Ocean to Outback exhibition at Cleland Wildlife Park: Keith reviews this exhibition that takes us through the entire South Australian landscape
The Adelaide Hills are a familiar backdrop to the city and if you are after a day trip or three they are a great place to start. Spectacular views over the Piccadilly Valley are only 20 minutes up the freeway. You'll find plenty of country town cuppas and a world class garden or two.
But amongst it all is a slice of particularly important bushland - Cleland Conservation Park. It protects one thousand hectares of the Adelaide Hills face rolling down from the Mount Lofty summit to the dress-circle suburbs below.
Within that swathe of scrub is a thirty-five hectare patch with an extra role. Cleland Wildlife Park has been protecting and showcasing our native animals for forty years.
We all know Cleland's famous the world over for being the place where you can pose for a happy snap with a cuddly koala. After you've done that, you can get acquainted with a few of the other locals - like the red kangaroos or the awkward looking emus.
For a real treat, school bookings can watch in awe as Buzz, the black breasted buzzard, performs his special magic by breaking an emu egg with a stone. He's one of only two species of bird in the world to use a rock or implement in this way. It's amazing stuff.
Head over to the Interpretive Centre and you'll see where Buzz hails from. In fact, you can take a journey through the entire South Australian landscape - from the Ocean to the Outback.
As soon as you step onto the boardwalk over the recreated coastal dunes you begin to get a sense of just how diverse our landscape is. It's all captured in a specially commissioned video, which shows the amazing range of habitat.
From dolphins frolicking in our tranquil gulf waters, seals basking on our sandy white beaches... to the abrupt grandeur of the Bunda Cliffs and the mangroves right on the cities doorstop at Saint Kilda.
Then there's the wildlife as our Curator guide, Andrew Mann takes us on a journey inland. "What we're trying to do with the exhibits is represent the habitats accurately," said Andrew.
The Ocean to Outback experience gets everyone in, but it's a particularly big hit with the kids. They reckon it's pretty cool to see a real live locally extinct Common Death Adder... but press the button on the touch-screen and they learn a little more about how the sneaky reptile uses its tail to attract a feed.
The Ocean to Outback exhibition is all about 'value-adding' to the learning experience. One of the aims is to highlight the connection between South Australia's cultural and natural heritage.
"A lot of the messages are very subtle," said Andrew. "They are presented subtly and we go in the education programs in more detail."
It's an enlightening journey from the ocean to the outback and home again... ending in our own suburban patch - which combined, make up almost 14-thousand hectares of metropolitan Adelaide.
Entry to the Ocean to Outback Interpretive Centre is a 'must-see' part of the Cleland Wildlife Park experience.
And look out for '40 Wild days' of celebration to mark Cleland's forty years - it kicks off next month. (May 2007)
'Ocean to Outback'
Cleland Wildlife Park
Mount Lofty Summit Rd
Crafers
Open 7 days
9.30am-5pm
Ph 8339 2444
www.clelandwildlifepark.sa.gov.auPublished 29th April 2007
