Burnley: the hidden gem

“Burnley has played a role in research and teaching in Melbourne for a hundred years and I like to feel that Burnley has played an enormous role in actually establishing Victoria as the ‘Garden State’,” Professor Stork says.

“You can go anywhere in Victoria and you will find beautiful gardens and I think that’s largely to do with Burnley’s heritage. For the past 30 years we’ve had a strong focus at Burnley on environmental horticulture which is about how we use plants in the environment to better our lifestyle.”

Burnley Gardens are open to the public every day of the year and on Sunday 18 July will hold its annual Open Day between 10am and 3pm.

Open Day offers a stellar program for the whole family in sustainable gardening and horticultural practice, at the heritage-listed Burnley Gardens.

Delivered in partnership by the University of Melbourne’s School of Land and Environment and Friends of Burnley Gardens horticultural experts will present free lectures and paid workshops, children’s activities, forums and seminars on leading sustainable gardening practice, including pruning, pest and disease control, watering and fertilisers and setting up a vegetable plot. There will be tours taking you back in time through the lush and historic gardens and University course advice for budding horticulturists.

Professor Stork, who was the first Professor appointed to head the Burnley campus, points to the scope of changes that have occurred there in recent years as the campus moved to the Melbourne Model.

“Over the past four or five years there has been a deliberate change in the focus and the campus has gone from an in part TAFE College to become a frontline research and higher education teaching facility with a greater focus on increasing the skills of individuals,” Professor Stark says.

“This year we will have 350 students from across the University from the Bachelor of Environments degree and postgraduates learning plant skills, which is a huge change from a campus previously teaching only its own students.

“Another group strongly represented is ‘career changers’, most of whom already hold a degree, who make up half of the Associate Degree in Environmental Horticulture and also in enrolling in the Masters of Urban Horticulture.

“In the Masters we are getting people who have been in business and local government for many years and suddenly our trees actually have a value because of ecosystem services,” says Professor Stark with an undisguised delight in reference to the advocates of green cities who are taking the courses.

“So we’re finding local governments want to know exactly the position of each tree, their health and the value of them in terms of capturing carbon.”

And what, deep down is the reason for the appeal of gardening?

“Gardening takes people away from thinking about other things,” says Professor Stork.

“Gardens are always changing and I think they are also an art form.”

Professor Nigel Stork is Head of Burnley Campus and Head of the Department of Resource Management and Geography.

For more details on Burnley Open Day go to:
www.land-environment.unimelb.edu.au