Nature Festival bus tour is back! Join us in Adelaide this October
If you’re based near Adelaide and are interested in learning more about our ecological work restoring rivers, wetlands, and the species they support, then you’re in luck! Our Nature Festival bus tour is back by popular demand.
When: Friday October 11th, 7:45am to 3pm
Where: Pickup and drop-off point is Frederick St Unley, near the northern end of Unley Oval, and we will visit 3 sites around Adelaide: River Torrens/ Karrawirra Pari at Lockleys, Aldinga Washpool / Wakondilla, and Mount Compass – read on below for details.
Cost: $25
This year we have opted for a cheaper ticket price and self-catered meals. There will be an option to purchase lunch at Mount Compass, or bring your own.
Book now as places are limited.
Details:
Join us on October 11th for a bus tour of some important river and wetland restoration projects close to Adelaide.
First stop: we will be visiting the River Torrens / Karrawirra Pari near its mouth in Lockleys, where in 2023 we re-introduced the southern purple-spotted gudgeon. This threatened fish species had been missing from the river for over 100 years. Senior Ecologist Sylvia Zukowski will check the monitoring nets and guests will get the chance to get up close to this and any other species we catch.
Second stop: the Aldinga Washpool / Wakondilla, a coastal lagoon at Sellicks Beach that is the last of its type along the metropolitan coast and of great cultural significance to Kaurna custodians. Here Allan Sumner will welcome us to country. Senior Ecologist Ben Taylor will provide an ecological perspective on the environmental history and restoration potential of the wetland. With any luck there will be some water and waterbirds present – binoculars are recommended.
Final stop, we will head up Willunga Hill to Mt Compass for lunch (purchased locally or BYO) followed by a look around School Swamp. This wetland, located on the grounds of Mt Compass Area School, is an important remnant of the critically endangered Fleurieu Peninsula Swamps and is managed by the School. We will take the boardwalk through the heart of the swamp and experience the beauty of this rare ecosystem up close, as well as hearing about management and restoration. The day will end with a return bus trip to the starting point at Unley Oval.
