The Nearer to Nature team from the Parks and Wildlife Service has lined up some exciting activities for the whole family this January at the Wellington Discovery Forest Centre, a short drive from Gnomesville and the Wellington National Park.

For those looking for something free to do for the whole family, visit the Wellington Discovery Forest Centre, where you can captivate the kids with a shared family experience including hands-on crafts and a wonderful taxidermy display.

The Wellington Discovery Forest Centre offers a fascinating and extensive collection of native fauna taxidermies, displayed within their native habitats which brings the fauna of the South West to life and offers a close up view of some of our unique and secretive nocturnal native animals. Nearer to Nature’s experienced education officers will be available to provide information on the specimens. In addition, the centre hosts a weird and wonderful collection of artefacts collected from the forest, many of them displayed on the hands-on 'touch-table' which allows children and adults to take a closer look and handle everything from emu eggs to skulls, furs and even some mummified animals.

To keep the kids engaged, we will also be running some great documentaries as well as a range of puzzles and paper craft activities where they can build their own animal and learn more about our amazing wildlife.

Additional activities are also available for those that wish to come out early to explore the forest under the shade of the jarrah and marri trees. Use your senses to move along the blindfold trail or search for clues whilst being a forest detective. For those crafty children and adults, why not come and create your very own clay animal or collage using resources found on the forest floor. These activities are offered on selected dates with a small fee per participant.

For those looking for an awesome animal experience look out for our workshop - South West Reptile Encounter on Friday 6th January and Thursday 19th January. If you want to learn more about our native bees and construct your very own bee hotel, buzz along to our Creating a Haven for Native Bees workshop on Monday 23rd January. Please note there is limited availability and fees apply for these workshops.

We have also teamed up with the Harvey Aboriginal Corporation to offer a cultural experience for families on Monday 9th January and Monday 16th January starting at 9am. Noongar elders from local communities will share language, lore and stories followed by a walk in the surrounding forest to learn about bush tucker and traditional medicines. Other activities may include singing and dancing for the young and young at heart, and some tool making activities. The exact program on the day will reflect the individual knowledge and experiences of each day’s presenter.

Our Nearer to Nature Parks and Wildlife Officers are looking forward to welcoming you to the Wellington Discovery Forest Centre and sharing the wonders of it with you.

For further enquiries please phone the DBCA Bunbury Office on 9725 4300.