Ian Coleman, the curator at the Alice Springs Botanic Garden told us about Olive Pink, a passionate advocate for improved rights and conditions for Australia’s Indigenous people, and after whom the garden is named. Olive founded the garden and after intense lobbying it was gazetted in 1956 as the Australian Arid Regions Flora Reserve. It is located adjacent to the Todd River, not far from the centre of Alice Springs.
Ian spoke to us via Zoom from Alice Springs. His information packed presentation included; Introduction to the Olive Pink Botanic Garden and its amazing fertigation system: interesting plant species of the Garden: research projects: the unfolding ecological disaster of buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) in Central Australia and the importance of land restoration and botanic gardens: termites not worms do all the work in the desert: working with Aboriginal communities: potential impact of climate change on flora in the arid regions.
If you have not visited the Olive Pink Botanic Garden, be sure to put it on your next Central Australian trip and meet Ian in person.