Spring Seasonal Gathering - Cafe Lunch, Walk & Talk

Welcome back to our Humanists Melbourne (Naarm) meetups.

Our 'Hands on Humanism' quarterly outings in nature rebuild our connection to the changing seasons to mark the passage of time through the ebb and flow of life. If you are inspired to do so, please bring along an idea, an object, a poem or a creation that represents the season and element we are currently celebrating.

Our next seasonal event celebrates Spring and the element of Fire.
This gathering will be hosted on Sunday 19th October. Meeting first at the Earthly Pleasures cafe in Belgrave for lunch at 12:00 pm with a discussion on Nature in relation to the concept of Biomimicry.
(If travelling by public transport to Belgrave, we can offer a lift to and from Olinda)

Then our group will drive to the beautiful Dandenong Ranges Botanic Gardens near Olinda, meeting at 2:15 pm in front of the main entrance and gift shop. Our walk will start at 2:30 pm towards the first prize-winning garden from the Chelsea Flower Show, which is now well established. There is the option of a short spring educational talk with questions and answers from our participating Arborist John Holliday. Details with maps of where exactly to meet and park are provided here: **https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/-/media/project/pv/main/parks/documents/visitor-guides-and-publications/dandenong-ranges-botanic-garden/dandenong-ranges-botanic-garden-visitor-guide.pdf?rev=00584b1333df45ec952fdd7c531d28d9**
According to the information from Parks Victoria
"This magnificent garden is at its best in spring, clothed in colour and perfume, as bulbs and flowers burst into bloom. In early spring you can walk the golden mile of daffodils and see many camellias and magnolias in flower and by mid-late spring the Cherry Grove is in full flower. This time is also the peak season of flowering for the azaleas and rhododendrons, and it is breath taking as you wander through the sprays of extravagant colour showcased beautifully in the sea of layered textures of the Kurume Bowl. Spring brings new life in nature; see fairy wrens, honey eaters, rosellas and other pollinators take advantage of the warmer weather and blossoming plant life."

At the end of our walk & nature talk, we can grab a coffee & cake at the botanical 'Garden Cafe' & take a look around their gift shop. Or you can bring your own flask of tea & snack and sit in the garden.

This is a free event. Participants pay for their own cafe food & beverages. You have the option of making a small donation to our Humanist Australia not-for-profit charity to help us cover some basic costs of promoting this group. https://www.humanistsaustralia.org/community-donate

So we can let the cafe know how many people will be attending, please confirm if you will be attending the cafe lunch and/or just the gardens excursion. Email us below and we will also send further directions
**Melbourne@humanistsaustralia.org**

Event Facilitators. Jennifer Crossland is the organiser for this event. During this walking conversation, we discuss nature's transformation in spring. John Holliday is a Consulting Arboriculture Educator and Practitioner, who will provide a short overview on what we can learn from trees relating to their transformation during the spring season.

Earthly Pleasures Cafe: Detailed location maps provided when you email https://www.earthlypleasurescafe.com.
Address: 1627, Burwood Hwy, Belgrave, VIC 3160

Dandenong Ranges Botanic Gardens can be found near Olinda. This is one of Melbourne's most beautiful landscaped gardens with cherry blossoms, lily-pad lakes, and a magnificent viewing point of the Dandenong Ranges. **https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/dandenong-ranges-botanic-garden**
Address: The Georgian Road, Olinda, VIC 3788

Public transport: For the nearest train stop, please get off at Belgrave. If you need a lift from here, please let us know and we can arrange for you to be picked up & dropped back to Belgrave. If you want further details on transport options up to Olinda visit this link: **https://explorethedandenongs.com.au/public-transport-dandenong-ranges/**

Tours: If you are not up for a longer walk, do still meet us for lunch beforehand or at the onsite Garden Cafe. You can still see the gardens by way of the public mini bus tour and talk, however this is on a different day of the week, so you would need to make a return trip. See the link below: https://bookings.parks.vic.gov.au/dandenong-ranges-botanic-garden-bus-tours

We look forward to welcoming you to our next seasonal event. Please note this event will NOT be in Canterbury on this occasion. Please provide your email for further details and follow-up information after the event by contacting the organiser.