Festival to celebrate nature on the Bellarine

THE Bellarine will host a local extension of the Geelong Nature Festival later this month, with a committed group of locals banding together to launch the 2023 Barwon Heads Nature Festival mini-series.

The Friends of the Bluff group will be conducting the Barwon Heads Nature Festival from September 24 and 29.

The series will feature a plethora of fun nature-based activities to get the community up close and personal with a host of plants, birds and animals who share the Barwon Heads backyard.

Activities include treasure hunts, games and puzzles at the Lobster Pot education centre on Jetty Road, art activities and giveaways at Ellis Reserve playground, and walk, talk and gawk session at the Barwon Heads Bluff, Sheepwash Road and Lake Connewarre.

Attendees will also be able to canoe the Barwon Estuary and take part in an after dark insect and moth exploration session of the Barwon Heads Bluff.

Event co-organiser Lisa Powell said the event would give locals the opportunity to explore, celebrate and marvel at the beautiful environment of Barwon Heads.

“We’ve run past festivals of the sea, but we are now running an environmental event of this nature for the very first time.

“There will be activities for kids every day including a fantastic canoe trip, after dark sessions, land, sea and sky workshops and more.

“It’s all being run by volunteers and there’s lot of exciting things to do.

“It’s about celebrating what is the beauty that is around us and by learning about it all and its complexity, we will start to protect it and respect it.

“The conservation side of it is exactly why we are doing it, and we look forward to sharing that with the community.”

All events are free to attend.

To find out more, head to www.barwonbluff.com