The Nature Festival is currently taking place, offering a variety of activities across the region. We’ve selected a few events that may be of interest to CLLMM RC followers.
Soar Like A Shorebird, hosted by Fleurieu Marine Education and Alexandrina Council, is designed for children aged 5-10 years to explore migratory birds.
Home and Hearthstone, hosted by the Signal Point Experience Centre will be holding a Lakinyeri (family) workshop where participants will be guided by Cedric Varcoe sharing his mark making and symbology to create an art work about family and connection to place to take home.
Bird Talk & Beach Walk – Meet the Beach-Nesting Birds of Goolwa hosted by Birdlife Australia. Discover local Beach-nesting birds with an informative workshop, beach walk and a discussion on how to protect a threatened species.
Coastal Wings: Exploring Fleurieu's Seabirds and Shorebirds hosted by Birdlife Australia. Come along to an informative and engaging workshop to learn about Caspian, Crested and the Endangered Fairy Tern and other sea birds that live along the Fleurieu coastline. Find out how to identify different species of birds and who to report your observations to if you see them. Take home a free identification booklet to refer to when conducting your birding surveys!
Bird Lover Walk at Butcher Gap hosted by Trees for Life Join Hugh Possingham, international expert and Nature Festival’s favourite bird lover as he explores the birds of Butchers Gap Conservation Park.
Help the Hoodies hosted by Landscape Hills and Fleurieu. Learn about the hooded plovers and other beach nesting birds that make their homes on the Fleurieu ocean beaches.
Landscape Hills and Fleurieu. Do you have rates in your backyard or bushland? Are you wondering if they are friend or foe? Australia has many native rat species, three of which commonly occur in the Hills and Fleurieu region, providing important ecological service.
Awe Under the Stars: Discovering our Local Microbats hosted by Second Nature Conservancy and Alexandrina Council. Imagine being able to catch insects in the air whilst flying at 100km per hour? Or eating up to half your body weight of insects in one night? Welcome to the fascinating and awe inspiring world of our local native microbats!
Be sure to register for these and any of the other events online via the links above or via the Nature Festival website.
The "Connecting to Ngarrindjeri Ruwi" event took place from September 9th-11th at the CLLMM Research Centre, offering participants a mi:wi (spirit) sparking cultural immersion.
The event commenced with a powerful Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony led by Cedric Varcoe. Participants then engaged in cultural site visits around the Goolwa region, guided by Cedric, Aunty Ellen and Aunty Sandy.
Participants also had the chance to take part in a weaving and connecting workshop hosted by the Mardawi Weaving Collective, which was absolutely beautiful - fostering connection to country, to  each other, and to self.The event was an incredible opportunity to celebrate culture, connection, and community at our water research centre. We were honoured to host this event and to be a part of it!
Last week, our First Nations Engagement Officer, Kyla, had the privilege of touring around Ngarrindjeri Country with the Fish Advisory mob from the Murray Darling Basin, engaging in in cultural activities, insightful presentations and learning all things fish, water and wetlands around the Kurrangk - Coorong, Mungkul-engk - Lower Lakes and Murrundi - Murray Mouth region.
The event began with a moving Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony led by Uncle Mark Koolmatrie, setting the tone for the days ahead. Participants then ventured to the barrages, Raukkan, and Terringe, deepening their understanding of the significance of these sites.
Sylvia and Scotte took us to three locations. The first stop was the Beyond Wetland around Hayborough, known for its ecological richness. Next, the group explored the Mundoo Island Channel, before concluding the morning at a nearby private property, to connect with the land and country, exploring the species in the area. After a day of discovery, participants returned to Goolwa for a three-hour cruise on the Spirit of the Coorong.
The week was jam-packed with learning, culture, connection, and knowledge exchange! Uncle Mark Koolmatrie and Panagiota (Penny) Karamanlis from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority did an amazing job organising this event!