
Pomonal Hall
Meets at 7.30pm on the third Tuesday of the month (except January), usually at Pomonal Hall, Pomonal. Google map link
Membership fees: $5 + Australian Plants Society Victoria membership fees.
2020-21 Membership form
President: John King
Vice-President: Neil Marriott
Secretary: Andrea Shelley
Treasurer & memberships: Anita Evans
03 53566374
APS Grampians Group c/o Pomonal Post Office Pomonal 3381
Edition | Contents |
Mar 21 | My Introduction to Eucalypts; How to Identify a Eucalypt (or not); Remembering Stan Kelly; Eucalypts For Home Gardens |
Feb 21 | Leptospermum aka Tea-trees; Leptospermum turbinatum Shiny Tea-tree; Books: “A Life on our Planet” David Attenborough, “Seeing Trees – A Poetic Arboretum”; Halls Gap Botanic Garden News; A visit to Canberra Botanic Garden in December; Bogong Walk December 2020; What’s In Flower this Summer |
Oct 20 | Show Memories; ‘Who Flung Dung’ Trial on Native Plants; AGM & 2021 Committee |
Aug 20 | 2020 AGM Timeline; Banksias Flowering at Great Western Mid July; Hakeas: Stars of Winter; Peacock Spiders; Correa Quiz; Winter colour in Kevin M.’s garden; Catherine Pye dealing with weeds; Grampians endemics on Phil W’s block; Controlling Cape Tulip & South African Weed Orchid; The Nook Book |
Jun 20 | Banksia ‘Clayton’s’ Talk; A Walk Around The Kings’ Garden; Making a Floating Island; Halls Gap Botanic Garden Report; Banksia Puzzles; iNaturalist; Melaleuca ‘Pomonal Purple’ |
May 20 | What I didn’t know about Eucalypts and what I like about them – Andrea; Powerful Owls; Choc Chip Cookies; Seed Bank Update; Native Grass Lawn; Star’s Lawn – Anthea; Two Stories About My Chinese Elm and Native Bee Box Issues – Margaret; Hakea Word Search; Notes from Lockdown, Ararat – Joan |
Apr 20 | Banks and Solander Exhibition; David & Linda’s garden at Tower Hill; Date Loaf recipe; Hints for Growing Kangaroo Paws; Nestboxes and Wildlife |
Mar 20 | Feb report: Lawrie Smith. “Design with Nature”; Propagation Successes; Champion Survivors – what plants do exceptionally well in your garden?; Halls Gap Botanic Garden report; Wolf Spiders |
Feb 20 | 250 years since Banks & Solander visited our shores, with a focus on Solander; Summer-flowering Eucalypts; Plants in Wild Places 2 – Autumn in High Hokkaido; Bushfire recovery |
Nov 19 | Next mtg: Russel Wait on Eremophilas; Nov Propagation Day; Pomonal Native Flower Show write-up; Melton Botanic Garden Oct Visit; Aug NSW Road Trip |
Sep 19 | Aug meeting review: Clive on wildlife cameras & Margo on the history of the Halls Gap flower show; Jallukar Landcare Group Native Grasslands Project wins state Landcare award; Kevin & Sandy in outback Qld; the Red Gum Walk; the South African Weed Orchid |
Aug 19 | Plants in wild places 1; Pitfalls for Sensor Camera Use – or How NOT to Take Wildlife Photos; Bee Stamps |
Jul 19 | Library future; Kevin’s articles; APS Vic COMM report: Neutrog, Banks & Solander exhibition etc.; report on visit to Geelong Botanic Gardens & Colac gardens; last meeting: Neil Macumber on wetland birds; Grampians Flora Botanic Garden furniture |
Jun 19 | Last meeting: Dr.Greg Kerr on Stumpytail lizards; Borrowing wildlife cameras; Grevillea humifusa; Hakea ‘Burrendong Beauty’; Acacia aphylla; Notice of A.G.M.; Native garden near Lullingham, England |
May 19 | Preview next meeting: Dr.Greg Kerr on Stumpytail lizards; Last meeting: Phil Vaughan in WA; Easter Eggs and Native Plants; Greetings from Illowa – the Handscombes in the Deep South; The New Wildlife Cameras: First experiences |
Apr 19 | Last meeting: Neil Marriott on Native Gardens for Wildlife and farewell to Linda & David; May meeting preview: Dr.Greg Kerr on Stumpytails; Kevin and Sandy’s New Garden |
Mar 19 | Gardening for Wildlife – Neil Marriott; the future of our library; Growing Blandfordia grandiflora, NSW Christmas Bells; Summer Survivors (or Not) |
Feb 19 | Review of Dec Xmas gathering at Five Ducks; Clean Up Australia Day |
Dec 18 | Review of Nov talk by Bill Weatherly on the Forgotten Woodlands; call for native gardens for wildlife photos; Award For Phil Vaughan; Pictures from Terry and Pauline’s trip to WA; Invitation to Celebrate Tom Banfield’s 90th Birthday; Summer-hardy plants |
Oct-Nov 18 | Preview of Nov talk by Bill Weatherly on the Forgotten Woodlands; Vice President & Ordinary Member positions filled, President vacant; review of Oct talk: Native Bees and Other Pollinators, by Denis Crawford; review of our Native Flower Show |
Sep 18 | Call for vice-president & ordinary member; Dryandra or Banksia? A botanical feud; The Vision of Major Thomas Mitchell in 1836; Seed Bank Project Picture Gallery; Rainforests Part Two; Apple & Spice Cake recipe; Myrtle Rust |
Aug 18 | Sep Little Desert Weekend reminder; Jul meeting: Introduction to Grafting – Phil Vaughan; Botanists and Naturalists on the relief expeditions for the search of Burke and Wills; Mistletoe; APS Vic Online: district groups; What’s currently in flower: Thryptomene denticulata, Banksia ornata, Grevillea lanigera, Hakea laurina, Grevillea pteridifolia, Banksia menziesii |
Jul 18 | June meeting: Perth to Kalbarri and back – David & Linda Handscombe; Rainforests in Australia; Botanists on the Burke and Wills Expedition 1860-1861; the Black Wallaby in the Grampians; APS Grampians online |
May 18 | A call for new committee members; Linda Handscombe – “The Pomonal Community Hall Gardens”; review of Geoff Lay’s Apr talk on Fungi; Phil Willams and the effects of rain |
Apr 18 | Review of Cathy Powers’ talk on Citizen Science; Neil & Wendy’s hanging baskets; membership update from Wendy; Andrea on The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan |
Mar 18 | Review of get together at Beverley and Kevin Grace’s home; notice of upcoming working bees; advance notice of Little Desert National Park weekend away in Sep; Garden Design Episode 2 by Andrea Shelley; Judy Baghurst’s “In Praise of Cushion Bush”; Anthea Nicholls on “A Grass By Any Other Name” |
Feb 18 | Review of December gathering at Murray and Marie Hosking’s; Native Garden Design Episode 1 by Andrea Shelley; Phil Williams’ suggestion for Letters to the Editor section & update on status of plants being grown for FJC Rogers Seminar |
Dec 17 | Review of Dennis Crawford’s talk “Insects Found in the Grampians”; Reports of our Trip to South Australia |
Nov 17 | Review of Graeme Woods’ talk “Beautiful Banksias, an Australian Icon”; Jane’s Garden by Phil Williams |
The Pomonal Native Flower Show

Always popular
The renown Pomonal Native Flower Show has been an annual event since 1983 (except for its cancellation in 2020 due to COVID-19). It is held at the Pomonal Hall in the picturesque town of Pomonal, nestled against the beautiful Grampians Ranges, on the Ararat Rd, just 10 minutes from Halls Gap. Google map link
Its aim is to showcase hundreds of named native flower species, all picked from local gardens, and to help promote the growing of native plants.
The group wants Australians to be proud of their own unique and beautiful flora, bursting with bold, vibrant and subtle colours and heady bush scents; unique flora that provides habitat and food for our own special wildlife.
Visitors can buy native plants, gardening, botany & nature books, as well as refreshments.

Lots of things to do outside the hall
In 2019, a marquee was purchased so that guest speakers could talk on various subjects related to the flower show. Also in that year, the Pomonal market was held over the same weekend, allowing visitors to browse and purchase from market stalls selling all manner of things.

Inside the marquee
Visitors can take the opportunity to visit the grand, picturesque and botanically-significant Grampians National Park on the same weekend.
Please email Jocelyn King, or the Grampians Group, or call 0414 933 603 for show enquiries and visit easterngrampians.com.au or ring the Halls Gap and Grampians Visitor Information Centre on 1800 065 599 for general enquiries.
You can also follow us on Facebook at APS Grampians Group.
This event is supported by the Ararat Rural City Council.