20 years of volunteer work at Melton’s glorious Botanic Garden
The Friends of the Melton Botanic Garden (FMBG) was formed in 2003. Their current mission is to enrich the community and the environment by fostering, promoting and supporting the development and activities of the Melton Botanic Garden
As the Friends celebrate their 20th anniversary this year, they reflect with pride on the achievements of their dedicated volunteers in establishing and growing the Melton Botanic Garden.
The Melton Botanic Garden site, provided by Melton City Council, was a raw paddock with Ryans Creek and Toolern Creek forming two of the boundaries. The site included a man-made lake with an island and a pond at the northern end. There are a number of very old, indigenous river red gums along the creeks which enhance the character of a very young botanic garden.
The Melton Botanic Garden encompasses an area of over 27ha. The garden has a dry climate theme and displays indigenous, native, and exotic plants, including:
Dryland Eucalyptus Arboretum, a nationally registered collection of more than 100 eucalypt species
Victorian Volcanic Plains, West Australian/South Australian, Southern African and Mediterranean Gardens
Californian, Central and South American Garden and an Eastern Australian Dryland Garden
Indigenous Peoples Garden and Indigenous plantings, including creek and lake rehabilitation, Indigenous Grassland and the Koori Student Garden
many other themed gardens and beds.
The management, development and maintenance of the garden has been undertaken by their volunteer teams working cooperatively with Melton City Council. Over the years there have been many beneficial relationships with local businesses, schools and other community groups.
As the garden has expanded new teams have been formed to look after each new area. There are also teams undertaking various other activities such as administration, nursery management and plant sales, garden tours, education and more.
The Friends have a volunteer-run retail nursery, providing the major source of funds to support FMBG and contribute to the garden. The nursery is located at 21 Williams St, Melton and is open from 10am-1pm every Tuesday and Thursday and the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month.
The Melton Botanic Garden is located at 40 Lakewood Blvd, Melton and is open 24 hours a day for visitors.
There are currently over 80 active volunteers involved in the garden, while the membership has grown from just a few in 2003 to over 400 members in 2023, making FMBG one of the larger Friends of Botanic Garden groups in the state.
Venture Melton Business Network members can join as individuals or as a corporate member to support the ongoing work of the Friends.
The Friends are hosting the 38th Western Region Garden Clubs Conference in Melton on 26 August 2023 and invite local businesses to make contact to support the conference, whether through sponsorship, donations or giveaways.
To learn more, head to www.fmbg.org.au, or contact them at friends@fmbg.org.au / 9743 3819.