Illuminate '25 - annual Photo Group exhibition
2025-11-21 09:30 - 2025-12-14 16:30 (Australia/Canberra) | ACT
Illuminate ’25 will be the 12th annual exhibition by the Friends Photographic Group.
The exhibition features captivating photographs taken within the Gardens, and of Australian fauna and flora in their natural environment. The works include plant portraits, close-up shots of flowers, birds and insects, intimate landscapes within the Gardens, and fauna from the Canberra region.
‘Illuminate’ has two meanings: one is about physical light, and the other is about intellectual or spiritual enlightenment. The exhibition invites us to discover, appreciate and value Australia’s unique flora and fauna. The Group aims to share their passion for discovering, appreciating and valuing Australia’s unique flora and fauna as seen through the lenses of their cameras.
This year the special prize categories for entries will be ‘Australian Native Plants and Fungi’, and ‘Fauna – of the ANBG’.
All photographs on show are for sale – and they make great Christmas presents! Additional copies of some works can be ordered, and other items for sale include unframed prints, greeting cards, and specialty calendars by individual members. The exhibition is in the Visitor Centre Gallery, open daily from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm. Entry is free.
The exhibition will open with a special preview for Friends and ANBG staff on the evening of Thursday 20 November.

Images by Simone Slater, Natalie Aldridge, and Paul Bainton

Illuminate ’25 – annual Photo Group exhibition
2025-11-21 09:30 - 2025-12-14 16:30 (Australia/Sydney) | Visitor Centre Gallery, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
Illuminate ’25 will be the 12th annual exhibition by the Friends Photographic Group.
The exhibition features captivating photographs taken within the Gardens, and of Australian fauna and flora in their natural environment. The works include plant portraits, close-up shots of flowers, birds and insects, intimate landscapes within the Gardens, and fauna from the Canberra region.
‘Illuminate’ has two meanings: one is about physical light, and the other is about intellectual or spiritual enlightenment. The exhibition invites us to discover, appreciate and value Australia’s unique flora and fauna. The Group aims to share their passion for discovering, appreciating and valuing Australia’s unique flora and fauna as seen through the lenses of their cameras.
This year the special prize categories for entries will be ‘Australian Native Plants and Fungi’, and ‘Fauna – of the ANBG’.
All photographs on show are for sale – and they make great Christmas presents! Additional copies of some works can be ordered, and other items for sale include unframed prints, greeting cards, and specialty calendars by individual members. The exhibition is in the Visitor Centre Gallery, open daily from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm. Entry is free.
The exhibition will open with a special preview for Friends and ANBG staff on the evening of Thursday 20 November.

Associate Professor Duanne White – ‘Antarctic ice shelves?’
2025-11-27 12:30 - 13:30 (Australia/Sydney) | ANBG Theatrette, Clunies Ross Street Acton ACT 2601, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
What lies beneath Antarctic ice shelves? Duanne, from University of Canberra, will show field studies of how warm ocean currents, past and present, are melting the weak underbelly of the ice sheet in the Denman Glacier region.
Associate Professor Duanne White is a quantitative geomorphologist and geochemist, at the University of Canberra, interested in catchment and Earth Systems. This involves understanding the links between landscape, climate and critters, and how these have changed during the Quaternary period – i.e. the last couple of million years. This interest has taken him across Australia and on several trips to Antarctica, the Arctic and Sub-Antarctic Islands and beyond.
Bookings open on 24 October at https://www.trybooking.com/DDEFX
Booking
Lunchtime talks are held at 12.30 pm every Thursday from February to November. Talks last for 1 hour. We welcome donations by gold coins, notes, or electronically. The Friends use donations received at each talk to support Gardens’ programs and development and we thank all those who have donated.
Unless otherwise indicated, talks are held in the ANBG Theatrette.
It is a good idea to reserve a seat at the talks that you wish to attend; talks may be booked out very quickly. Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached.
The Friends of the ANBG thank the speakers who volunteer their time and talents to further the knowledge of all attending events in the Gardens. Many summaries or PowerPoint presentations of Thursday talks are available to Friends at the ANBG library. Please direct queries about the talks to the Thursday Talks Team: email talks@friendsanbg.org.au.

Photographic Group Monthly Meeting
2025-11-28 10:00 - 12:00 (Australia/Sydney) | ANBG Theatrette, Clunies Ross Street Acton ACT 2601, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
The last monthly meeting for 2025 will take place on Friday 28 November 2025 at 10 am in the Theatrette.
Graham Gall will be the speaker. His topic will be the Birdlife Photography Biennial Conference which takes place in Canberra on 7 and 8 March 2026. Hear about who will be speaking, associated birding outings and what else is on the program from Graham, who is Chair of the organising committee.
The meeting will include a regular show-and-tell segment in which participants share images and the inspiration behind them.
