Sunrise on steroids

Steve Gillespie braved the gale-force winds that have been wreaking havoc to capture this incredible series of photos of the sun rising over the waves at Shellharbour. I was only going to share one of his photos but how on earth could I choose? I just love this series because not only does it show the power of the waves, but it also shows that no matter what is happening, be it smooth sailing or stormy weather, the sun keeps rising.

Tiny forest

Did you know there’s a brand new tiny forest in the Illawarra? And it’s the first of many planned.

Students from Tarrawanna Public School helped to plant a tiny forest at Harrigan Park. The plants are spaced closely together to create fast vertical growth and the forest is made up of local native species. The idea is to create pockets of very fast maturing forests to help green our urban landscape. It’s part of a trial run by Wollongong City Council and is one of my many prongs in a multi-faceted approach to greening Wollongong’s suburbs, which have some of the lowest tree canopy cover in NSW. Read more about the Tiny Forest initiative and how you can get involved here.

Have your say on the Coastal Management Program

It’s hard to live in the Illawarra and not love our coast. From the Royal National Park down to Lake Illawarra, we live in one of the most beautiful places in the country and you can have your say on how our coastline is managed.

Who doesn’t love colouring-in?

Okay, so these activities are for kids, but don’t tell me you haven’t picked up your pencils during the adult colouring-in resurgence of the past few years. Thanks to WIRES, you can download lots of fantastic and free colouring sheets for the, ahem, kids to while away the hours.

What’s on

Lots of nature-based fun to be had locally.

Exploring Dharawal – nature play for 3- to 5-year-olds

This Friday, 17 June, Shellharbour City Museum is holding an interactive outdoor play workshop for ages 3-5 to learn about Dharawal Country and to explore nature. Register here.

Free shark talk

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a huge fan of the FREE Shellharbour Library nature talks and there is another fabulous one on this Thursday night. Join marine biologist Dr Amy Smoothey as she talks about the biology and ecology of sharks. Registrations are a must.

Ocean Art – Deep Sounding

Many of us feel a deep affinity for the ocean, (even though some of us are terrified of swimming in it!). Wollongong Art Gallery is currently hosting the Deep Sounding exhibition, by Wollongong-based artist and writer Friederike Krishnabhakdi-Vasilakis and sound producer Leon Vasilakis. The "multi-arts exhibition combines moving visuals of coastal ocean-scapes overlaid with a soundscape of modulated sound of underwater animals and their environment" and runs until August 14.