IPPS Exchange student 2015: Megan Blatchford
What an amazing experience and wonderful opportunity for young and passionate Horticulturists!
Upon arrival in Sydney Australia, I had just missed severe storms which had caused considerable damage in the region. The weather was very wet and cold during my first few days. I stayed with Bruce and Heather Higgs at their home in Penrith where they also have a Nursery. On my first day I was taken to the amazing Mount Tomah Botanical Garden where I was given a tour of the garden by curator Greg Bourke. We stopped at a local nature reserve along the way and viewed the Blue Mountains from Wentworth Falls viewpoint- it was absolutely breathtaking! We made our way along the scenic cliff drive through Blue Mountain National Park. I was taken to Andreasen’s Wholesale Nursery in Lansvale, where one of the managers showed us their propagation and growing areas. I was then taken to Bunnings Retail Warehouse and shown the nursery center section (Bunnings has taken over the Horticulture market and out-competed many retailers and wholesalers, causing many businesses to close down). I was then taken to the very large Mount Annan Botanical Garden where we met with one of the managers. He took us on a private tour of the garden and showed us the Australian Plant Bank which was one of the highlights of my visit.
I was taken to Engall’s Nursery by Michael Gleeson where I met with Jimmy Adams (2014 Exchangee to South Africa). I attended the ‘Variety Bash’ formal dinner fundraising event with the Engall’s Nursery Team as I was invited by Mark Engall.
During my first weekend in Sydney I went sight-seeing in the city with Jimmy Adams, on a quest to see a Koala Bear and an Aborigine playing a didgeridoo.
After returning to Engall’s Nursery, I helped pot up bare-rooted Roses in the morning before heading off to join the pre-conference tour group at Alpine Nursery where our tour began.
Besides Alpine Nursery, the pre-conference tour consisted of visiting the following places:
Swane’s Nursery near Dural, Edogowa Japanese Public Garden near Gosford, Andreasens wholesale Nursery in Mangrove Mountain- it was here that I was able to see the mature trees grown for the huge Barangaroo Restoration and Landscaping Project, which was very exciting! We also visited Scotts Tubes Nursery. We took a scenic drive through Wollombi en-route to Newcastle and stopped at Buckety Wall Convict Trail. During our stay in the Hunter Valley Region, we visited the spectacular Hunter Valley Gardens owned by Bill Roche, which consist of 60 acres of internationally themed gardens. Thereafter, we made a more casual visit to the Audrey Wilkinson Wine Museum and Tyrrell’s Wine Tasting Cellar for the wine connoisseurs on board the tour bus.
The conference was held at the majestic Newcastle City Hall boasting magnificent ceilings and wall murals. I formed part of the 6-pack group which was sponsored by Yates, and assisted in setting up displays in the hall as well as packing the attendee goodie bags and other miscellaneous tasks. Myself and other 6-packers helped take attendance register at the opening meet and greet evening which was held at Newcastle museum. The conference hosted many interesting speakers on a variety of topics which I thoroughly enjoyed and I gave a presentation on myself during the conference. Myself and the other 6-packers assisted with the auction on the evening of the formal gala dinner.
As part of the conference tours, we visited Bromeliads Nursery, Overland Nursery and Ramm Botanicals and also Scott’s Tubes for a second time.
After the conference I was hosted by David and Vicki Ponman who reside in Newcastle. They showed me their nursery on their property and took me sight-seeing around Newcastle. I helped pot up in their nursery for a morning with other staff.
Thereafter, my last hosts were Carol and Doug Twentyman of Newcastle. They took me to see Hunter Valley Region Botanic Gardens, Nelson Bay, Oakvale Farm and Eden Gardens Retail Nursery. I was thrilled to see the variety of proteaceae plants on display at the Botanical Garden and was even taken into the small herbarium which has a great volunteer support. They also boast a well-kept Orchid house.
Australia was absolutely beautiful. My hosts and many of the lovely Australians that I met had a great sense of humor; they were welcoming, light-hearted and friendly.
The experience definitely exposed me to the world of Horticulture outside of South Africa and broadened my horizons. It was life changing and has had such a positive effect on my life. I am so grateful to have been afforded the trip to Australia, thank you IPPS.
I am looking forward to sharing my experiences and what I learned and gained at the 2016 South African conference in Lamberts Bay.