Come Along to an evening of fine Music, Food and Friends at Olive Pink Botanic Garden on Saturday the 5th of June. The Event will begin at 5; 30 pm and feature Neil Murray supported by Minority Sun and Drumatweme. 

 Tickets are available through Araluen for $25 or $30 on the gate, with all procedes going towards the Gardens.  

Neil Murray  

 Be prepared for an extended ride into the nether regions picking off shots from a repertoire that stretches back three decades plus a showcase of cuts from his  new album ‘Witness’   

 “At a basic level, everything I write is a result of what I’ve seen, heard and felt. I aim to be clear. I aim to be accurate. The songs are my testimony.”  Murray first appeared in the early eighties as a founding member of the Warumpi Band, which over three albums and twenty years of performing helped make contemporary indigenous music heard in mainstream Australia and yielded such classic songs as ‘Blackfella Whitefella’ and “My Island Home”-( the 1995 APRA song of the year that was performed by Christine Anu at the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics). 

  He is one of Australia’s most original and respected songwriters and has enjoyed a solo career since 1989 which has seen him release ten albums. His song writing palette is broadfrom the rollicking ‘Good Light in Broome’, the prayerful ‘Native Born’, the busking roots of ‘Long Grass Band’ and the journeyman monologue ‘Lights of Hay.’ Collectively his work describes an inner landscape to the heart and soul of Australia. 

Minority Sun

 You can feel yourself bouncing along a red dirt highway from Alice Springs to the homelands with their uplifting songs of love and life in the desert. Lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Shaun Penangke is a local Arrernte man from Ayampe country located 70 kms north of Mpantwua (Alice Springs) He’s backed-up by talented musicians and haunting support vocals in songs that range in style from rootsy, laid-back rock to reggae and hip hop.

 The message is about celebrating and gaining strength in a contemporary world from an unbreakable connection to country and family. “I’m picturing grandfather, I’m picturing soakages, I’m picturing family and hunting grounds and sacred sites,” says Angeles. “We are also singing about social issues and other things that have hurt our people in the past and now. They’re hard lyrics but true. 
“We’re saying: be proud of culture, be proud to be Aboriginal, be proud of your grandfather’s and grandmother’s country. Be strong.”

 Minority Sun includes Galen Cole on keyboards, lead guitar and vocals, Dale Egan on bass, Jason Ramp on drums and Kenni-Anne Iles on vocals. The band has had a name change for cultural reasons since debuting in Alice just 6 months ago.
Under old name or new they are invariably greeted with rousing enthusiasm and are going from strength to strength with every gig. Minority Sun is fresh, talented and determined to be heard. 

Drum Atweme

Drum Atweme is a drumming group made up of young people from town camps in Alice Springs. The group was established in 2004 and has about 30 core performers, with another 100 students participating in drumming lessons each week. Almost all public events in Alice Springs and many conferences held in Alice Springs include a performance by this popular group. 

 The Drum Atweme group engages young people from Town Camps in Alice Springs, who often experience boredom, depression, low self confidence and exposure to violence and substance abuse. This project enables young people to be part of a positive and publicly popular activity. This has strong benefits in enabling the young people to realize that they can achieve public recognition for their abilities and talents.

Red Hot Arts presents Katie Noonan and the Captains  at the

Olive Pink Botanic Gardens Friday the 16th of May.

Tickets Available through Araluen – pre sale $35 or $40 at the gate

One of Australia’s brightest musical discoveries of the new millennium, Katie Noonan returns to the spotlight with an original album, a fresh sound, and a new band, the Captains.

A five-time platinum recording artist, Katie is in fine voice on Emperor’s Box, a dynamic piece comprising 13 personal, emotive works. Co-produced by Katie and Grammy Award-winning rock specialist Nick Didia (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Stone Temple Pilots, Powderfinger), Emperor’s Box marks a return to some familiar territory for Katie.

Emperor’s Box is the sound of a confident, accomplished artist. It’s a lush and at times muscular affair, captured in the studio by a tight unit clearly at the peak of form. And of course, Katie’s vocals shine. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” Katie says. “Music is about freedom for me, I’ve always followed my muse and been very lucky to be able go on and make different records. This is definitely the album I’m most proud of.”

Permiculture Design Course

Visit Milkwood

Drylands Permaculture Design Course

Our Drylands Permaculture Design Courses provide essential skills for understanding and implementation of good Permaculture design. An intensive course with additional focus on the arid landscape which combines theory and practical experience as a comprehensive introduction to Permaculture principles in the context of arid environments.

In a world out of balance, we are all looking for solutions. Solutions to effective ways of growing healthy, organic food in urban environments. Solutions to ways of farming that can both feed a family, earn an income and build soil fertility. Solutions to ways of retrofitting an existing house or property that results in lower energy costs and better health for its inhabitants. Solutions that use intelligent, thoughtful design principles to build sustainable lives, and sustainable communities in a world of Peak Everything.

Permaculture principles, like any really good design principles, can be applied across any biosphere, any property, any landscape, any city. Permaculture is a network of well-grounded theories and techniques that, over time, result in sustainable and productive systems. Systems for living, architecture, food production, land management and community. No chemicals and no excuses. Just good, thoughtful, innovative and effective design for the needs of our species.

All Australian Farmers, Land managers, any sort of primary producer and also indigenous land managers can all do this course for FREE through the FarmReady scheme. There’s even an additional subsidy for travel and accomodation. 

 ”What Permaculturists are doing is the most important activity that any group is doing on the planet.” Dr. David Suzuki (venerated ecologist, geneticist, author + broadcaster)

What is a Permaculture Design Certificate Course?

The PDC is an efficient & cost effective means of gaining the knowledge of Permaculture Ethics & Principles together with amassing skills, techniques & a knowledge base for designing & developing sustainable human settlements – from a small suburban home to a broad acre farm. A Milkwood Permaculture PDC involves daily workshops and active-learning exercises as well as classroom-style sessions, so that students can truly engage with the knowledge content of the course. This PDC delivers the curriculum from The Permaculture Institute of Australia (Bill Mollison). The curriculum is therefore based on Mollison’s

Over the past five months the Board and staff at Olive Pink Botanic Garden have been working on a Draft 2010 – 2030 Master Plan for the Gardens. We are hoping to recieve feedback on the plan before the finalised document is published in June.

Download Draft Master Plan

Opening 6:30pm Friday the 19^th of March – Sunday the 4^th of April at Olive Pink Botanic Garden

My involvement in photography is varied. I have extensive experience as a photographer, photographic technician both in digital and analogue as well as tutoring in photography. This passion has been with me for over 30 years. My interest crosses over to Commercial and Fine Art Photography.

Photography is a way of life, a way that I can express what I feel about my world. It gives me a medium where I can give my opinion of the world around me. I have always approached it with passion and wonder. I love teaching photography and passing on the non verbal world the expression of ideas and emotion to others.

`Your photography is a record of your living, for anyone who really sees’        – Paul Strand.

Come along and see the Aria award winning Zulya and The Children of The underground perform at Olive Pink Botanic Garden on the 28th of March at 7:30pm

2010 is the celebration of Olive Pink Botanic Gardens 25th Birthday.  On the 21st of March we will celebrate this milestone launching of our Draft 2030 masterplan and reintroducing of the Friends of the Olive Pink Botanic Garden.Opened to the public in 1985 it has been a colourful journey to where we stand today.

Olive Pink Botanic Garden has an extensive network of walking trails to stroll around and take in the diversity of our unique central Australian Flora. There are three self-guided walks and two information brochures available for download to gain an incite into the Gardens flora, ecology and  history.

Click to open PDF versions of the

• Mallee Walk
• Wattle Walk
• Hill Walk
• Medicinal and Bushfood Plants
• Miss Pink’s Garden

Desert kurrajongs (Brachychiton gregorii) are one of the tree species grown in the Garden

The flora of Central Australia provides a unique and diverse range of species suitable for making any home garden into an oasis. From our beautiful Mallees through the distinctive flowers of the Eremophila species and bright yellows of our Sennas , there is a never ending cycle of  blooming plants to attract birds and create a beautiful home environment.  

On top of this there are huge water savings that can be made by appropriate species selection, irrigation systems and  plant maintanance practices. The species listed below are just a few, of the amazing range of  Central Australian plants appropriate for home gardening. So get out in your yard, plant a local species and watch it thrive, bringing your garden to life. 

  Trees

• Acacia aneura – Mulga  4-10 m
• Acacia estrophiolata – Ironwood 10-15m
• Acacia salicina – Cooba 4-12m
• Atalaya hemiglauca  – Whitewood 6-10 m
• Acacia holosericea – Candelabra Wattle 2-6m
• Brachychiton gregorii – Desert Kurrajong 6-10m
• Callitris glaucophylla – White cypress pine 5-7 m
• Corymbia aparrerinja – Ghost gum 15-20 m
• Corymbia opaca – Bloodwood 10-15m
• Eucalyptuc camaldulensis – River Red Gum 15-20m
• Eucalyptus coolabah – Coolabah 12-15 m
• Eucalyptus intertexta – Bastard Coolabah 12-15 m
• Ficus brachypoda – Native Rock Fig 4-6m
• Gravillea striata – Beefwood 10-15m
• Meleleuca bracteata – Black Teatree 4-6m
• Santalum acuminatum – Desert Quandong 4-6m

Small Trees

• Acacia colei – 3-5m
• Acacia cowleana – Halls Creek Wattle 3-5m
• Acacia cyperophylla – Red Mulga  5-7m
• Acacia jennerea – Coonavittra Wattle 3-5m
• Acacia kempeana – Witchetty Bush 3-4m
• Acacia murrayana – Colony Wattle  3-5m
• Acacia tetragonaphylla – Dead finish 2-4m
• Acacia undoolyana – Sickle-leaf Wattle 3-5m
• Dodenaea viscosa – Desert Hopbush 3-4m
• Eremophila bignoniiflora – Bignonia Emu Bush 2-4m
• Eremophila youngii  3-4m
• Eucalyptus gamophylla – Blue Mallee 4-5m
• Eucalyptus lucens – Shiny Leaved Mallee 3-5m
• Eucalyptus minniritchi – Round-leaved Mallee 4-5m
• Eucalyptus pachyphylla – Red-bud Mallee 2-4m
• Hakea divaricata – Fork Leaved Corkwood 4-6m
• Hakea leuoptera – Needlewood 2-4m
• Melaleuca faucicola – Desert Bottlebrush 2-4m
• Melaleuca glomerata – Inland Teatree 3-4m
• Melalueca trichostachya – Paperbark 3-4m
• Santalum lenceolatum – Plum Bush 2-3m

Shrubs

• Acacia spondylophylla – Curry Wattle 0.5-1m
• Atriplex nummularia – Old Man Saltbush 1-3m
• Capparis spinosa – Wild Passionfruit 1-1.5m
• Carissa lanceolata – Conkerberry 1-2m
• Crotalaria eremaea – Desert Rattlepod 0.5-1m
• Dodenaea viscosa sub mucrronata – Sticky Hopbush 1-2m
• Eremophila alternifolia – Narrow-leaf Fuchsia Bush 1-1.5m
• Eremophila christophori – Dolomite Fuchsia Bush 1-2m
• Eremophila latrobei – Native Fuchsia 1-2m
• Eremophila maculata – Spotted Fuchsia 1-2m
• Eremophila ovata – Krichauff Ranges Fuchsia 0.5-1m
• Eremophila polylada – Flowering Lignum 1-1.5m
• Eremophila prostrata- Rainbow Valley Fuchsia 0.2-0.5m
• Eremophila sp.  Aookara Range – Arookara Ranges Fuchsia 0.2 – 0.5
• Gossypium sturtianum – Sturts Desert Rose 1.5-2m
• Indigofera basbowii -Show Inigo 0.5-1m
• Myoporum montanum – Boobialla 1-2m
• Radyera furragei – Bush Hibiscus 1-2m
• Senna atemisioides ssp artemesiodes – Silver Cassia 1-2m
• Senna atemisioides nothossp sturtii – Dense Cassia 1-2m
• Senna atemisioides ssp filifolia – Desert Cassia 1-2m
• Senna atemisioides ssp oliogophylla – Oval Leaved Cassia 1-2m
• Wedelia stirlingii – Sunflower Daisy 0.5-1m

Ground Covers