By Luke Voogt
Visitors can discover the Geelong Botanic Gardens from an artist’s perspective when guided tours wind through its grounds next Sunday.
Botanic artist Dolores Skowronski-Malloni has tutored aspiring painters and drawers for a decade at the “beautiful” gardens, which first opened in 1851.
“It’s been here for so long and it will be here for even longer,” she said.
Dolores described the botanic garden, the fourth oldest in Australia, as a “fabulous asset”.
“It’s a beautiful place to work with, and it’s a very interesting and relaxing place to be,” she said.
“There is something for everybody.”
The tour follows her book Trees: Capturing the Essence of the Geelong Botanic Gardens.
The garden is home to scores of trees which the National Trust of Australia classified as heritage listed.
The eldest is most likely a dragon blood tree, which original curator Daniel Bunce reportedly planted in 1851.
The tour starts out the front of the Geelong Botanic Gardens 2pm on Sunday for a gold donation.
