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Coming Events

Connecting Communities in Nature Open Day

Join us on 11 May for a family fun open day; it’s packed with free activities to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day and our rich culturally diverse community.

Location Truganina Explosives Reserve, 274 Queen Street Altona

Time 10am—2pm

Activities we have planned for you include:

  • Our popular guided walks

  • Mesmerising Performance from Laverton P-12 College’s Crashendo Orchestra

  • Bilingual story time with the captivating Storytelling Sisters – Rohini Vij and Anna Manuel

  • Enchanting Indian folk music by Subramanya Sastry (Bansuri) and Sam Evans (Tabla)

  • Sally Nansen reads her acclaimed book ‘The Birds – A Fairy Tale’  - powerful story

  • Children’s Art workshops to unleash their creativity

  • Vietnamese Association in Hobsons Bay lead a Crane display – let’s reach 1000 together

  • Beautiful exhibit of Cutting History - Linocuts from The Birds - A Fairy Tale by Sally Nansen

  • Citizen Science and Eco Explorer activities for all ages 

  • East Asian-Australasian Flyway Videos

  • Australian Water Life – look at bugs under the microscope

  • Free BBQ courtesy of Hobsons Bay Men’s Shed

All free thanks to our proud supporters Hobsons Bay City Council through its Make it Happen Grants and the Ross Trust.

HBWC Citizen science program  
Our Citizen Scientists have many activities in the pipeline, including carrying out an iNaturalist-based project for our future site at the HD Graham Reserve. 
Let us know if you’d like to join in the fun by emailing HBWCgroup@gmail.com and we’ll send you dates and details of our activities.  You don’t need any experience, just enthusiasm and a desire to help the environment.

Citizen Science

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Citizen science activities include:

‣ Waterwatch (Melbourne Water)
‣ Carbon Sequestration (Blue Carbon Lab)

Wetlands
Self-guided walk

There are a number of easy, self-guided walks you can do –
• beginning at Apex Park, at the end of The Esplanade in Altona
• along the Coastal Trail along Laverton Creek
• around Truganina Park and the Hundred Steps of Federation
you could also begin your walk near the Truganina Explosives Reserve, to the Laverton Creek and continue on, or do the various walks around Truganina Park, starting at the carpark there
Map and info sheet here.

Past Events

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We’ve held a number of Open Days, workshops and Citizen Science events.  In 2019 and 2020 our Open Days included celebrating World Wetlands Day and World Mental Health Day.  These featured guest speakers on migratory birds, Blue Carbon Research and evidence of the benefits of contact with nature for mental health and wellbeing.

Hope, Coping and Wellness: Mental health benefits of connecting with nature.  

Keen to learn more about the relationship between between mental health and nature, as well as active coping strategies?  

Check out our conversation with Dr Rebecca Patrick, Senior Lecturer in Health Promotion and Planetary Health, Deakin University and youth leader Sandy Gonzalez de la Vega here.

Bird & Wetlands
- a journey with art and shorebirds

Watch the November online workshop with local ‘natural historian’ and artist Rob Mancini here in an exploration of the fascinating local, resident and migratory shorebirds and about the local habitats they frequent. Also learn about his art and the way these birds and places have inspired him.

Suitable for all birding skill levels, with only an interest in the natural world required.

Our wonderful wetlands
- explore the wetlands of Hobsons Bay with Gordon Lescinsky.

Watch Gordon’s presentation here.

Saltmarsh Discovery
If you missed this one, join Gordon Lescinsky as he looks more closely at our saltmarshes – salt-tolerant plants and why they can thrive in these unique areas, and learn more about salinity, flooding and dynamic coastlines.

Check it out here.