The Friends of the Botanic Gardens Cairns

The Friends of the Botanic Gardens Cairns was established in 1989 to :

• stimulate interest and awareness in the Cairns Botanic Gardens
• raise funds, generate ideas and initiate projects to enhance the Gardens
• promote and support horticultural and botanical science
• help conserve and grow the only Wet Tropics Botanic Garden in Australia

Members are engaged in a range of activities to support the Gardens, renowned for having the best tropical plant exhibitions in Australia. This includes propagating plants for sale to the general public, organising events, maintaining a small library, raising funds for enhancements, conducting guided walks and bird walks on a weekly basis, organising guest speakers and meetings and volunteering in the Friends' House shop which provides information, advice, maps and souvenirs.

The Flecker Garden is a key botanic space in the Cairns Botanic Gardens precinct. It contains the Conservatory which was constructed with a large donation from the Friends. Friends also regularly purchase orchids and other plants to ensure that the Conservatory always looks spectacular.

The plants in the dry area garden, constructed in 2020, were all purchased from Friends' funds.

Friends' members share their passion for the Flecker Garden by conducting free weekly tours, guiding visitors along paths and winding their way through leafy undergrowth. They highlight the broad range of plants, trees and palms, exquisite orchids, bromeliads and ferns . . . and the bizarre beauty of insect-eating pitcher plants.

The Gardens are on Collins Ave, Edge Hill and can be accessed by public transport from the city (Sunbus) or by car (ample street parking available), by bicycle or on foot. Entry is free and the Gardens are open from 7.30am to 5.30pm every day of the year.

The Friends operate from Friends' House, a heritage-listed building in the Flecker Garden. Friends' members are rostered on from 9:30am to 3:30pm to provide advice and information to visitors. They also operate a small shop selling locally made souvenirs.

Friends' House is the meeting place for guided walks.

If Friends' House is closed, the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre - the glass building located between the Flecker Garden and the Tanks Arts Centre - also provides information.

We currently have vacancies in the shop roster so please call us: 07 4032 3900, email our Secretary (secretary@botanicfriendscairns.org.au) or drop in if you can do a 3-hour shift. It's most rewarding chatting to visitors who frequently tell us these are the best Gardens they have ever visited.

Friends' volunteers conduct free guided walks, Monday to Friday, most weeks of the year. These walks commence at 10:00 am from Friends’ House and are designed to meet the needs of casual visitors to the Gardens.

Walks last for about 60 to 90 minutes and showcase a number of different areas of the Gardens including the Conservatory, the Aboriginal Plant Use section and any plants that are putting on a particularly good display at the time.

A guided bird tour is conducted weekly on Tuesdays at 7.30am and leaves from Friends House in the Flecker Gardens, Collins Ave.

Paid walks: Friends also conduct private, specialised walks for larger groups - for example bus tours - who wish to have walks tailored to their own particular needs.

Guides consult with the tour leaders to best meet the requirements of the group. Factors considered include the start time, desired time frame of the walk and any special needs or interests of group members. Sufficient guides are provided to maintain a ratio of one guide to six or seven visitors. A charge of $10 per head applies, with a minimum cost of $80.

Please email us: info@botanicfriendscairns.org.au to organise a paid walk.

Volunteers propagate plants which are on sale to the public:

• Weekly trolley sales are held on Wednesdays from 8.30am to 11am. Since mid-2024, the sale has been located at the Saltwater Ck depot accessed from Greenslopes St opposite Little St.
• ​Three bigger plant sales are held every year: on the Sunday before Easter, at Carnival on Collins - Fathers' Day - each September, and the Christmas sale on the first Sunday in December.

Please note: The Easter and Christmas sales are held at Saltwater Creek and NOT the teak lawn of the Flecker Gardens. Park in Greenslopes St opposite Little St/Cominos House and follow the sign.

The Carnival on Collins Plant Sale is held on the Teak Lawn in the Flecker Gardens.

• The Easter, Carnival and Christmas Plant Sales run from 8.00am to 12 midday

Monthly talks are held in the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre, usually at 6pm (sausage sizzle) for 6.30pm (talk) on the second Wednesday of the month from February to November.

Members and friends enjoy a sausage sizzle, and cuppa at 6pm: $5 for members and $10 for visitors.

Details of each month's talk are also posted on our Facebook page each month: Friends' Facebook.

October's Talk: Orchids - what the judges are looking for

Presented by Orchid Judge Chris Denis.

The talk will cover a brief overview of how to become an orchid judge, explore the diversity of Australian orchid species particularly those found in North QLD and review some prize winners of Australian and exotic species and hybrid orchids found on show benches.

We look forward to seeing you on the 14th.