Buderim Garden Club

Karen O'Connor comments on the Bus Trip – Christmas in July to Maleny

We had beautiful weather for our trip to Maleny on July 25.

We had a smooth ride on the Wests coach to Mary Cairncross reserve for a comfort stop then onto Forest Heart Eco Nursery in Coral Street.

Everyone enjoyed the delicious morning tea provided by Karen Shaw of lemon myrtle tarts, wattleseed chocolate brownies, lilli pilli fruit cake, desert lime fruit cake, scones with Davidson plum jam or quandong jam and cream, spicy tomato dip and crackers, pesto, tea and coffee. Recipes will be provided soon! Hopefully some of the yummy food will turn up at our meeting afternoon tea!

Karen gave us a very informative talk about bush tucker and using foods in recipes and growing the bush tucker plants. She had samples for us to taste and explained how the bush tucker plants are used.

Many of us took the opportunity for a discount on buying from the extensive range of plants.

We then went around the corner to Maleny Hotel where we were provided with a lovely Xmas in July lunch. A few other people met us for lunch. Maxina organised a fabulous basket for the raffle prize and there were a few bottles of wine as well, one donated by Jenni Campbell and one from Maleny Hotel.

After lunch some of us went shopping at Maleny shops and others went to visit the Barung landcare nursery at North Maleny and found more native plants, even our bus driver Paul got a lovely grass tree.

We then headed home complete with a couple of Xmas carols from Paul en route.

Everyone had a great day out with good friends, great food, plants and prizes.

Hope to see everyone and lots more at the next bus trip on Wednesday September 18 to Kathleen McArthur reserve Currimundi – included will be a delicious picnic lunch with friends and wildflowers.

Karen O’Connor           Tour co-ordinator

BGC BUS TRIP TO POMONA    THURSDAY MAY 30   Cost $50

Co-Ordinator Karen reports:

The weather for our bus trip was perfect, several new members came along, one member from Nambour Garden Club also in Maleny Garden Club, and we made new friends.

Morning tea at Lake Macdonald was a hit, yum bikkies and buns, and mandarins with tea, coffee, and juice. Everyone enjoyed this. Plenty of time to eat, drink, chat and have a comfort stop. Thank you to all who helped with morning tea, serving tea and coffee and slicing the yummy buns.

Sean Morrows garden was amazing, we didn’t get to see it all but he was very informative and helpful, showing us vegie gardens, fruit trees, bush tucker, wildlife and ponds, and we got to do taste tests and take home what we found along the way! We could have easily spent half the day there exploring but unfortunately we had to leave to go to lunch…

Joes Bar and Grill provided a lovely lunch, corned beef or fish and chips for mains, and cheesecake or apple rhubarb crumble for dessert. They looked after us very well and there was plenty of time to chat, have a comfort stop after lunch and wander back to the bus before heading to Rosemount Nursery, which was suggested by Stella and John and Kathy.

This was a very good nursery, good range of plants, very interesting succulents and others. Most people found something to take home.

We dropped off people along the way home by our very helpful coach driver Paul from Wests.