World Wetland Day Celebrations at Coolart
Come and say hello at the Landcare stall at the World Wetlands Day Event at Coolart Historic Wetlands and Homestead on Saturday 31 January 2026.
We will be hosting a special wetland themed puppet show. Come met Estelle the Short-finned eel and learn about her migration all the way from Coolart to the Coral Coast.
Landcare Puppet show times:
- 11.30am and
- 1.30pm (near the Coolart homestead)
World Wetland Day Program
9.45am
Welcome to Country
10.15am
We are extremely excited and proud to present the internationally renowned Ganga Giri and the Djarlo Dance Group
A powerful outdoor dance performance drawing on ancient rhythms, movement and connection to Country in the Coolart Gardens
Tickets $15 kids under 15 for free
10.00 am
Join Bunurong Land Council representatives and Western Port Biosphere Foundation and artist Gidja Walker OAM to celebrate the launch of a new guide supporting saltmarsh restoration and climate resilience in Western Port.
Free to attend but ticket required
11.00 am – 12.30 pm
A whimsical meander with artist and ecologist Gidja Walker OAM onsite at Coolart.
Tickets $15 – numbers limited to 20
11.30 am – 2.00 pm
Creative, wetland-inspired making for kids — hands-on, playful and educational – 5 yrs and above. Two sessions run for 45mins – sign in on arrival at the info centre.
Tickets $10 numbers limited to 10 per class
12.00pm – 1.00 pm
Lance Lloyd – Wetlands, Water & Restoration Science
Join Restoration Scientist, Lance Lloyd, from the Western Port Biosphere Foundation as he shares learnings from decades of wetland repair and aquatic ecology,
Tickets $10
1.00 pm
Walk 1: Guided Wetland Tour
Discover the plants, birds and local wetlands with Ash Clinch, and learn how this living landscape has been shaped by people,water and time.
Tickets $15 – numbers limited to 15
1.00 pm
Walk 2: Collaborative Wetland Projects
Join a Lance Lloyd to learn about collaborative wetland projects improving water health and biodiversity across Western Port, and how restoration efforts are bringing these fragile ecosystems back to life.
Ticket $15 – numbers limited to 15
1.00 pm
Ian Wisken Walk : guided exploration of the Balbirooroo Wetlands, (meet at the carpark at Civic Court Balnarring) focusing onland stewardship and ecological renewal.
Tickets $15 – numbers limited to 20
1.00 to 3.00pm
Kate Gorringe Smith’s art quilt making workshop in the shearing shed. Participants are invited to add stitching and small contributions to a communal quilt – a shared symbol of care and comfort that grows across the weekend.
FREE: 10 places per half hour ticket required
3.00 – 4.00 pm
Members only Wetlands complementary drink by the Homestead
2.00 – 4.00 pm
Learn to Draw with Bruce Baldwin. Slow down and learn to draw Coolart’s animals and wetland life in this relaxed, nature-based drawing session.
Tickets $45 – numbers limited to 12