April has been a busy month at the Botanic Gardens!
A little bit of sunshine was all it took for families to get down to the gardens and enjoy our self-guided activities, relax and play.
We had a range of self-guided activities that were very popular as well as a photo competition. Our booked activities, rock art painting with JoAnn Clout and discovering the world of insects with Maya were also popular.
Lots of children came and visited our free plastic bottle art workshop too, where many colourful flowers and butterflies were created. Some were taken home and some remained so they can be added to a display at our Open Day in June.
Our free Friday guided walks have also started and we would love to see people come down and discover the gardens. There is always something new to see and with a different guide each week, you will discover something new each time.
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Get creative with plastic bottles
Over the holidays, we turned plastic bottles into works of botanic art as we created colourful flowers and butterflies.
We invite you to make your own botanic artworks at home and bring them in to be part of our upcoming display at the Botanic Gardens Open Day on Saturday, June 5.
Instructions can be found on the Botanic Gardens website.
For more information, please contact Kim at the Botanic Gardens on 4952 7321.
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What’s flowering in the Botanic Gardens?
Hoya australis subsp australis – Wax Flower, Native Hoya
Native Hoya is a twining climber with thick leaves and milky sap. It has small, perfumed cream flowers in pendulous clusters, flowering best in bright light.
The flowers attract a range of butterflies and they can be seen coming into flower now on the cage of the Eungella Cloud Garden next to the café.
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Melicope bonwickii, Yellow Evodia
High in the canopy of the Tropical Shade Garden, you just might be able to see a mass display of pink flowers from Melicope bonwickii, commonly known as Yellow Evodia. It is an evergreen tree, growing up to 40m tall and is a host plant of the strikingly blue Ulysses butterfly.
It also attracts a range of nectar or pollen-feeding bird species, particularly parrots.
Yellow Evodia can also be found in timber trees and regional forests. Come and visit the gardens and see them for yourself!
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Free guided walks
Our Friday guided walks program has started and we invite you to join one of our knowledgeable friendly guides, Maya, Margaret and Toni for a guided walk in the gardens.
Walks start at 10am from Botanic Gardens Visitor Information Centre and go for about an hour at a leisurely pace.
Private group tours are available and are by appointment only. Children under the age of 16 years must be accompanied by an adult.
To book your spot or for more information, please phone the Botanic Gardens on 4952 7300.
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Fun with Timber by Kevin McNamara
Fun with Timber is a creative and fun display of wood carvings created by Kevin McNamara.
Kevin is self-taught and also a member of the Mackay Woodturners.
Kevin enjoys sketching a diversity of different subjects; buildings, streetscapes, people and wildlife. At home, his sketches come to life in his wood carvings.
This exhibition is on display from Wednesday, April 28, to Sunday, May 23, in the Lagoons Gallery, located within the Botanic Gardens Café.
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Birdlife Mackay monthly bird surveys
Birdlife Mackay holds monthly bird counts in the Botanic Gardens to assist in monitoring the status and trends of local bird populations across the Mackay region.
If you are a keen bird lover/bird watcher, we would love you to join in!
The next bird surveys in the Botanic Gardens will be held on Friday, April 30, and May 28, at 6.30am. Meet the group at the viewing deck next to the café.
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Native Plants Queensland – SGAP Mackay branch
Are you interested in local native plants? Native Plants Queensland – Society for Growing Australian Plants Mackay is a regional branch of Native Plants Queensland.
They hold monthly meetings, propagation days, planting bees, plant sales and more.
Visitors are welcome to attend meetings and for more information on meeting dates and locations, please email npqmackay@gmail.com.
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Self-guided school education resources
The Botanic Gardens have self-guided education sessions on offer in the gardens for primary school years, Prep to Grade 6.
All resources are free and linked to the school curriculum HASS and Science subjects.
For more information, phone 4952 7321 or email the Botanic Gardens.
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