Green Heart Week, Brisbane

If you want to help preserve the environment for your children’s future but are unsure about where to start, attending one of Brisbane City Council’s Green Heart Week events is the perfect first step.

Green Heart Week will offer families free and low-cost events and activities throughout the city between the 1st and 9th June including “green” workshops and nature-based experiences.

It’s a great way to teach your children about how to easily embrace a green lifestyle and to be more mindful of the fragility of our local and global environment.

Green Heart Fair

The Green Heart Fair is calling all eco-warriors and green thumbs, young and old, to join in sustainability workshops and learn about green living ideas, eco-gardening and lowering the cost of living through simple measures.

Held at 7th Brigade Park on Newman Road in Chermside, there will also be artisan markets, delicious food (including vegan and gluten-free options) as well as 2,000 free native plants to be given away! If you have older children or teenagers, you may like to watch the War on Waste series at home, and then head down to the fair to meet the show’s host, Craig Reucassel, as well as zero waste blogger Lindsay Miles. For younger children, there will be performances by PJ Masks, wildlife shows and nature play activities.

When: Sunday, 2nd June. 9am-3pm

Where: 7th Brigade Park, Newman Rd, Chermside

Koala Festival

Gather the kids and join your local community to help plant trees in Lambertia Close Park, located at 335 Pine Mountain Road, Mount Gravatt East. It’s a key ecological corridor that links to Whites Hill Reserve, located within mapped koala habitat. The day will be a free family fun experience in the reserve with child-friendly eco-entertainment, craft, live music, food and coffee.

The event will result in the restoration of koala and glider habitat and rehabilitation of the Salvin Creek riparian zone, with approximately 2500 plants to be planted. Eco entertainment will include Geckoes Wildlife (showcasing local animals), Birds Qld (walking tour), roving performers (‘Art for Earthlings’), and Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (display about Lone Pine and guided wild koala spotting with education officer). Lone Pine will also provide a heat vision camera with a screen to demonstrate some research they are currently funding which uses heat sensors mounted on drones to detect and count wild koalas.

When: Sunday, 9th June. 10am-2pm

Where: Lambertia Close Park. 335 Pine Mountain Rd, Mount Gravatt East

Visit a Brisbane Environment Centre

Brisbane is fortunate to have environment centres at Downfall Creek Bushland Centre and Karawatha Forest Discovery Centre. The centres offer a variety of free and low-cost activities for kids of all ages to help them learn about local flora and fauna while getting active.

Downfall Creek Bushland Centre

Located in McDowall, the Downfall Creek Bushland Centre is part of the Chermside Hills Reserve – a spot of nature in amongst the bustle of Brisbane’s suburban streets. Visitors can learn about the reserve’s flora and fauna and discover why it is important to preserve the natural areas of our environment. Pack a picnic and throw a snag on the barbie using the on-site facilities while the kids play in the playground. Also on offer is a Bush Kindy – where parents and carers can enjoy a range of nature-based sensory play to keep toddlers entertained with nature play, art and craft, bushwalks, story-time and more!

Karawatha Forest Discovery Centre

Karawatha Forest Park is one of the largest areas of remaining bushland in Brisbane City Council. Visitors with kids will love the nature play space (a Queensland first) including water play, climbing features, discovery trails and more. There are BBQ facilities for family days out, a Bush Kindy, guided walks and family fitness classes. Kids will also enjoy the “Wildlife of Bushlands and Backyards” sessions, where they can meet live native animals usually found in the bush, and even in our backyards. At these sessions, children will have an opportunity to get up close and personal while learning about snakes, frogs, birds, lizards and more with a wildlife expert. Find out more

For more information on how you can help create a clean and green Brisbane, please visit the Green Heart Week section on the Brisbane City Council website.