Friends of Burrendong Arboretum in Mumbil, New South Wales | Community organisation

Friends of Burrendong Arboretum

Locality: Mumbil, New South Wales

Address: 95 Tara Road 2820 Mumbil, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.burrendongarboretum.org

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25.01.2022 Flowering beautifully just below the Nursery on the fence side... Billardiera candida

25.01.2022 Melaleuca violacea is surviving on Harris Lookout but only one plant has any flower yet.

24.01.2022 Anigozanthos rufus is recovering after the plants outside the bottom of the Nursery were up! They are coming into bud nicely!

24.01.2022 Thursday 14th November was a pleasant day at the Arboretum. We went out to water the Lookout gardens and spent 4 hours on the hill. The weather was very pleasant with gentle wind now and then. Everything is very, very dry! Ive been told that we can expect more hot weather next week... lets hope we dont get dust storms and strong winds! We explored around a little before lunch and found some plants flowering that we didnt notice last week. To the East of the Western Beds we noticed some flower on Eucalyptus torquata and then saw a young tree nearby covered in beautiful pink blossom!

23.01.2022 Recently I spoke with some inter-state visitors who asked what there was to see! I talked about interesting bark, fruit like the gumnuts and cones, the ferns in the gully and the perfumes in the Mintbush Area. When I met the group several hours later they showed me wonderful photos of bark on Angophora costata ... fruit on numerous hakeas and casuarinas and the wonderful gumnuts on some of the Eucalypts! These folk were in raptures about what they had seen and ended up telling me theyd seen kangaroos, wallabies, emus and an echidna! 1. Hakea bucculenta 2. Hakea cristata 3. Hakea eriantha 4. Angophora costata 5. Eucalyptus caesia.6. Eucalyptus macrocarpa 7. Eucalyptus kingsmillii 8. Echidna 9.Emu 10. Kangaroo and Joey

23.01.2022 Hello everyone! We hope you are all coping with the hot weather and wind (and the fires if they are near you!). We had to close the gates on Tuesday and Wednesday because of the risk of fires! This next week promises more hot days and some wind... lets hope conditions are not as drastic as last week. Mick has asked me to let you all know that we will do the Markets on the 23rd November this will be a special Market for the end of the year! The Wind Farm will take little bu...s loads for visitors to see the Wind Farm and are offering sausage sandwiches and drinks. Remember that the Rotary Market will be at the Library end of the park... do support all of the stalls if you can. Friends of Burrendong Arboretum are going to have a Christmas function at the Lion of Waterloo on the 12th December starting at 6.00pm. Could anyone wishing to attend let Mick Hutchison or Durn Flatman know by 2nd December next. Those who regularly volunteer on a Wednesday, please watch emails to check if the gates will be open... if not please try to offer some help on another day. Watering is a top priority at present. Do all keep hoping for good, steady, soaking rain... we all need it but especially the Arboretum! Regards, Alice. See more

23.01.2022 This year was not a good year for orchids in C W NSW because of the drought. Our photos were taken previous years! 1. We have labelled as Caladenia caerulea. Someone suggested Glossodia minor but I didnt think so. 2-3 Caladenia carnea/fuscata ? 4. Glossodia major. 5. Diuris goonooensis. 6. Diuris dendroboides (called punctata by Peter Althofer.) 7. Microtis uniflora 8. Acianthus fornicatus 9. Thelemytra pauciflora 10. Pterostylis cycnoncephala/mutica? These photos all taken of ground orchids growing naturally in the Regeneration Area. Im afraid they wouldnt have flowered as well this year.

22.01.2022 Also, on the other side of the path Chamelaucium cilliatum has been magnificent for some weeks...

21.01.2022 I am sorry that some of our followers missed my post on birds at the Arboretum! I some how managed to put them up as a visitor... I dont know how I did it!

21.01.2022 13/2/20... following on from yesterdays post! There was 52mls of rain after we left the Arboretum yesterday! The lower parts of the property have been completely flooded again! It has been decided to CLOSE the Arboretum to visitors at least until Tuesday 18th February. There has been work done recently on many of the roads and traffic would make a mess of the new work! Going off the bitumen in most places vehicles would become bogged! Yes, the rain is needed... we just need it to soak down to the roots of the trees! When the plants are looking happy again please come and visit!

20.01.2022 Hello everyone! Yes, the Arboretum got 34mls on Thursday morning in 15 minutes. Theyve probably had more since because we have in town. Every little bit helps when it has been so dry. Those of you whove visited in the last couple of weeks and have made contact have been rather distressed at the state the plants are in. I am not surprised as most of the volunteers feel the same way. Remember to make contact if you can spare a little time to help. A huge THANK YOU to the FOBA members who have made donations recently. We all realise that people are busy helping farmers in the drought and bushfire victims and firefighters! Thank you all for your concern and interest. Alice.

20.01.2022 Leptospermum sericeum is just coming into flower on Harris Lookout. Sadly several of the original died.

20.01.2022 Above the Western Beds in the Mallee Area there was some flower on Eucalyptus youngiana (the red version).

19.01.2022 I was asked about birds at the Arboretum... I am not a bird photographer! They dont always wait around for me to organise my camera! These are a few of my photos taken previous years!

16.01.2022 Callistemon montanus is also just starting to flower on Harris Lookout. We have pruned and tidied it up a bit recently in order to get at the weeds!

15.01.2022 Flowering today at the Arboretum. The one I noticed was in the bed above the glass-house. Derwentia or Veronica perfoliata...

14.01.2022 Thank you to the two women who have messaged me about the drought and the fires! The Burrendong Dam is down to 2% and I havent heard that there will be an inflow yet from Windamere. The last few weeks there has not been a working bee of volunteers on a Wednesday... the smoke pollution has been very bad and the temperatures very high. We have not heard about being needed other days like we have been previous years. The volunteers did meet at the Cactus Caf for Morning Tea la...st Friday... it was very pleasant sitting under the grape trellis chatting and drinking coffee etc... I couldnt help thinking that we should be watering at the Arboretum! We cant just go out and water odd times as the gates are locked these days. The fires havent been close to us although there have been a couple near Orange and Bathurst. Now the fire is really getting established near Ilford and Running Stream... for those of you who know the area, that isnt all that far from Burrendong across country. So much depends on the winds. If we are asked for helpers I will put up a post. Any members of Friends could help if there was someone there to take the responsibility of the team. Do all have a lovely Christmas with family and friends and do stay safe! See more

14.01.2022 Callistemon montanus is now loaded with flower on Harris Lookout. It was pruned recently so that we could remove some of the weeds. Theres lots of flowers but, probably because of the drought, the flower heads are relatively small.

14.01.2022 Sorry... no photos of wild flowers today! However there is very good news... the Arboretum has had several lots of rain! Mostly this has been in the form of showers on the edge of storm activity. Several lots of rain have been quite heavy with localised flash flooding! I can report that amazingly some plants have already put on some new growth! Most of us volunteering there today spent the time weeding! It was amazing to see how quickly the catheads, crumb weed, portuluca etc etc had grown and some were already flowering!!! Lets hope there will be some follow-up gentle, soaking rain.

13.01.2022 THANK YOU to all of those people who have enquired about Burrendong Botanic Garden. Yes, it has been a very, very hot Summer and theres more Summer to come yet! The heat has resulted in a very dry time and as I mentioned previously, we have lost a lot of plants (they may well have also died in the wild!). It is impossible to water all of the plants but a big effort has been made with the garden beds and some of the shrubs. Fern Gully, The Mint-bush Area, the Nursery and the ...Glass-house are watered very regularly. Some Staff and volunteers have had some time off over the holiday time, but others have done their very best to maintain the place. Any people with a little time to spare would be very welcome to give a day or two to help with watering. Please arrange this with Mike Herbert, the Manager, or Gay Bennison the Horticulturalist. You would be very welcome!!! One Friend asked recently Why no flower photos any more?. Two reasons... not many plants are putting effort into flower as they are struggling with the drought... and we have been busy watering and havent driven around to see what if trying to flower! Yesterday there was some flower on Hibiscus heterophyllus above the glass-house and on Grevillea bipinnatifida on Harris Lookout! Just to help cheer us up!!! See more

11.01.2022 I have been reminded that Chamelaucium uncinatum has been flowering for a few weeks at the Lookout. I dont have a photo of the dark one but these shots show a lot of variation in colouring.

11.01.2022 URGENT NEWS ... BURRENDONG BOTANIC GARDEN AND ARBORETUM WILL BE OPEN AGAIN TOMORROW, THURSDAY. VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH WATERING VERY WELCOME. PROBABLY NOT AN IDEAL TIME FOR VISITORS.

11.01.2022 Thank you for the responses on my last posting. I am well aware that theres very little flowering anywhere at Burrendong at the moment! One woman asked about Lagunaria patersonii. It probably flowered early December if it managed at all! There was a nicely shaped tree outside Fern Gully... just as you walked back to the car park. It is usually very beautiful at all stages so I am putting up some previous shots taken when the season was better!

11.01.2022 Yes, I have been reminded that Hibbertia scandens is again flowering beautifully on the building side of the Nursery... maybe it appreciated a few mils of proper rain!

08.01.2022 Above the carpark at the Main Building Hibiscus heterophyllus has another crop of flower...

08.01.2022 Gossypium sturtianum is just starting to flower down from the Picnic Shelters on Harris Lookout.

07.01.2022 Hello everyone! Yes, the Arboretum got 34mls on Thursday morning in 15 minutes. They've probably had more since because we have in town. Every little bit helps when it has been so dry. Those of you who've visited in the last couple of weeks and have made contact have been rather distressed at the state the plants are in. I am not surprised as most of the volunteers feel the same way. Remember to make contact if you can spare a little time to help. A huge THANK YOU to the FOBA members who have made donations recently. We all realise that people are busy helping farmers in the drought and bushfire victims and firefighters! Thank you all for your concern and interest. Alice.

07.01.2022 Thank you to those people who are showing concern about the Arboretum. To be honest, we are all feeling concerned! Yes, we are short of financial support... yes, there is an ongoing drought and Burrendong Dam has less than 2% water... yes, we are very short of workers and volunteers... and yes a lot of plants have died and have also done so in the wild! We have not yet suffered fire damage and lets hope we dont do so! The gates have not closed to the public!!! They are clos...ed over-night to prevent hoodlums damaging the place. They have also been closed when the temperature was very high and there was very thick smoke... and maybe when the dust storms rolled through! Some of you have made comments showing a lot of concern and it is comforting to think that FOBA members and ex-Trust members still CARE! Please do all feel concerned and do anything within your power to help. I am sorry that the web page isnt functioning and I am sorry that I have not been able to keep up the photos of plants in flower. Some of us continue to volunteer, mostly on a Wednesday, and priority seems to be watering! Very few plants have been flowering and I have tried to put a few photos up every couple of weeks! As several people have said, we dont need to be concentrating on producing plants for sale... no one in the Central West will be planting out young plants for many months yet. We do need plants to replace those we have lost at the Arboretum. Some of you who know the place well could volunteer to do Guide Duty and share the Arboretum with the wonderful visitors who still come to see our plants. Please continue to communicate on Facebook, Messages, Emails and in person. Thank you all for your continued interest and support. These may not be currently flowering but are usually showing up about this time of year... Stenocarpus sinuatus, Gmelina lichhardtii, Jagera pseudorhus and Davidsonia jerseyana. All grow in or around Fern Gully. Just to brighten your day! See more

07.01.2022 Coymbia tumescens is growing in several places just below Harris Lookout. Some of you will remember it named Eucalyptus terminalis! It has spectacular bark and the different stages of buds, flowers and fruit are interesting!

06.01.2022 Burrendong Botanic Garden and Arboretum URGENT ADVICE - THE GATES WILL NOW BE CLOSED 12TH AND 13TH NOVEMBER BASED ON ADVICE FROM RURAL FIRE SERVICE AND THE MANAGER. Further advice will be given for Thursday/Friday as conditions become more obvious. Please take note all volunteers, staff and visitors.

06.01.2022 Thank you to the Friends who have messaged to enquire about the Botanic Garden. Yes, we have certainly lost quite a number of plants... I have no idea how many! John and I went out last Wednesday (I believe Mick arrived before us and watered on the hill). I watered in front of the main building and down the Eastern side of the Nursery. Yes, it was all looking very dry as you imagined. It had become very, very smokey and we went home early. Burrendong Dam was down to 1.9% today! I think we all need to pray for steady soaking rain for a week or so! Please make contact with the Manager or with Gay if you have time to offer some help. Thank you for caring about the plants!

05.01.2022 The other Swainsona growing naturally at the Arboretum is galegifolia. It is a bigger plant with rounded leaves and varies in colour quite a bit. It is not as rare.

05.01.2022 Eucalyptus conferruminate always fascinates visitors! There is one easy to find near the bird bath on the top track to the beds above Fern Gully!

05.01.2022 A BIG THANK YOU to the man who messaged me asking for a post on Swainsona recta. Yesterday there was a Workshop at the Arboretum organised by Local Land Services. There was a number of speakers and a display of photos, a few little seedlings and a lot of hand-outs. No, we didnt see any plants in the field with flowers or fruit! It has been too dry! However, there are a number of plants that have been grazed quite considerably. I have agreed to put up some photos taken over previous years when there had been more rain! The plants are endangered and it will be worth people knowing what to look for!

04.01.2022 I was asked about birds at the Arboretum... I am not a bird photographer! They don't always wait around for me to organise my camera! These are a few of my photos taken previous years!

04.01.2022 Well, this has been a terrible week for the plants at Burrendong B G. Our usual working bee on Wednesday was cancelled because of the really hot weather and the thick smoke haze. The remainder of this week is supposed to get hotter each day until Sunday. Please just keep the Arboretum in mind if there happens to be a slightly cooler day without thick smoke! Give Mike a call to check if it is okay to go and help with what ever needs to be done! I have been in touch a number of... times with Greg Bourke at Mt Tomah Gardens... they have been surrounded by huge fires and have lost about 1/4 of the planted area and almost all of their natural bush. I think there has been some damage to buildings but nothing significant. We used to live in Mt York Road at Mt Victoria and have been watching news of the fires very closely! There has been quite a few homes and out-buildings lost in the Upper Blue Mountains. Please stay safe and have a pleasant family Christmas. We are all hoping for some steady, soaking rain... lots of people are saying that would be the best Christmas present possible! Regards and best wishes, Alice and John See more

04.01.2022 Thank you for the responses on my last posting. I am well aware that there's very little flowering anywhere at Burrendong at the moment! One woman asked about Lagunaria patersonii. It probably flowered early December if it managed at all! There was a nicely shaped tree outside Fern Gully... just as you walked back to the car park. It is usually very beautiful at all stages so I am putting up some previous shots taken when the season was better!

03.01.2022 Sorry! Some of you have made contact wondering how the Arboretum is coping! John and I and Mick went out yesterday... and worked on Harris Lookout. Despite there having been 42mls down at the Main Building the hill had dried out considerably. It may not have had as much rain. I worked on a bit of a stock-take and checked labelling. Two of you had commented on the lack of labels... we have lost quite a number of plants and may lose more yet. We didnt get down to Fern Gully...... I can imagine that we have lost a lot more plants there. Yes, there was some rain but it will take a lot more to raise the level of Burrendong Dam. We are very short of helpers if any of you can manage a day to give a hand. Contact the Manager and make a plan. Usually there will be volunteers there on Wednesday. Yes, some of you commented that theres very little flowering at present. We didnt drive around yesterday but Gossipium sturtianum is still flowering a little at Harris Lookout and down at base the Pandorea jasminoides is flowering very nicely on the Eastern wall of the Nursery. Has anyone noticed other plants flowering? See more

02.01.2022 Well, weve had just about every weather situation except RAIN (and snow!). This week was much more pleasant than the last 3 or 4! There was a clear blue sky with high vapour trails from planes... it was pleasantly warm without being excessively hot! Volunteers were busy watering and generally caring for plants. Looking from Harris Lookout Burrendong Dam is looking very sad on 3.2%. Please all pray for steady soaking rain as a Christmas present for the Arboretum!