Ecofest 2016 Program Guide

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Sunday, Jun

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9am - 3pm

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YOUR PROGRAM GUIDE

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will depict dunes and coastal vegetation. Children will also be able to sieve for plastic debris in the sand and learn about the effects of plastics on marine and wild life.

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Radical Reptiles Queensland

ECOfun Zone Amazing Drumming Monkeys

9.30am, 11.30am and 1.30pm Australia’s favourite little kids' show is coming to the Gladstone Region’s Ecofest 2016! The show includes a blend of puppetry, live music, comedy, and interactive themes for the whole family to enjoy. The puppetry element of the show will feature two monkeys, Bongo and Congo, otherwise known as the 'African drum experts'.

Recycled Art N Sound, presented by Bunnings 9am - 3pm Residents are encouraged to join the team at the Bunnings marquee and make musical instruments out of recycled materials.

Kitchen Garden Demonstrations, presented by Bunnings 11am, 12.30pm and 1.30pm Participants will learn how to produce their own kitchen gardens, ideal for organic home cooking. Demonstrations will take place at the Bunnings marquee.

Native Stingless Bees Display 10.30am and 1.30pm Attendees will be able to view the inside of a bee hive structure and learn about the different elements. The community will also witness several thousand bees in flight during the course of the day. The demonstration will take place at the Society for Growing Australian Plants tent.

Face Painting and Tattoos 9am - 3pm Have your face painted by the fairies from Fantasy Faces or have our very own Ecofest tattoos applied.

10am, 12pm and 2pm Radical Reptiles will be back again conducting three 30 minute demonstrations. Radical Reptiles Training has been in business for 10 years bringing educational entertainment to the public.

Radical Reptiles currently hold Australia’s only nationally recognised course for Reptile Awareness and Safety. They travel all over Australia with both entertainment and training purposes.

Koorana Crocodile Farm 9am - 3pm Adam from Koorana Crocodile Farm will wow the crowds this year with crocodile release and catch demonstrations throughout the day.

Tondoon Botanic Gardens Tondoon Stall

9am - 3pm Staff will have 1000 dry rainforest seedlings for sale for $1 each. Residents will be able to view the plant via a factsheet prior to making the purchase. The stall will have a table full of pencils and crayons for children to participate in Council's Colouring Competition. Staff will be giving away little peat pots and seeds for residents to plant. Gardens' volunteers will be present to answer any questions.

Pest Management 9am - 3pm The Pest Management stall will boast various displays and children's activities, aimed at creating a fun learning experience for youngsters. There will be a display of live weed samples for hands on identification, a feral animal trapping equipment display, weed and feral animal factsheets and a splatter gun interactive display.

Conservation Management 9am - 3pm Council's conservation stall will provide a large sandpit which

BirdLife Capricornia 9am - 3pm BirdLife Capricornia and Tondoon Botanic Gardens have combined together to create an educational interactive display for this year's Ecofest. Attendees will learn which local native trees and plants attract specific species of birds. In addition, residents can paint their own bird, purchase local plants and collect free information sheets on urban trees, shrubs, grasses and lilies.

Activities, Animals and Presentations Gladstone District Wildlife Carers Association Come and meet the team as they ‘show and tell’ their animals in care. Expect to see eastern grey kangaroos, reptiles, wallabies and an array of native animals on the day. They will also have possum boxes and rescue packs for sale.

Quoin Island Turtle Rehabilitation Centre Adults and children will see native turtles up close and personal at the display, while learning about the animals through additional displays, slides shows and activities.

Benaraby Plant Farm You don’t need a large garden or yard to grow your fruit and vegetables, Ion Daetz will answer all your questions on container gardening and setting up your own vegetable garden boxes.

Society for Growing Australian Plants (SGAP) Tent There will be various activities taking place throughout the day, including: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Bipods Boyne Valley Historical Society Bush Foods Display and Plants Capricorn Bonsai Group Central Queensland Koala Volunteers Frogs Society of Queensland Volunteers Propagation of Native Species How To Make a Bug Hotel Native Plants of Capricornia Plants of Capricornia Port Curtis Organic Growers Scout Craft Seed Savers Network Water Wise Gardening Wildlife Nest Boxes

Other Activities and Displays Ecofest Trail Run - Gladstone Road Runners Register on the day for an 8am start. For all runners and fitness levels, there will be a 3km and 10km run, walkers are welcome. Entry is $5.

Rock Climbing Wall 9am - 3pm Join the fun, and try to reach the top of this Rock Climbing Wall. It will challenge your strength and agility.

Gladstone Area Water Board (GAWB) Ever wondered how the water gets from Awoonga Dam to your taps? Make sure you visit the Gladstone Area Water Board (GAWB) display to find out about the water supply and treatment process. GAWB will also have a tank of fish from our Gladstone Fish Hatchery with prizes to be won for guessing how many are in there!

Orica Orica will give away take home seed packs to attendees.

The aim of this activity is to encourage residents to plant the seedlings at home to produce their own vegetable and plants.

Queensland Energy Resources (QER)

Sponsors

QER is pleased to be part of Ecofest 2016. As always, QER will provide information about the company’s efforts in Gladstone to develop a new, sustainable, Australian-made transport fuel source. QER's (now famous) Guessing Competition will focus on the significant improvements that have been made in diesel technology to produce much more efficient transport of our goods and services: like the fresh food and groceries delivered to supermarket shelves. Look out for QER’s handy shopping bags. Carry one with you and use it instead of plastic – it’s one of those little things that can make a big difference.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC)

Audience Survey

For more than 10 years, Gladstone Ports Corporation has supported Ecofest as a major sponsor and is proud to be involved in an event that showcases local environmental efforts, which contribute to global sustainability through preservation and the promotion of biodiversity. GPC’s display will again provide information on environmental initiatives and projects under way including our environmental education and awareness program, ‘Gladstone’s Big6’, which has been designed to improve community knowledge of animals such as dugongs, turtles and seabirds and their habitats in the Gladstone bioregion. Please visit GPC’s marquee to find out more.

Don't forget to fill in the Audience Survey, located at our sponsors' sites and also at the front gate, for your chance to win a great prize hamper and two nights' accommodation on Heron Island worth more than $1500. The prize will be drawn at 1.50pm at the main stage.

Mega Slide and Littlies Bouncy Castle 9am - 3pm ALL ECOFEST ACTIVITIES ARE FREE AND WILL OPERATE FOR THE DURATION OF THE EVENT

QGC QGC, together with Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) and other exhibiting partners, will share their stories about how well environmental initiatives are conducted here in Gladstone.

‘Make your mark’ in our community colouring in celebrating our local environment, or ‘pin your post’ to join QGC in illustrating the great things we do as a community to make the world a better place through local collaborations. You could be the lucky winner of a holiday to spectacular Heron Island, just by taking part!

Creative Recycling Centre The Creative Recycling Centre activity will take place at the Arboretum.

Australia’s Largest Recycled Rug: Hand crafted by the local community, the 36 square metre rug will be on display for attendees to view.

Story-telling Space: Join the space to hear a professional story teller read Oh Dear, That’s My Rear, a story about the local bottom-breathing turtle of the Fitzroy River!

Education Kit: Author Julie Cook will be on hand from 10am to 2pm to talk with audiences and interact with children with a special education kit.

Magnet Making: Children can make their own bottombreathing turtle magnet out of 95% recycled materials.

Participants will go into the draw to win one of 10 signed copies of Oh Dear, That's My Rear.

Discovery: Help discover the story of the Creative Recycling Centre and find out how YOU can get involved.

Colouring Competition Children aged 10 years and under will have the chance to win a range of gardening equipment and kits by entering Council's Ecofest 2016 Colouring Competition. Competition entries will be available on the day at the Gladstone Tondoon Botanic Gardens stall.

Digital Photograph Competition Older children and adults have a chance to score prizes in Council's Ecofest 2016 Digital Photograph Competition. For a full list of competition terms and conditions visit www. gladstone.qld.gov.au/competition

Free Transport Bus Ride the free transport bus and receive a free coffee! The bus will stop at Gladstone Valley Shopping Centre, Gladstone Showgrounds and Gladstone Tondoon Botanic Gardens. The bus will be travelling on a loop route that is estimated to take between 20 and 30 minutes.

GREANhouse Tent stage program 9.45am Official Opening by Gladstone Region

Mayor Matt Burnett 10.00am Costa Georgiadis

(Host of Gardening Australia)

Topic: Eating Your Way Out of the Garden: Simple ways to start growing at your place.

From big acres to small courtyards and rooftops to containers, everyone can do it!

11.00am Ian Lowe AO

(Leading Environmental Scientist)

Topic: How we can shape sustainable futures?

12.00pm Nic Connolly (The Whole Foodie)

& Stacey Curcio (Naturopath)

Topic: Healthy Gut = Healthy You

1.00pm Costa Georgiadis

Topic 2: Getting Started with Community and

Verge Gardens: How to prepare, design

and create a successful community plot in your neighbourhood.

1.50pm Winner of audience survey and

Ecofest 2016 awards to be announced.

2.00pm Murray Hallam

(Practical Aquaponics Guru)

Topic: 'Pure Food the Aquaponics Way'

Guest Speaker

Costa Georgiadis Host of Gardening Australia

Gladstone Tondoon Botanic Gardens

6 1 0 2

Sunday, June 5 9am - 3pm

Meet our Special Guests

WIN a holiday for 2 to

Murray Hallam Practical Aquaponics

Stacey Curcio Naturopath

Heron Island

Ian Lowe AO

Leading Environmental Scientist

Fill out the Ecofest 2016 Audience Survey and be in the running to win a hamper and two nights’ accommodation on Heron Island, twin share in a Reef Room with breakfast daily and return launch transfers. This combined prize is worth over $1500. The survey will be located at the front gate. The prize winner will be announced at 1.50pm on the day at the main stage.

Alternatively, if the winner is not present, event organisers will contact them via the details provided as part of the survey. Please Note: Prize is nontransferable, non-exchangeable and non-redeemable for cash.

Reece Cycle Nic Connolly The Whole Foodie

To reduce the environmental footprint, a FREE bus service will operate on the day. Residents who opt to ride the bus will receive a free coffee voucher to use at Ecofest. The bus will stop at CQ University Marina Campus, Gladstone Showgrounds and Tondoon Botanic Gardens. The bus will be travelling on a loop route that is estimated to take between 20 and 30 minutes. For full bus timetable and departure points visit www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/ecofest

Visit www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/ecofest for full program details.

Sponsors

GLADSTONE

Festivals Events AND

ASSOCIATION INC

FREE car parking beside Tondoon Botanic Gardens. $2 car parking at Meteors Sports Club.