Anglesea Wildflower Show to bloom this weekend

MORE than 200 species of native wildflowers will be on display at Anglesea Memorial Hall from today, as some of the region’s best flora will be showcased to residents and visitors over both Saturday and Sunday.

Anglesea, Aireys Inlet Society for the Protection of Flora and Fauna’s (Angair) biggest event of the year, the Annual Wildflower and Art weekend allows visitors to admire the amazing number of orchids and wildflowers growing within Anglesea and the Surf Coast.

Angair president Sally White says the show attracts hundreds of visitors to the region for the weekend, with all proceeds raised from the event diverted to land conservation programs.

“It’s certainly a busy time of the year for the organising committee, but we get excited when this time of the year arrives knowing so many people will be amazed by what the show has to offer,” Ms White said.

“We’ve been at work deciding what bushwalks we’ll be taking visitors through during the event, and the two days leading up to the event itself will be very intense getting all the flowers collect and labelled correctly.

“The plants are all collected from private properties and that’s something we really take pride in, these are all home-grown flowers that we have reintroduced back into the ecosystem.”

Angair plant expert Gail Slykhuis said it rewarding to be a part of an annual event like the wildflower show.

“Once you take in the enthusiasm from the public, particularly on the Saturday morning, it’s absolutely incredible,” Ms Slykhuis said.

“We probably have over 250 different plant species on display at the event, maybe even 300, we are so lucky to live in a region like this where the variety of native plants is so big.

“It really just makes my day to see visitors write down some of the names of the native plants, knowing they might go home and grow them themselves.”

Cost of admission to this year’s show will remain at a nominal price with $5 admissions for adults, $2 for pensioners and secondary students, and primary school children admitted free.

The show on both days will run from 10am to 4pm and a ticket will be valid for both Saturday and Sunday.

More information about this weekend’s event can be found at angair.org.au/activities/annual-wildflower-weekend-and-art-show/

Anglesea Memorial Hall is located at 1B McMillan St, Anglesea.