Join Nature Glenelg Trust Ecologists on a bus tour of some important river and wetland restoration projects close to Adelaide.
The initial meeting location, where the bus will be waiting, is Frederick St Unley directly adjacent to the northern end of Unley Oval (opposite Cambridge Tce). There is plenty of all-day parking in this area. Please arrive with ample time to park and board the bus as we will be leaving at 8.00 am sharp.
Our first stop will be the River Torrens / Karrawirra Pari near it's mouth in Lockleys, where in 2023 NGT 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.
Next stop is the Aldinga Washpool / Wakondilla, a coastal lagoon at Sellicks Beach that is the last of it's 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 and Tessa Roberts 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 recommended.
Finally, we will head up Willunga Hill to Mt Compass for lunch (guests to purchase 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.
