Each year the AGHS hold a national conference in a different region
within Australia. The first conference was held in Melbourne in
1980 where the Society was formed. Since then Conferences have been
held in the Blue Mountains and Sydney in NSW, Melbourne, Canberra,
Hobart, Adelaide and Mt Gambier in South Australia, Toowoomba in
Queensland and Perth in Western Australia.
Members and non members are invited to attend one and a half days
of lectures by stimulating international and national speakers who
are specialists in their fields, including garden design, architecture,
garden history and cultural history.
The program always includes a day and a half of visits to many
wonderful historic and contemporary public and private gardens.
Extra days of garden visits are usually offered as an optional extra.
By the end of the 19th century Launceston was one of the richest cities in Colonial Australia per head of population. This wealth was sourced from enormous deposits of tin, copper and gold.
Some of the funds generated by this mineral wealth were channelled through Launceston, leading to the construction of the Albert Hall to house the International Exhibition between 1891 and 1892. This magnificent building, one of the few great 19th century exhibition buildings to survive into the 21st century, is the venue for the 31st Australian Garden History Society national conference in November 2010.
The other source of great wealth in the North of Tasmania was land. Large grants of fire-farmed, treeless Aboriginal hunting grounds were made to new settlers. These parcels of land, along the principal rivers of the North and North West, were gifts thatl allowed a number of cases of unbroken familial ownership into this century.
The creation by these families of the 'Vision Splendid' over their inherited landscape is the subject of the 31st Annual National Conference.
Three days of lectures and garden visits complemented by an Optional Day on Monday 8 November and three-day Pre and Post Conference Tours.
Please note that the following are currently booked out:
Full Conference
Optional Day
Pre Conference Tour
Post Conference Tour
To book for the lecture program (the mornings of 5, 6 & 7 November 2010) and/or the conference dinner please use the online booking form or download the brochure and post or fax to the AGHS office.
To be put on waiting lists for all other aspects of the conference program in case of cancellations please complete the online booking form or download the brochure and post or fax to the AGHS office.
2009 Conference Proceedings now available for viewing (8Mb).
TOURS
The AGHS regularly conducts specialised tours throughout Australia.
The Society always endeavours to engage leaders who are
knowledgeable
and highly skilled in conducting tours.
These tours are wonderful opportunities to explore particular areas
or themes in garden history and visit gardens rarely open to the
public. Numbers are limited giving participants every chance to
interact with leaders, garden owners and other participants.
Each year the AGHS holds a tour in association with the National Conference.
From time to time AGHS Branches conduct excellent tours in regional areas.
Look through the activities under Branch
pages to find one which may interest you.
