About
Austem Foundation’s Mission is to establish the rightful place of native Australian flora in the Australian home, garden and landscape, by:
Menu
*an ACNC registered not-for -profit
Austem Foundation’s Mission is to establish the rightful place of native Australian flora in the Australian home, garden and landscape, by:
Demonstrating how native flora can complement and enhance traditional ‘exotic’ flora in our gardens and landscapes
Alan’s success in business and commerce has always been balanced with a strong commitment to family and community – and the Austem Foundation is the culmination of a deep, personal passion for Australian native flora. Planning his very own garden was the catalyst to building a social enterprise to commercialise native Australian plants when he discovered the market and availability of natives was very poorly developed. Today ‘Red Rocks’ is a thriving testament to all Austem stands for, celebrating the true Australian garden with an encyclopaedic botany of 844 native species.
Alan is an “active investor”, the Managing Director of the Trawalla Group – the Schwartz Family Office which he founded with his wife Carol – as well as CEO of the Austem Foundation and its endeavours to ensure the rightful place of Australian native flora in our country.
As a horticulturalist with a passion for Australian native flora, Tamara’s work selecting, breeding and producing has been bringing Austem’s mission to life for the past decade.
Her groundbreaking work in the breeding and propagation of Corymbia Ficifolia in collaboration with Kings Park is matched by her meticulous attention to detail to establish Austem’s Native Plant Project nursery. Her careful selection and production of a diverse selection of much-loved, unique and hard to get plants has successfully established the country’s largest online retail nursery dedicated to distributing Australian native plants – and vastly contributes to the range and palette of natives now available to consumers. Tamara continues to seek out opportunities to bring interesting, rare and appealing natives to the retail space and runs the NPP nursery operation established in Bells Beach, Victoria that grows and distributes quality tube stock.
After completing a Bachelor of Business, Cameron worked in logistics and marketing then moving into small business management. Cameron returned to university where he earned a Graduate Diploma in Psychological Studies.
Cameron has always loved plants and gardening and since joining Austem has developed his horticultural knowledge working alongside Tamara. He now enjoys bringing his business skills and passion for plants to the running of the nursery. Cameron is also interested in therapeutic gardening and the role that plants and nature play in improving one’s health and wellbeing.
From 2008, our initial focus was on Grevillea and Small Myrtles. By 2011, we decided to redirect our efforts towards selecting, breeding, and propagating Corymbia Ficifolia, commonly known as ‘Flowering Gums’ and all intellectual property developed in new Grevillea and Small Myrtle varieties over the previous three years was gifted back to Kings Park.
Our ongoing funding of Kings Park has enabled us to develop and select a small and unique range of Corymbia Ficifolia.
Clonal propagation is pivotal to our success as it enables us to replicate the precise traits of the mother plants selected from our breeding programs, including their habit and flower colour.
Our continuous research into Plant Tissue Culture protocols, in collaboration with Kings Park and more recently Tissue Culture Australia, is beginning to show promise.
We’ve established a dedicated native nursery on Victoria’s Surf Coast, where horticulturalist Tamara Brown channels her passion for native plants. She meticulously nurtures a diverse and ever-changing collection of over 130 Australian native plants that are sold exclusively online via a specially created e-retail business. Gardeners can order – from what’s now become Australia’s largest online native nursery – their plant selections that are then carefully packed and sent, ready to thrive in a new Australian garden.
As the Editor at Large for the NPP website and social media channels, Susan Wright actively seeks out native plant experts, enthusiasts, and admirers to collaborate with us. Together, our goal is to provide valuable guides, captivating stories, and a wealth of inspiration centered around Australia’s diverse native plant life.
NPP spotlights native plant projects, both large and small, discovered in private and public gardens. We also delve into the creative expressions of designers, architects, florists, and artists who draw inspiration from native plants.
Throughout this journey, we offer expert tips, comprehensive growing guides, and a wealth of gardening knowledge to inspire and educate.
Our NPP website serves as an exceptional resource, offering inspiration, education as well as access to a wide variety of impressive Australian native plants through our e-nursery, conveniently delivered to our customers’ doors.
Austem is also committed to the conservation of rare and endangered native plants. In collaboration with Kings Park Botanical Garden, we are identifying over 20 rare and endangered Western Australian native plants. Working with commercial nurseries in the state, we are adding them to their inventory, creating retail labels, and making them available to retail nurseries. This ensures that these precious native species are preserved for Australian gardeners. Initially launched in WA, this initiative will expand to other states across Australia, utilizing local native varieties to offer a diverse range in each region.