Thursday Talks

Our Thursday lunchtime talks cover diverse aspects of the natural world in Australia and around the globe.

The talks are aimed at a general audience and everyone is welcome. Talks last for 1 hour. We welcome donations by gold coins, notes, or electronically. The Friends use donations to support Gardens programs and development and we thank all those who have donated.

It is a good idea to reserve a seat in advance, as talks can book out very quickly. The booking link for each talk is on the Friends calendar website entry for the respective talk. Bookings can be made about 30 days in advance until Wednesday night before the talk.

Please direct queries about the talks to the Thursday Talks Team

Thursday Talks 2026

Please see the Friends calendar website for a detailed description of each talk.

24 September 12.30 pm

Ben Keaney

With a little help from my friends- recovery and rehabilitation of peatlands in the Australian Alps following the 2020 fires

1 October 12.30 pm

Samuele Ramellini and Xingyi Jiang 

The social lives and collective behaviour of an iconic bird species: the superb fairywren

8 October 12.30 pm

Dr Jarrod Sopniewski or Ewen Lawler 

Returning green and golden bell frogs to the ACT

15 October 12.30 pm

Tasha James

What we can learn from the endemic flora of Mt Imlay

22 October 12.30 pm

Brad Desmond

Myrtle Mayday: safeguarding our vulnerable Myrtaceae species from Myrtle Rust

29 October 12.30 pm

Jay Nicholson

Understanding the impacts of climate change on plants at Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park – a summary of my PhD working with Aṉangu

5 November 12.30 pm

Shelley Rowntree

From the herbarium to the genome: new discoveries in Australia's everlasting daisies

12 November 12.30 pm

Anna Howe

36 Views of a mountain, a tower and gardens

19 November 12.30 pm

Dr Karen Marsh

A koala’s guide to fine dining