4 nature events being held in Adelaide national parks to celebrate our National Park City

Nation­al Park City is a glob­al move­ment to cre­ate cities world­wide where peo­ple and nature are bet­ter connected. 

The con­cept orig­i­nat­ed in the UK in 2019, with Lon­don being coined the first Nation­al Park City. 

Last year Ade­laide was named the world’s 2^ndNation­al Park City, and Australia’s 1^st, with peo­ple across Ade­laide tak­ing action every day to make the city green­er, make their lives health­i­er, and pro­mote a bet­ter con­nec­tion with nature. 

This June, events are being held all across met­ro­pol­i­tan Ade­laide to cel­e­brate Ade­laide becom­ing a Nation­al Park City. 

We’ve scoured the pro­gram and found these 4 events and activ­i­ties held in our parks that will bring you up-close and per­son­al with our envi­ron­ment (make sure you check the pro­gram for oth­ers too!):

1. Glen­thorne Nation­al Park Com­mu­ni­ty Plant­i­ng Day

It’s plant­i­ng sea­son again!

Come along to plant native species and con­tribute to the eco­log­i­cal restora­tion of Glen­thorne Nation­al Park-Itya­mai­it­pin­na Yarta in Adelaide’s south­ern sub­urbs this winter. 

This is your oppor­tu­ni­ty to roll-up your sleeves and get out into the fresh air and be part of the eco­log­i­cal restora­tion of one of South Australia’s newest nation­al parks.

All equip­ment will be pro­vid­ed, but make sure you dress appro­pri­ate­ly for the weath­er, bring your own sun­screen, water and a hat, and wear closed toe-shoes. Gloves can be sup­plied, but bring your own if you have some. 

Don’t miss your chance to be part of cre­at­ing this new nature des­ti­na­tion in Adelaide’s south.

Date: Sun­day 19 June, 10 am to 1 pm

Cost: Free 

For more infor­ma­tion and to reg­is­ter your spot

2. Ade­laide Dol­phin Sanc­tu­ary Kayak Tour

The Ade­laide Dol­phin Sanc­tu­ary is one of the gems of met­ro­pol­i­tan Adelaide. 

Locat­ed only 20 min­utes from Ade­laide, this marine park is home to about 30 res­i­dent bot­tlenose dol­phins, with anoth­er 400 tran­sient dol­phins that vis­it at var­i­ous times. These wild dol­phins come here to feed, play, socialise and nurse their calves.

The per­fect way to dis­cov­er the sanc­tu­ary is on a kayak tour. Join Dol­phin Sanc­tu­ary Tours on a pad­dle through the ship­wreck-laden waters and count how many riv­er dol­phins you see along the way. 

You’ll learn plen­ty of inter­est­ing facts about marine mam­mals and wildlife, and you don’t need any pri­or kayak­ing expe­ri­ence. No doubt it’ll be a great day to be had by all! 

Date: Through­out June 

Cost: From $50 (To receive the spe­cial price, use pro­mo code ​“ANPC” when book­ing online.)

Vis­it the web­site for more infor­ma­tion and to book your spot

3. Nature Jour­nal­ing in Anstey Hill Recre­ation Park

Come along to a nature jour­nal­ing work­shop at Anstey Hill Recre­ation Park in Adelaide’s north-east­ern suburbs. 

Jour­nal­ing is a great way to enjoy the park, help­ing you view it with fresh eyes. 

As part of this hour-and-a-half ses­sion, you’ll receive a kit to get you start­ed plus some ideas to help get your cre­ative juices flowing. 

The friend­ly facil­i­ta­tor will guide you through some easy draw­ing and writ­ing exer­cis­es to help you cre­ate a jour­nal of your own. You’ll get plen­ty of tips along the way for future nature jour­nal­ing and nature visits. 

This work­shop aims to inspire you to jour­nal any­where and any­time you are out in nature – help­ing you to appre­ci­ate it even more. 

The work­shop will include a short easy walk (less than 1 km) so that you’re immersed in the park, so make sure you wear com­fy shoes.

Date: Sat­ur­day 11 June, 12:30 pm to 2 pm and 2:30 pm to 4 pm

Cost: Free 

Vis­it the web­site for more infor­ma­tion and to reg­is­ter your spot

4. Draw­ing nature with Gilbert Dashorst

Cap­ture the beau­ti­ful sur­rounds of Aldin­ga Con­ser­va­tion Park in Adelaide’s south through draw­ing, under the guid­ance of world-renowned nat­ur­al his­to­ry illus­tra­tor Gilbert Dashorst.

Gilbert spe­cialis­es in the field of botany and spent 30 years at the State Herbarium/​Botanic Gar­dens of SA as their sci­en­tif­ic illus­tra­tor. One of his best known works is the beau­ti­ful and infor­ma­tive book ​‘Plants of the Ade­laide Plains and Hills’. 

Com­bine the joy of draw­ing with pen­cils and the inspi­ra­tion of Aldin­ga Con­ser­va­tion Park to cre­ate your own mas­ter­piece. Your art­work will draw on var­i­ous aspects of nature – from rocks, ani­mals, birds, del­i­cate plants and trees, to the beau­ti­ful land­scape in front of you.

You’ll be sup­plied with a draw­ing board, paper and pen­cils, but you are wel­come to bring your own art sup­plies – but keep in mind if you bring oil paints they will take a long time to dry. 

Date: Mon­day 13 June, 10:30 am to 12pm and 1 pm to 2:30 pm

Cost: Free 

Vis­it the web­site for more infor­ma­tion and to reg­is­ter your spot

Look­ing for more ways to con­nect with nature in South Aus­tralia? Read about the top spots for whale watch­ing in SA, or check out these win­ter expe­ri­ences in nation­al parks.