Invitation: Annual Weekend of Events 2002, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Ted Cutlan
Southern Tasmanian Branch
Australia

A cordial invitation is offered to all garden lovers to join us for an entertaining range of activities that is designed to appeal to rhodo enthusiasts and their partners.

The National Council Meeting of the Australian Rhododendron Society and annual weekend of events will be hosted by the Southern Tasmanian Branch on the 25th 26th and 27th of October 2002.

There will be visits to excellent gardens in the foothills of Mt. Wellington and the suburbs of Hobart and, for those not so inclined, the opportunity to stroll though the world famous Salamanca Market on the Saturday. Many of our newer gardens are now reaching a level of maturity which makes them well worth seeing, while at the same time newer plants including imports from New Zealand and America are being planted to maintain interest all round.

The weekend also coincides with our annual Rhododendron Show, which is held in the Hobart Town Hall. This is a beautiful building from our convict past, and worth a look, even when not full of beautiful rhodo blooms.

Another proposal is to hold an art exhibition in conjunction with the show. I'm sure that many plant lovers have looked at paintings of everything from leatherwoods to daffodils, but rarely are there any rhodo paintings. The plan is to have 40 to 50 works of art depicting rhodos at the front of the Town Hall and on the stage. The paintings will be for sale, so come prepared. We also hope to auction a painting that will be donated by a contributing artist.

This is an ambitious project, which should be a lot of fun and help make this event a really memorable one.

More details of the Saturday night meal, guest speaker and accommodation available will be included in the regisration brochure, which will be available early this year. This is not going to be a true conference but an enjoyable series of events for garden lovers, held in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.

Hobart is the capital city of Tasmania and lies at 42 degrees south. The maritime influence creates a wonderful climate where we are able to grow big leaf species and maddenias as well as vireyas in the more sheltered gardens. The largest town in the northwest of the state is Burnie, a mere 4-hour drive on excellent roads, where visitors should see the 40-acre Emu Valley Rhododendron garden as part of their tour of the state. Then there's Port Arthur, the penal colony from our convict past, and the Gordon River, home of the huon pine trees and the site of one of Australia's biggest environmental battles. The river was saved from hydro development and is now one of our national treasures. We are a small group of enthusiasts on an island similar to Vancouver Island and the list of things to see here is endless!

There's plenty for us all to look forward to, so start planning your Tassie holiday now!