CFRBGV Inc.

Cyanotype Workshop
2025-02-23 14:00 - 16:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | Elliot Centre, Ballarto Road/Botanic Drive, Cranbourne, Victoria, 3977, Australia
Paper artist and Cranbourne Friend Gail Stiffe is offering a hands-on workshop in Cyanotype artwork on Sunday 23 February, for which we will be taking bookings.
Cyanotype is a simple photographic process that requires little special equipment or chemicals. It has changed only slightly since 1842 when Sir John Herschel discovered it. Also called blueprint, it requires two chemicals that when mixed together become light-sensitive. These are painted onto paper or fabric and images are produced by either photographic negatives or by objects being placed on before exposure to UV. The chemicals wash out of the areas that are masked out and those areas exposed to the sun produce a beautiful blue image.
To find out more and book:
https://cranbournefriends.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events/66976-cyanotype-workshop-23-february

Growing Friends meet every Thursday
2025-02-27 09:30 - 15:00, 2025-03-06 09:30 - 15:00, 2025-03-13 09:30 - 15:00, 2025-03-20 09:30 - 15:00, 2025-03-27 09:30 - 15:00, 2025-04-03 09:30 - 15:00, 2025-04-10 09:30 - 15:00, 2025-04-17 09:30 - 15:00 and 2 more dates | Growing Friends Nursery, Ballarto Road/Botanic Drive, Cranbourne, Victoria, 3977, Australia
Growing Friends meet every Thursday from 9:30AM to 3PM to help propagate a great variety of Australian native plants from cuttings and seeds.
More information about Growing Friends.
The nursery is open to Members on Thursdays as well, to allow them buy plants from 10.00 – 2.00PM. Come along and select from a range of plants, many of which you will find in the Australian Garden.
Available: grasses, strap-leaved plants, climbers, groundcovers, indigenous plants, small & large bushes and trees.
Interested to be a member of Cranbourne Friends? Please check the Join us page.

Sausage Sizzle for Friends and partners
2025-03-02 11:00 - 15:00 | Woodland Picnic Area, 1000 Ballarto Road, Cranbourne, Victoria, 3977, Australia
A Sausage Sizzle for Friends and partners is to be held on Sunday March 2 in the Woodlands Picnic Area of the Cranbourne Gardens. RSVP’s will be required and people will be asked to bring their own salads, chairs, eating utensils, drinks, hats etc. This event will be weather-dependent. An email or Quicklink invitation will be sent out about this event to members.

Friends in the Garden (FiGs)
2025-03-04 09:00 - 12:30, 2025-03-18 09:00 - 12:30, 2025-04-01 09:00 - 12:30, 2025-04-15 09:00 - 12:30, 2025-05-06 09:00 - 12:30 | Ballarto Road/Botanic Drive, Cranbourne, Victoria, 3977, Australia
Come and join the FiGs group which meets every first and/or third Tuesday of the month.
Bring your gardening gloves, kneeling mat or knee pads, sun hat and water.
Find out more.

Botanic Illustrators
2025-03-05 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-03-19 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-02 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-16 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-05-07 10:00 - 15:00 | Ballarto Road/Botanic Drive, Cranbourne, Victoria, 3977, Australia
The Botanical Illustrator group meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 10am to 3 pm in the Elliot Centre.
Whether you are an artist, an aspiring artist or just dreaming about developing a new interest, you are welcome to come along and see what we do, get friendly advice and support.
Tea and coffee are provided, but BYO lunch.
For further information about the group, exhibitions or classes:
illustrators@rbgfriendscranbourne.org.au

Botanical Fabricators
2025-03-11 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-04-08 10:00 - 13:00 | Elliot Centre, Ballarto Road/Botanic Drive, Cranbourne, Victoria, 3977, Australia
The Botanical Fabricators group meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 10am to 1pm in the Elliot Centre. Visitors and new members are always warmly welcomed, particularly if you are interested in textiles and textile crafts. Just phone or email Jenny Rollason (5998 2457 ) prior to your first visit for further information.
Please note that all Special Interest Group members must conform with the RBGV’s Child Safe Program – Find out more.

Open House: Pookila Reintroduction by Dr Phoebe Burns
2025-03-13 14:00 - 15:00 | Elliot Centre, Ballarto Road/Botanic Drive, Cranbourne, Victoria, 3977, Australia
The Pookila (Pseudomys novaehollandiae) has not been recorded at what has become the RBGV Cranbourne site since 1976 and was thus considered locally extinct. There was probably a complex play of extinction factors but predation by cats and foxes was likely to be a significant factor. Of course that has been radically reduced by the predator-proof fence that surrounds our Cranbourne Gardens and so it was selected as suitable for reintroduction of what was once known as the New Holland Mouse. Formerly common in heathlands throughout much of south eastern Australia the Pookila conservation status is now considered threatened.
RBGV has been working with Zoos Victoria and Moonlight Sanctuary in a team led by Dr Phoebe Burns to establish a genetically diverse population that will hopefully flourish at our secure and well managed conservation zone. A population of 30 has had a controlled release and it is envisaged that it will become a source of new populations that can be released into other suitable sites in the future.
Join Dr Phoebe Burns for a presentation on the Pookila reintroduction program and an update on progress to date.
Elliot Centre 2:00 – 3:00pm with Afternoon Tea to follow.
Photo: Rohan Clarke

Growing Friends Autumn 2025 Plant Sale
2025-03-22 10:00 - 16:00, 2025-03-23 10:00 - 16:00 | Australian Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, Cranbourne, Victoria, 3977, Australia
Growing Friends Autumn Plant Sale will be held at the Australian Garden on Saturday and Sunday, 22 and 23 March.
Come along and select from our wide range of plants, many of which you will find in the Australian Garden.
Click here to find out more

Botanical Weaving group
2025-03-23 10:00 - 16:00, 2025-04-27 10:00 - 16:00 | Elliot Centre, Ballarto Road/Botanic Drive, Cranbourne, Victoria, 3977, Australia
Botanical Weavers meet on the 4th Sunday of the month at the Elliot Centre, with two times available. One group meets in the morning from 10.00 to 12.30, and a second group meets in the afternoon, from 1.30 to 4.00.
New participants are welcome, and no experience is necessary. Participation involves a $5 donation for morning or afternoon tea (in either of the two small group sessions).
Find out more:

Botanical Weaving group

Open House: Barrie Gallacher on the tour of Sicily 2024
2025-04-10 14:00 - 15:00 | Elliot Centre, Ballarto Road/Botanic Drive, Cranbourne, Victoria, 3977, Australia
Are you considering a trip to Sicily? Or did you watch a recent SBS program on Michael Portillo’s visit to Sicily and would like to learn more, especially from a Friend’s perspective?
19 Friends led by fellow Friend Alf Reina and his cousin Alfonso (Alfie) Orlando, spent 16 days touring Sicily in May 2024. Join us at our next Open House to hear Barrie Gallacher recount highlights of the trip.
This is an Open House event at the Elliot Centre, starting at 2pm. It is conducted as a hybrid event – you can attend in person or you can watch from home via livestream. Details of the link for the livestream will be available in next month’s Quicklink.
The event is free and for Members only.
Photos (clockwise from left): Monreale Cathedral and cloister, The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, Puppet theatre in Palermo and Palatine Chapel in Palermo
