Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Annual Report 2018-19

Bush Foods at Melbourne Gardens
Early Years
Across Early Childhood learning, Royal
Botanic Gardens Victoria continued to
offer innovative programming in 2018–19
including bush kinder engagement
opportunities, teacher training and the
Balee Koolin Bubup Bush Playgroup at
Cranbourne Gardens as well as the Little
Seeds Gardening Program at Melbourne
Gardens. Combined, these programs
engaged more than 1,500 children in
2018–19.
Nature Play Week was again a popular
event, held in partnership with the
Department of Health and Human
Services and the Kids in Nature Network.
The eventlaunch at The Ian Potter
Foundation Children’s Garden attracted
over 700 participants.
Inclusive and Environmental
Partnerships
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
launched the three-year Southern
Brown Bandicoot Outreach Program,
funded through DELWP, with the aim of
increasing the community’s awareness
and understanding of the endangered
Southern Brown Bandicoot which
resides in the Cranbourne Gardens, and
encouraging behaviours that will protect
the species into the future. With these
objectives, the newly appointed Southern
Brown Bandicoot Outreach Officer has
begun connecting with partners such as
local councils, conservation organisations
and land managers to engage the local
community including residents, schools
and housing developers in a range of
bandicoot conservation-related activities.
In October 2018, Royal Botanic Gardens
Victoria launched a new partnership
with Regis Aged Care, Australia’s third
largest aged care provider to promote the
importance of nature for the wellbeing
of senior Australians. The program
includes nature focused activities for
Regis residents, on-site at 16 metropolitan
Melbourne Regis centres as well as at
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria’s two
sites. A first for both organisations,
the partnership is led by the Seniors
Program Facilitator and has new seniors’
engagement program called Branch Out,
open to all older Australians.
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS BOARD VICTORIA — ANNUAL REPORT 2018–19 47