Calendar

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Here you will find a calendar of Friends’ activities in the Gardens including lunchtime talks, social events, exhibitions and the ever-popular spring and autumn plant sales. In addition to events arranged by the Friends, we include some events arranged by the Gardens and by other organisations. A full list of events arranged by the Gardens is in their What's On webpage.

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Event title Date Details
The National Seed Bank 'Taking our science and practice to the global and regional stage' Thursday, 16 April 2026 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

This talk will cover some of the projects at the National Seed Bank, including testing the viability of seed in storage, the exchange of plant knowledge with the Mala women rangers at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and the germination of Leionema and Phebalium species. Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. (Tickets are Free but a donation on entry is appreciated.) This talk will be held in the ANBG Theatrette. Booking Link - https://www.trybooking.com/DHLRC

Leo Joseph '12 Birds, 3 Books, 5 Cities, and 3 Continents: An Ornithological Life Not Yet Finished’ Thursday, 23 April 2026 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Leo, recently retired from CSIRO, appreciates how pivotal it was for him to see certain species of bird in the wild in Australia and South America and the happy pursuit of a career studying evolution of birds, especially in these countries. Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. (Tickets are Free but a donation on entry is appreciated.) This talk will be held in the ANBG Theatrette. Booking Link - https://www.trybooking.com/DHLRE

Associate Professor Brad Tucker ‘The past, present and future of Mt Stromlo: Celebrating Mt Stromlo’s 100th anniversary’ Thursday, 30 April 2026 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

In its 100 years Mt Stromlo has been at the forefront of astronomical discoveries, but much of its history has remained hidden. Brad, from ANU, will talk about its past and how it is shaping the future of astronomy and Canberra, and how it is helping to combat light pollution. Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. (Tickets are Free but a donation on entry is appreciated.) This talk will be held in the ANBG Theatrette. Booking Link - https://www.trybooking.com/DHLRH

Kristy Gould ‘Conserving Canberra: Healing country through restoration’ Thursday, 7 May 2026 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Kristy, from the ACT Office of Nature Conservation, describes a project to improve restoration through development of spatial planning tools, on-ground work at three key sites, and engaging the Ngunnawal community in Healing Country. Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. (Tickets are Free but a donation on entry is appreciated.) This talk will be held in the ANBG Theatrette. Booking Link - https://www.trybooking.com/DHLQN

Kim Pullen ‘More treasures–insects in fens and bogs’ Thursday, 14 May 2026 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Kim will discuss bogs and fens as an insect habitat, the variety of ecological niches that insects occupy and some threats to the fauna. She will give some local examples of the fauna of this habitat. Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. (Tickets are Free but a donation on entry is appreciated.) This talk will be held in the ANBG Theatrette Booking Link - https://www.trybooking.com/DHLQK

Andrea Wild ‘Awe and wonder in CSIRO’s collections’ Thursday, 21 May 2026 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Andrea, from CSIRO, will share stories from the new science book Wild Collections. Learn about sharks living in sponges, orchids flowering underground, Spotted Handfish guarding their eggs, quirky tales of worm bums, Darkling beetles undertaking a decathlon, and much more. Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. (Tickets are Free but a donation on entry is appreciated.) This talk will be held in the ANBG Theatrette. Booking Link - https://www.trybooking.com/DKZFY

Dr Roger Farrow ‘Back from the brink or a resilient survivor: The case of Key’s Matchstick Grasshopper, Keyacris scurra’ Thursday, 28 May 2026 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Roger, formerly of CSIRO, will tell a tale of mystery and suspense involving two geneticists, some cemeteries, a taxonomist, a survey, sheep, habitat loss, citizen scientists and a sceptic. Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. (Tickets are Free but a donation on entry is appreciated.) This talk will be held in the ANBG Theatrette. Booking Link - https://www.trybooking.com/DKZFZ

Charlie Blumer and Jon Darvill ‘Flower power and no bad bees: Getting the big picture on pollinators in the ACT’ Thursday, 4 June 2026 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Charlie Blumer and Jon Darvill explore the identities and ecology of some of the 200-odd native bees and other pollinators in the ACT. They identify why they matter, the threats to them, and how we can help them. Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. (Tickets are Free but a donation on entry is appreciated.) This talk will be held in the ANBG Theatrette. Booking Link - https://www.trybooking.com/DKZGA

Bruno Ferronato ‘TurtleWatch ACT: citizen-science, monitoring and conservation of turtles in Canberra’ Thursday, 30 July 2026 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Bruno will talk about the biology of the Eastern long-necked turtles, their adaptations to flood-dry cycles in Australia, their active life in suburban areas, and recent findings in the turtle monitoring program in Canberra. Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. (Tickets are free but a donation on entry is appreciated.) This talk will be held in the ANBG Theatrette. Booking Link - https://www.trybooking.com/DKXYN