Orchids ‘liked’ to death; garden labs; 60 years of health research in a vintage caravan
Dozens of Science Week stories around Western Australia:
- The fleet of caravans that transformed chronic disease – Busselton
- Gardens as living laboratories and local food farms: Costa and friends return to Nannup Flower and Garden Festival
- Perth’s six seasons and the links between fire and flowers revealed by Noongar educator – Kings Park
- Orchids threatened by social media – liked to death – Kings Park
- Flower power: what is Australia’s most amazing wildflower?
More on these highlights below.
National Science Week in Western Australia is coordinated by Inspiring Western Australia. Visit their website: inspiringwa.org.au.
For general National Science Week media enquiries, contact scienceweek@scienceinpublic.com.au.
The fleet of caravans that transformed chronic disease – Busselton
In 1966 a small fleet of caravans carrying health researchers arrived at the City of Busselton to survey some 3,400 adults about their lifestyles and health risk.
From these humble beginnings grew one of the world’s leading long-term community health studies: for the past 60 years more than 20,000 participants have helped generate over 600 scientific publications on heart disease, diabetes, lung health and more.
For decades this community partnership has helped shaped the modern understanding of chronic health conditions. Explore the global legacy of the Busselton Health Study Biobank (complete with vintage caravans) in a special anniversary exhibition in Mitchell Park this National Science Week.
Monday 17 August.Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/celebrating-60-years-of-the-busselton-health-study-a-journey-of-discovery/busselton
Media enquiries: Michael Hunter, busseltonhealthstudy@health.wa.gov.au or 08 9754 0548.
Costa returns to Nannup Flower and Garden Festival along with Sophie Thomson, Faye Arcaro and more – Nannup
Costa, Sophie Thomson and all your favourite Gardening Australia presenters are tackling edible ecosystems with the theme “Grow, Gather, Feast” at the 29 th Nannup Flower and Garden Festival.
The 2026 Festival puts the spotlight on gardens as living laboratories in the search for a sustainable food future.
Between 7-16 August a series of kitchen and garden workshops will explore topics like seasonal growing, bush foraging and eco-friendly gardening in your backyard, balcony or bush block.
Keen gardeners (and interested amateurs) can attend practical demonstrations, swap seeds for future planting and learn new skills from a diverse range of food cultures.
Current and former Gardening Australia presenters will be attending over the two weekends of the Festival:
- 8-9 August: Sophie Thomson, Faye Arcarco, Guy Jeffrey and Steve Wood
- 15-16 August: Costa, Millie Ross.
Friday 7 August-Sunday 16 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/nannup-flower-and-garden-festival-grow-gather-feast/nannup/
Media enquiries: Emmi Taylor, info@nannupgardens.org.au or 0400 770 175.
Perth’s six seasons and the links between fire and flowers revealed by Noongar educator – Kings Park
Perth has six seasons; ‘quenda’ is the Noongar word for the Southern short-nosed bandicoot who live at Kings Park; fire helps the flowering process of ‘balga’ grass tree, which produces stems that are used as fire sticks, resins used for tools, and flowers eaten and chewed like chewing gum.
These are some of the things Rickeeta Walley can talk about. She’s an artist and Noongar educator at Kaarta Koomba (Kings Park and Botanic Garden).
In 2023, she joined her father performing a Welcome to Country at a Harry Styles concert that went viral. This National Science Week she is taking people on one-hour walks on Country, sharing the traditional scientific practices and knowledges of the Noongar people, from detailing the way the six seasons provide for guidelines for environmental and ecological sustainability to revealing local plant species and how they are managed through physical chemistry, fire-processing, and eco-engineering, for food and tool resources.
Thursday 20 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/noongar-two-way-learning-walk-at-kings-park/perth
Media enquiries: Emily Denham, Emily.denham@dbca.wa.gov.au or 08 9480 3688.
Rickeeta Walley is available for media interviews.
Orchids threatened by social media – liked to death – Kings Park
Social media popularity is threatening some of Australia’s most delicate orchid species, attracting well-meaning nature lovers to sensitive sites in destructive numbers, a recent study revealed.
Study co-author Dr Belinda Davis wants people to help protect these orchids. Based at Kings Park Science, she manages the only collection in WA of orchid seeds, friendly fungi and a living collection of orchids.
She will be joining Dr Magali Wright from Landscape Recovery Foundation, Tasmania for an evening talk about enjoying orchids in the wild while minimising harm, drawing on their personal experiences working with orchids.
Friday 4 September. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/liked-to-death-how-social-media-is-threatening-australias-orchids/kings-park/
Media enquiries: Emily Denham, Emily.denham@dbca.wa.gov.au or 08 9480 3688
Kings Park science communicator Eugenie Au and WA orchid expert Belinda Davis are available for media interviews. Dr Davis She can be filmed in the lab and working in the glasshouse with rare orchids in full bloom.
What do you think is Australia’s most amazing wildflower? – online
ABC Science wants Australians to discover our hidden “flower power”, the kind you find in botanical gardens rather than hippie communes.
With the help of experts, ABC Science has selected ten flowering plants from across the country.
Not just another banksia or waratah, but blooms from the unsung understory that also do something unbelievable. These ten wildflowers are more than just a pretty face; each one hides a surprising superpower. The public will decide which is the most amazing.
Voting to decide Australia’s most amazing wildflower will start just before National Science Week in August, with the winning bloom announced on Friday August 21 in a live broadcast on Radio National.
Wednesday 5 August – Friday 21 August. To find out more and vote, go to www.abc.net.au/wildflowers.
For interviews with Dr Ann Jones, contact Rob Caulley, ABC Publicity, Caulley.Rob@abc.net.au.
