Nature Festival (26 September to 12 October) is returning to SA for its sixth year during the spring school holidays and there are more than 20 events happening across the City of Onkaparinga.
The annual festival sees hundreds of events scheduled across the state including events, encounters and experiences to celebrate our love of nature in South Australia.
The City of Onkaparinga is supporting 8 events (details of some below) but there are at least 20 events happening across the region, which you can explore in the Adelaide and Fleurieu Peninsula sections of the Nature Festival website program.
Be quick to nab your spot! Some – like the Nature by Night guided night walk at Tangari Regional Park in Woodcroft – are already booked out.
For more school holiday ideas, head to the council’s website to see what’s on at its libraries, communities, youth centres and more from 27 September to 12 October.
Watch powerful documentary, Rising Up
Enjoy a special Nature Festival film screening of a powerful documentary, Rising Up, by 23-year-old Australian changemaker, Kal Glanznig.
Rising Up takes you through Kal's global journey exploring the impacts of climate change and plastic pollution along the coast and showcases young leaders who are driving change. With a strong optimistic outlook, Rising Up inspires you to conquer your doubts and take action.
Catch the screening – plus hear from the filmmaker, environmental changemakers and OzFish; and enjoy a virtual reality experience and live music – for $5 at Somerton Park’s Summertown Studio on Thursday 25 September.
This event is brought you by the Resilient South Climate Partnership and is supported by Marion, Holdfast Bay, Onkaparinga and Mitcham councils and Green Adelaide. Book your ticket online.
Catch an art exhibition at Sauerbier House, Port Noarlunga
Fruzsi Kenez’s artist-in-residence exhibition, SOURCE AND STREAM (THE RIVER FLOWS BOTH WAYS, officially opens on Saturday 27 September, drawing parallel’s between their hometown of Szeged, Hungary (bisected by the Tisza river – often called “the most Hungarian river”) and the Ngankipari, sacred to Kaurna People.
Both magic rivers embody the metaphor of maternal connection and matriarchal lineage for their traditional people. It is this unique convergence that the artist is seeking to explore through traditional Hungarian poetry and ceramics, an outcome underpinned by ongoing, meaningful conversation and engagement with Ngankipari.
You can experience the exhibition on various days in October too.
Design a garden with local indigenous plants
Looking for advice and inspiration to create your own local indigenous garden?
Head to Sauerbier House’s artist-led Wash House Garden in Port Noarlunga to welcome Bec and Mark Thomas (Gondwana Landscapes & Consultancy) and Nikola Manos (City of Onkaparinga’s Nature Conservation Project Officer) to help you design and care for a garden with plants that are indigenous to the region. The free workshop takes place on Saturday 4 October from 1.30pm to 3.30pm. Book your free spot online.
This event is presented by City of Onkaparinga Arts/Sauerbier House and Sustainable Onkaparinga
Become a Beach Detective at Aldinga
The beach is an awesome place to explore. Join the Green Adelaide Education team at Snapper Point, Aldinga Beach and come and learn about the animals, plants and other sea life that call our amazing coastline home and how to protect them.
This is a free family event for residents of Onkaparinga, Marion, Mitcham and Holdfast Bay councils as part of their Resilient South partnership, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. Bookings essential.
This event is supported by Green Adelaide and Sustainable Onkaparinga.
Note – the running of this beachcombing activity will be dependent on the harmful algal bloom conditions at the time. If they’re unable to proceed, an alternative 'pond dipping' activity will be provided at nearby Hart Road Wetland.
Come and Try Bushcare at O’Sullivan Beach
Come and Try days are a chance to give bushcare a go for yourself and see how you can make a difference in your local patch. They’re also a great way to meet new people, learn new skills and discover the bush that exists in our suburbs.
Free Come and Try bushcare days run from 9am to 3.30pm, but participants (best suited to those aged 15+) are welcome to attend for a few hours, or for a half or full day. Transport yourself to the site at Tingira Reserve (Tingira Drive) on Friday 10 October or register to catch the minibus, which can transport you from Trees for Life’s Brooklyn Park office or at a designated pick-up point on the way.
No prior knowledge or experience is required. All the training, equipment and personal safety gear will be provided on the day by Trees for Life’s friendly and knowledgeable staff. Register free online and take note of what to bring on the day.
This event is supported by the City of Onkaparinga.
Learn how to run a BioBlitz Workshop
From the experienced team who helped found the globally successful event, the Great Southern BioBlitz, join an engaging and informative BioBlitz workshop run by Ferox australis and co-hosted by City of Onkaparinga at the Coromandel Community Centre on Saturday 11 October (9.30am to 1.30pm).
The workshop will include an introduction to the iNaturalist platform and managing a BioBlitz before, during, and after the event. You’ll also undertake your own mock BioBlitz outdoors, so please dress appropriately on the day. By the workshop’s end, participants will have a thorough understanding of how to effectively run BioBlitz events. Book your free spot online.
Pictured
A still from the Rising Up documentary.