Floriade About Town at the National Library | National Library of Australia (NLA)
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Floriade About Town at the National Library

Published on 21 Aug 2026
News

Spring is on its way and so is Floriade. This year there will be plenty happening at the Library, with a range of activities, displays, and food and drink offerings to enjoy.

Table at Bookplate cafe with special menu items, kids activity sheets and books for Floriade with colourful stained glass windows in the background

Bookplate 

Discover a new and exciting menu for the Floriade period inspired by the colours, scents and flavours of spring. Think fluffy ricotta pancakes with macerated strawberries, maple syrup and fresh edible flowers, a spring Harvest Green Bowl and much more!

Bookshop 

Our Bookshop will feature an eye-catching design drawn from the Library's collection of botanical illustrations by artist Ellis Rowan. Publications celebrating gardens, flowers, botany and nature themes will also be highlighted in the window display and throughout the store. 

Main Reading Room 

In the Kid’s Corner of our Main Reading Room, children and families can take part in a still-life drawing activity of Australian flowers. There will also be themed colouring-in and word search activities plus a Floriade-inspired book display in the Main Reading Room drawn from the collection. 

Treasures Gallery 

For those interested in florals within our collection, stepping inside our Treasures Gallery will reveal a stunning original watercolor from the 1800s by Ellis Rowan, featuring Golden Wattle and Ida McComish’s botanical specimens of Norfolk Island Pine. 

On the podium 

As a special offering for Floriade About Town, we will have outdoor furniture at the front of the building for visitors to enjoy the spring fresh air and the views of the Parliamentary Triangle.  

See you soon 

We look forward to seeing you at the Library! 

Plan your visit See what's on

A table in the Bookshop with books, a mug, a puzzle and a wooden wattle brooch.
Pencils scattered over the top of a colouring in page with a wattle, a word search and another colouring in page.
A dessert on a plate with cream and flowers with a colourful stained glass window behind it

More to explore

Two colourful birds standing on branches eating fruit

Ellis Rowan, [Lorikeets (Geoffroyus heteroclitus)], 1917, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-138740512

Ellis Rowan Collection

919 watercolours and gouaches of flowers and birds of Australia and Papua New Guinea painted between 1870 and 1920, plus a small quantity of personal papers.

Collection guide
Man and woman in casual wear holding hands and laughing as they walk up the stairs towards the National Library entrance
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Woman and child smiling as they read a book in the kid's corner of the main reading room

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