The International Oak Society (IOS) is hosting a tour, Australian Oak Open Days 2025 (OOD), of oak collections and oak relevant sites in Victoria, ACT and Braidwood in May 2025.
Expressions of interest and registration is via the IOS website.
The aim of the Australian Oak Open Days 2025 tour is to expand participants’ knowledge of oak collections in Australia, and connect oak enthusiasts with each other. The ultimate aim is to help conserve the many common and rare oak species we currently have in Australia.
Participants will pay for their own accommodation and can attend as many or few days as they wish. Currently participants will organise their own transport, but this may change if enough people attend to enable bus transport. It is anticipated that numbers will be capped around 20-25 people.
For more information contact the International oak Society via the above links.
Itinerary
Canberra
Day 1: Wednesday May 07
• 6pm Friends of ACT Trees dinner, OOD tour participants welcome
• Accommodation in Canberra
Day 2: Thursday May 08
• Explore Canberra’s oak trees:
• Westbourne Woods Royal Canberra Golf Course oak collection
• Cork Oak forest National Arboretum
• Canberra’s oak street trees
• Royal Military College Duntroon oaks and trees
• Mt Ainslie sunset
• Accommodation in Canberra
Day 3: Friday May 09
• Drive to Braidwood
• Meet in town for morning tea
• Oldest cork oak in country
• Peter Marshall’s truffle farm for walk and talk around oak plantation
• Demo deep ripping and planting techniques
• Lunch
• Truffle hunt (It may be too early for any quality, but we will find some and the dogs are fun)
• If time permits, a scenic drive to Araluen through the forest and back to…
• Accommodation in Canberra
Day 4: Saturday May 10
• 9:00 – 9:30am Speakers Chair, Museum of Australian Democracy
• Fly or drive to Melbourne
• Accommodation in Melbourne
Day 5: Sunday, May 11
• Drive to Dunkeld, visit Bill Funk oak collection.
• Accommodation In Hamilton
Day 6: Monday May 12
• Drive to Melbourne
• Possible stops on way to Melbourne: Mt Bainggug (Gariwerd National Park), Linton Avenue of Honour, Ballarat Botanic Gardens or Melton Botanic Gardens
• Afternoon tour of Melbourne Botanic Gardens oak collection
• Accommodation in Melbourne
Day 7: Tuesday May 13
• Visit Geoff Bogle oak collection and arboretum, Hoddles Creek.
• Possible visit to old growth Eucalyptus regnans, world’s tallest flowering plants.
• Return to Melbourne 2 hours
• Tour finish
• Accommodation in Melbourne
Thursday May 15
• New Zealand Oak Open Days 2025 starts near Napier.
