Iramoo grassland centre & nursery

Iramoo means 'grassy plains' in the Woiwurrung language.

The Iramoo reserve at VU’s St Albans Campus is a flourishing grassland of Indigenous Australian grasses and wildflowers. These native plants, which are adapted to the dry volcanic climate, have been a source of food and material for art and tools for First Nations peoples over thousands of years. They also provide a safe habitat for blue-banded bees, spotted marsh frogs and blue-tongued lizards.

But beyond the reserve, due to urbanisation, native flora has been fast disappearing from our region. These indigenous plants and grasses, which are essential to biodiversity and water conservation in Victorian Volcanic Grasslands in the west of Melbourne, are at 1 per cent of their original population.

Iramoo at VU is dedicating to re-establishing these plant populations, with the Iramoo grassland centre and nursery, and education, outreach and partnership initiatives in the local area.

Moondani Balluk's Marcus Brooke; Iramoo Nursery's Megan O’Shea and Jeremy McNally; VU students Isabelle Day and Mirella Botros.

Iramoo nursery at VU

Bush food display garden

The team at Moondani Balluk Indigenous Academic Unit have established a Bush Food Display garden, which showcases the enormous diversity of the local plants used by Aboriginal people for traditional food, weaving and for making tools.

You can take a self-guided tour in the garden.

School group tours

We offer engaging and fun school group programs that focus on positive actions towards biodiversity conservation.

We can:

introduce your students to the Grasslands ecosystem through fun activity-based incursions or excursions
assist you in school grounds landscaping plans
provide local, native plants and seed stock
help with general enquiries about Grasslands biodiversity and education resources
show you how to set up plant propagation, native food gardens, local animal habitats and more in your school grounds.

We have:

a large Grasslands reserve to play in
a site-based ‘field station’ to visit and use for discovery programs and to run field trips from
a native plant nursery, brimming with plants available at a discount rate for schools
many free resources, including planting guides and a seedlings fund raising kit
many friendly staff, with backgrounds in horticulture, grasslands management and ecology
Volcano Dreaming! a big, beautiful panoramic exhibition that will be sure to capture your students and even your school community in the Grasslands conservation enthusiasm.

To book a tour, please contact Megan O'Shea:
Phone: +61 3 9919 2129
Email: [email protected]