Illawarra Nature Festival 2026

The Servo, Port Kembla / Dharawal Country Celebrate the incredible diversity of plants, animals and fungi in the Illawarra with nature talks, interactive activities, music and art to inspire and light up your senses! Check out the video from last year’s Illawarra Nature Festival here. Food and drinks available for purchase from The Servo. FREE ENTRY - RSVP for your free ticket! Thursday 15 October, 4pm - 8pm This evening event is designed for adults, supervised children welcome. This event adds to the PK Night Shift event by PKX, when Wentworth Street comes alive. 4pm - 8pm Encounter Tracing the Grassy Woodlands, an installation of living grasses and forbs from the Illawarra Lowlands Grassy Woodland amplified with sound, drawing, and multimedia. Created by Kathryn Morgan, Nicole Smede, Penny Sadubin and Eliza Maartensz. 4pm - 6:45pm 7:15pm - 8pm Drop-in art activities facilitated by Number 99 Port Kembla. Make a cyanotype card featuring plants or animals of the Illawarra Lowlands Grassy Woodland using UV lamps. 5:15pm - 6pm Looking for Peace Country - Talk by Dr Philip Zylstra, bushfire researcher. 6pm - 6:45pm Forests aglow: Fireflies, ghost fungi and glow worms in the Illawarra - Talk by David Finlay, local bioluminescence enthusiast and photographer. 6:45pm - 7:15pm Smoking ceremony by Layne Brown and Welcome to Country by Uncle Richard Davies. 7:15pm - 8pm Nature inspired music with Russel W. Saturday 17 October, 1pm - 5pm This afternoon event is designed for all ages, with family-friendly activities. 1pm - 5pm Encounter Tracing the Grassy Woodlands- an installation of living grasses and forbs from the Illawarra Lowlands Grassy Woodland amplified with sound, drawing, and multimedia. Created by Kathryn Morgan, Nicole Smede, Penny Sadubin and Eliza Maartensz. 1pm - 4pm Traditional Aboriginal weaving with Gumaraa Aboriginal Experience. 1pm - 5pm Outdoor stalls and interactive activities with the Illawarra Ecosystems and Threatened Species Team, LandCare Illawarra, WIRES, ORRCA, Invertebrates Australia, Wollongong City Council’s Environmental Volunteer Programs and Wollongong Botanic Garden, Shellharbour City Council Bushland Management and Environment teams. 1:15pm - 4:30pm Drop into rolling 15 minute Nature Talks with speakers talking about everything from eco art to microbats in the Illawarra Lowlands Grassy Woodlands and threatened crayfish looking for love. The venue/event has limited capacity and will have rolling attendance throughout. Certain presentations and spaces within the venue may reach capacity. It is recommended to arrive early for any presentations you are keen to avoid missing. Outdoor elements of this event are subject to weather conditions. In the event of adverse weather some activities may be modified or cancelled. Please note these events are all ages, but u/18’s must be accompanied by an adult. This is a community-led event supported by the Illawarra Ecosystems and Threatened Species Team, Department of Climate Change Energy, the Environment and Water.