Lessons in the great outdoors

More than 200 people from the Limestone Coast are still abuzz with excitement from the ‘A Day at the Lake’ event held during the recent school holidays.

Spending the day out in picturesque Lake McIntyre in Millicent, families were treated to a day of cultural learning and knowledge.

The Day at the Lake event provided many hands-on activities from children’s craft: building nests, investigating water bugs on the lake’s edge, tree planting in the bush tucker garden and First Nations weaving.

Children were also treated to storytelling sessions and bird identification.

The self-guided nature scavenger hunt with Bunganditj language was a great way for families to explore the landscape alongside the Walking the Seasons guided walks.

The Limestone Coast (LC) Landscape Board in collaboration with Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation, Wattle Range Council and Friends of Lake McIntyre organised the event to launch the Walking the Seasons guided walks to the community.

The Walking the Seasons program is inspired by the region’s First Nations Seasonal Calendar.

The Seasonal Calendar provides a base to record changes through the year in a specific area of the landscape.

After successfully running in schools for the past few years this educational program is now offered to the Limestone Coast community.

Walking the Seasons is a collaborative project delivered by the LC Landscape Board and Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation.

LC Landscape Board general manager Steve Bourne had the pleasure of introducing the Walking the Seasons program to the community, providing an overview of how the guided walks have evolved over the past few years with the support of the South East Aboriginal Focus Group and Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation.

“It is fantastic to see so many people out in the landscape, learning and connecting through nature,” he said.

“Creating this awareness of First Nations cultural heritage in the region is important. Establishing a link between Country and culture offers the community an opportunity to gain awareness and understanding of the landscape through a First Nations lens.

“The Walking the Seasons guided walk sessions provide valuable cultural knowledge and interactive experiences.”