Fun blooms at botanic gardens

Geelong Botanic Gardens education and engagement officer Amelia Bello with Cataleya in the children's garden. (Ivan Kemp) 452478_08

Enjoy a nice picnic, exciting activities, and a ‘ladybug rock hunt’ during a fun and free family day at ‘Geelong’s best kept secret’.

Geelong Botanic Gardens will host the Summer Family Fun Day on January 15 from 10am with many activities available for people of all ages.

Education and engagement officer Amelia Bello said she looked forward to coming to the event and realising the gardens’ beauty.

“We are encouraging family members to bring along a picnic and come along to enjoy the tranquility of the gardens,” she said.

“It’s marketed as a family fun day, but we have everything for ages young to old, so everybody is welcome to come along… and enjoy the gardens which is Geelong’s best kept secret.

“We’re going to have live music and nature play spaces set up, which will be great for kids to get their hands dirty and… it’s going to be a wonderful day out for everybody to enjoy.”

Ms Bello said a highlight of the day would be the inaugural ladybug rock hunt.

“We’re also going to have ladybug rocks all throughout the garden that we’ve painted that the kids can try to hunt, find, grab and collect. They can also paint their own if they want too as well,” she said.

“I really wanted to bring these ladybug rocks into our garden so that children have something to take home and then they can maybe hide it again in Geelong for someone else to find them.”

The gardens will also host a free Wellness in the Gardens event on the following Wednesday, January 22, where people can participate in sound healing, yoga, watercolour arts and other activities.