check the open gardens web site to see if any local gardens are open to the public....the botanic gardens are always worth a look see - the link below is to the australian botanical gardens web site - they list all of the BGs in Australia the australian open gardens web page is http://www.opengarden.org.au/ If you are interested in bananas the Nambour research facility may be running tours?? unsure of that - they can be emailed via the DPI site - the contact button at the top of the page http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/ enjoy Tony Here is a link that might be useful: australian botanical gardens

Took me a while to find this posting as well as bneing able to log in. Now almost 12 months later and I am in the suburbs of Far East Gippsland. Gradually making progress in what was a non gaRDEN. been here two years. Love those natives,but will take a few years to build up the stock. Always sticking cuttings in, some successes. Errinunda Rain forest = ferns, waratahs, not far away. Marvellous coastal heathland, lots of flowers in bloom and ground orchids in surrounding forests. LOve it.

Tony, yes you are right, however, population size doesnt provide a greater insight into the reasoning of a restricted occurence, it only illustrates that the refuge is slightly larger for that species. I have thought for a while that the three variables water, fire and competition all act independently and codependently to account for the biogeography in Australian plants. These variables be they a result of Aboriginal or natural climate change they have a massive bearing on species occurences and associated speciation. Wollemia would undoubtedly be suited to the highlands of the Wet Tropics however previous climatic deterioration has led to the demise of Nothofagus and the main element of temperate rainforests 'Eucryphia' is only represented by a single population on one mountain peak (which happens to be the highest in the Wet Tropics). Reiterating, Wollemia would grow in the current days climate as it is cool and wet however the competition from large mesophyll species would undoubtedly bump it out of the habitat. I once grow a Nothofagus cunninghamii in the lowlands of NE NSW where it grew amazingly well attaining a height of 2m in less than 2 years. I planted it in the ground where it quickly died due to a lack of water. This suggests that this species is restricted to sthn Vic and Tas because of milder lower evaporation rates and constant moisture. In the warmer subtropics it is unlikley to control is stomata as efficiently as required and thus it looses water to quickly. A friend has a N .cunninghamii growing well in a wetter site than where I planted mine- thus bolstering my presumption that it isnt temperature its water availability that restricts this species to sth locations. Nothofagus moorei is only common in locations where the forests leaf size is reduced to Notophyll and is wet AND the species only recruits following disturbance and freedom from the notophyll saplings/trees. Thus I think that all three variables are at play and possibly if fire wasnt an element of Australian landscapes that competition is more so a determinate than water. Wollemia has small leaves and thus competition with larger leaved species has undoubtedly resulted in its restricted occurence too, as well as fire because Eucalypts are so common in this area now. Maybe it has become restricted to this locality during a really bad climate deterioration event however hasnt been able to escape and re-expand due to the advance of Eucalypts and associated fire-phylic habitats. Now Im rambling.... From Kris

Hi, seed or plants of this species would be great if available. It's a Native to Nth NSW / Sth QLD thanks.