour; and Chris Larkin, a regular contributor to The Garden Design Study Group newsletter, gave a conference presentation and hosted a visit to her garden. Then, of course, there were the regular members from all over Australia—everyone was so friendly, and it was wonderful to share experiences of growing and appreciating Australian plants and exchanging ideas for our Groups.
The next ANPSA conference will be held in two years in Alice Springs. Will you be there?
