The Berowra Fauna Fair is coming up, bigger and better than ever. With the support of Hornsby Shire Council we will be celebrating all of the marvellous wildlife with whom we share our bushland home.
On Sunday the 12th March from 10am to 4pm, at the Berowra Community and Cultural Facility (Berowra Community Centre), The Gully Road Berowra, we will commence with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony by Uncle Laurie. The centre will be a hub of fauna based activity including native animals, information from wildlife rescue, local plants for sale, a workshop on building a bee hotel and a BBQ run by Apex. Throughout the event there will be continuous 30-minute talks by experts on bats, birds, frogs, fungi, marine animals, koalas and more. There will be plenty of opportunity to share experiences and ask questions, or just to sit back and learn something new.
The greater Hornsby area is a native animal hot spot and home to some of Australia’s most iconic animals such as the echidna, and threatened species such as the platypus and koala. Learning about these animals is a great step towards making sure they are still here for future generations to enjoy. Other familiar friends, including bandicoots, sugar gliders and glossy black cockatoos, will also be featured in talks at the event.
Speaker Programme
| Time | Talk |
| 10am – 10.30am | Uncle Laurie
Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony |
| 10.30am -11am | Fungi Biodiversity
Vanessa McPherson and Michael Gillings Learn about one of our most important ecosystem engineers in a fascinating talk about Fungi Biodiversity. |
| 11am -11.30am | Native Orchids
Wendy Grimm Genoplesium baueri R.Br. (family Orchidaceae) is an endangered terrestrial orchid species endemic to the Sydney Basin, New South Wales, Australia. Genoplesium baueri was spotted by Wendy Grimm in 2009, as an isolated plant growing along a fire-trail in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, near Mount Colah with members of the Australian Plants Society North Shore Group. G. baueri was previously recorded in the 1940’s around Cowan and Mt Colah. Wendy went on to monitor several populations of the rare orchid 2009-22 in local National Parks and nature reserves and published the results in Cunninghamia and was awarded a MPhil for her studies. Wendy has been part of the APS NSG Walks & Talks program at Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden since retiring as a hospital scientist in 2007 and has enjoyed a life-long enthusiasm for geology, flora & fauna and conservation of the environment. |
| 11.30am -12pm | Wildlife in our Gardens – the Benefits
Jenny Sistrom |
| 12pm – 12.30pm | The Secret Life of Spiders
Dr Helen Smith Helen Smith works behind the scenes at the Australian Museum in Sydney where she helps to look after one of the largest spider collections in the southern hemisphere. These spider specimens are for research, so they are carefully preserved and labelled. But Helen also loves to get out and about to see what spiders and other little animals are up to in their day-to-day lives. Have you ever wondered why there are silk lines across the bushes glistening in the sun, or marvelled as a huntsman spider defies gravity to run across a smooth window? Or maybe you spotted a white speck moving in your lawn then realised it was attached to a camouflaged spider – what was that all about? |
| 12.30pm – 1pm |
Come Fly with Me
Judy Harrington A talk about your special Glossies and Powerful Owls as well as some of the other local birds people can see in the backyards or the surrounding bushland. Plus some hints on attracting birds to your gardens |
| 1pm – 1.30pm | Platypus and Koalas
Sue Martin and Pat Schwartz An update on the wonderful work in the local area to detect platypus and koalas in our local bushland. |
| 1.45pm – 2.15pm | Seahorses, seadragons, tropical fishes and corals: the Sydney scene.
David Booth and Gigi Beretta Sydney is a major hub of marine biodiversity but also a hotspot for climate change. Gigi Beretta and David Booth are marine ecologists who study marine fishes and corals from the Great Barrier Reef to Sydney. We will discuss our work in Sydney on seadragons, seahorses, invading tropical fishes and new subtropical coral beds off Sydney! |
| 2.30pm – 3pm | Native Bees
Learn about our native bee species |
| 3pm – 4pm | Bee workshop – pre booked free for the first 18 participants ( 1 ticket per family)
Book Now |
Kids Events
| Time | Name |
| 10am-2pm | Australian Walkabout Wildlife Park and Sydney Bats
Meet our amazing local wildlife – grey headed flying foxes (the bats), turtles, lizards, pythons and an echidna. |
| 10am-2pm | Snake Safety – Jabiru Wildlife – live snakes and snake safety demonstration |
| 11am-1pm | Insects and other Mini beasts
Australian Environmental Education and Nature Know Australia Display of insect materials, and some live animals to interact with. Outdoor program. 2 x minibeast hunts – 11.30am 12.30pm 25 minutes each Discover local bugs and creatures and learn more about them. 15 to 20 children 2 x mindful moments in nature sessions – slow down and play with nature materials and sensory sessions 25 minutes each 11am 12pm 12 children per session – Signup on the day
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| 2pm-4pm | Australian Wildlife Displays
Ringtail possum, Tawny Frogmouth, Bluetongue Lizard, Green Tree Frog, Diamond Python, Lace Monitor and Long-necked Turtle |
| 2.30pm -4pm | Bee Hotel Workshop – pre-booked
Book Now https://www.trybooking.com/CGKPL
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Stalls
- Australian Native Plant Society
- Berowra Garden Club
- Apex BBQ
- Friends of Berowra Valley
- Nature Conservation Council
- Birdlife Australia
- Sydney Wildlife Rescue
- Hornsby Shire Council
- Snake Safety – Jabiru Wildlife – live snakes and snake safety demonstration
- Australian Walkabout Wildlife Park and Sydney Bats 10am-2pm meet our amazing local wildlife – grey headed flying foxes (the bats), turtles, lizards, pythons and an echidna.
- Australian Wildlife Displays 2pm-4pm bringing: Ringtail possum,Tawny Frogmouth, Bluetongue Lizard, Green Tree Frog, Diamond Python, Lace Monitor, Long-necked Turtle
- Kids Connecting Nature – Bees
- Australian Environmental Education and Nature Know Australia – a joint minibeast display and activities.
- Frog and Tadpole Study Group (FATS)
- Cattai-Hills Environment Network (CHEN) & Glenorie Environment Centre
2 replies on “Berowra Fauna Fair”
Fantastic to see the effort Friends of Berowra Valley puts into conserving and educating the public about our wonderful local environment. The work continues their proud 30 year history of conservation in the local area. Congratulations team.
[…] the Berowra Fauna Fair was a great success, and Nature Know Australia was proud to be a part of it. It was a joy to see so […]