Good afternoon that you are chatting with Jade Robran. It's 25 minutes to two o'clock. What I love so much about Adelaide is the parklands. Everywhere you go. It's just surrounded by beauty and we're so lucky. You know if you work in the city, you've got a lunch break, pop down, you don't have to walk too far and you surrounded by a stunning park and that's just not the city. That's nearly the whole state.
We have got such a beautiful state and the good thing is the government are investing alot of money in improvements all around the place. I'm joined in the studio by Sandy Pitcher who is the Chief Executive of the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Also Ian Fehler, founder of Escape Goat mountain bike tours and also Simon Hutchinson, the director of Climbing Trees. Guys, thanks so much for coming in. Nice to have your company.
Thanks for bringing us.
Now I want to ask you what prompted the state government to spend nearly 10 million bucks to connect city people to nature?
I think for the government it was a recognition that we have all of these amazing parks just on our doorstep, but actually sometimes families weren't really going out and being in those and they weren't really having that way to connect into the parks. And so it had become a little bit of a, unless you're an expert Bush Walker, perhaps you weren't using what was right on your doorstep.
So we had a huge community conversation with people and really ask them what would need to change for you to use that park on your doorstep a bit more.
And what they say?
Well, it turned out there was some of the most obvious things that we think about, like, you know, needing a toilet to be able to use. And it'd be n ice if there was coffee in the vicinity. But actually things like being able to walk dogs in parks being able to use bikes and mountain biking in parks came up. And when we talk to kids and there's really great conversations with kids, they are really interested in the way that they can play and be in a park.
So the conversation's really sparked lots of different ideas.
So whereabouts are you investing money at the moment?
Well, there's a whole range of different parks and different things that we're doing. So cobblers creek has got a beautiful new playground and bike area that has seen the visitation really skyrocket. So people in that area have said to me that they've never used that park before and now they're visiting in huge number. So that's an example of how you really change a space with just a few things that makes it really welcoming. Anstey Hill's another place.
And that recently hosted The Secret River as part of the festival and that brought people to the park for a really important play that talked about aboriginal reconciliation but also bought families and people to the park but wouldn't have come before. Now what projects are underway presently in the metro parks that may be of interest to, to families and also young children? Well, as a mum, the one I am so excited about, and it can't happen soon enough for me is the Morialta conservation park.
And this is going to be such a showcase for our whole community. I think people are going to travel far and wide. What are they doing? So it's a playground area
Do you want me to talk about it cause I'm the one who's building. So yeah, so I've been given that amazing job of a sort of designing and building the natural play space there. And I kind of think of it as something that's going to replace the St Kilda and the Monash of the old and and create something that's a real adventure playground.
Because originally when we looked at the park and Morialta really means a lot to me because I spent a lot of time rock climbing there when I was at university and it's an absolutely stunning space . It's 15 minutes out of the city and like it was said that, you know, a lot of people don't realize it's there. So what we're creating, it's already a beautiful space and we've creating with breaking away from the traditional sort of playground and dividing it up into five play pods.
And they're all sort of different, have Kaurna names and themes to them. And one of the ones that I think is my favorite is the frog island, which is right in the middle and already it was an amazing place based for kids are building cubbies and playing in the creek there. So we've just done a little bit of stuff there to legitimize that as a play base and and allow the kids to play. Because what we saw was a lot of parents weren't letting their kids actually go down there and play in there.
So you know, hopefully that will be a really popular space. We've got a giant eagle's nest tower and a kookaburra's nest, which is as soon as these giant ness that the kids can crawl in and a giant snake, which is, I can crawl over under, through with a creek bed in that one too. And some giant bouldering rocks that they can sort of get a taste of rock climbing and hopefully progress up the creek a further two years, some real rock climbing. So yeah,
potent was it for you to get kids back to nature?
It's for me and my business that sort of Saul about, I come from a teaching background and certainly where I came from, I grew up in York peninsula and had had the free range childhood that most of us had where you know, you got kicked out of the door and weren't allowed back into the streetlights came on or what, you know,
I know. How good was that, you know, I'd love to see that come back and you know when you said the kids, the parents wouldn't let their kids go down to the creek and you know, as a parent I kind of get that. But it's also like, who cares if they get their shoes wet? Who cares if they scratch their need? I get the whole lot. What if they fall in the creek and can't swim? Sure. Fair enough. But when you're dealing with just little creeks and rocks, you want the kids to feel it, touch it. No,
I think some parents forget what it was. Lie when they were kids too. US using my question was some difficult parents won't let the kids get Jody. I'm like, what did you do when you're a kid? And you know, how did that make you the person you are today? And I soon realized that those, you know, those things, that opportunity to get dirty and play and take risks is a part of, you know, being human then hand is how we learn those little scratches and bruises.
We call them learning injuries because that's what they are. They're not a bad thing. There are a great thing, you know, cause we do learn from that every time. So, you know, so it was fantastic. Just sort of encourage that play, you know, and get parents, you know, our, I'll just, uh, recently run something on the weekend and we had 1500 kids running through the martyr was a mud play day or a mud run for a underwrites. And it was just incredible. The joy in the journey.
Uh, it was the corner of East and South Terrace. So
I sent the kids off to one in mills would the other day and it was brilliant. They came home, I had to throw out all the clothes because there was just no recovery. God, it was good. I was like, who's smart idea is is just to get kids to run in mad like awesome. Back to nature, get filthy and just learn nature. That's being the environment. No, I completely agree. Okay, so how long until we see that one?
Uh, fingers crossed. If we don't get rainy days like this continually. Yeah, we'll be playing on that place by sort of, you know at the start of August ready for I think park of the month is Marielle to for September I think. So we'll definitely be ready to go then and see some happy smiling laughter on the, on that play space. I should be fantastic.
Oh, sounds very good. Now I wanted to also ask you, we understand the camping is going to soon be available in a couple of our metro parks when and where that sound very exciting.
Yeah. And I think again it's this thing of how do we make the parks available for people who aren't using them at the moment and what, what, what needs to change. And so we're asking people what, what makes you want to go camping or not camping? And often it was the sort of, Oh God, I have to pack so much in the car. We have to drive. So far the kids get sick. So there was a lot of the distance was one of the barriers for people just getting into camping.
I think once people have camped a bit, they love, you know, having bigger journeys vendors. So we're actually going to do, um, something that hasn't really happened in Adelaide for a long time, which is have camping available in those parks that really ring the city. So there's Onkaparinga River National Park and rec park and that's in the southern suburbs near no longer downs.
And then power as well pair of, we're a conservation park in the north, which is near one tree hill and there's going to be camp grounds, toilets, car parks, trails, there's a lookout, um, and even Kayak and canoe launch is that at some of the parks. So it's very cool. Yeah.
And how's construction going there? When, when can we pitch a tent?
Well, it's getting closer. So we're looking, um, in time for summer, which is, you know, it gives us a bit of leeway for Onkaparinga. So hopefully that will be November, December, and I time for the Chrissy holiday. Yeah, that's right. So, and people will be able to book in and get those done. So yeah,
nothing too long. Strides and cycling and walking. It's nice. Um, what other activities are being held in parks that go beyond, you know, the traditional rest and recreational type activities?
Well, particularly with the mountain biking, an awful lot of mountain biking, Alice happening for the state. So that's really, really, um,
it's fantastic that over the last few years, more and more of the parks had been opened up. So I set my business up a goat adventures back in a eight by eight years ago. Yeah. And when we first started there was, we was just starting writing skills training and there was really nowhere in, um, in the hills that we could actually take people riding because most of the parks are off limits.
So, um, subsequently worked with doing or then, um, about six, seven years ago, we got special permission to ride for Cleveland and run trips through there. And then since then, um, that's been opened up to general public mountain biking. Um, and we've had, you know, there's been massive, um, trail building down in Craig burned farms, dirt gorge, a shepherd's hill couplers creek site. It's just fantastic.
The more and more trials that just happening, um, and more and more parks are opening up to mountain biking
and want I loving and is, you know, the other day I was driving up to sterling and you know, you've got the mountain bike or a mountain bike track through there. Yep. And it's kids as well. It's not just adults that are involved with mountain biking is that everyone can get involved.
It's all sorts. So, um, particularly like down at Shepherd's hill. Yes. Um, uh, this bit of great little pump track has been built and the, you go there on the weekends and there's, there's kids all ages. They're a little skills training sessions. Um, so, so yeah, mountain biking and writings for all ages. And I think the oldest person we've had on one of our tours was a 78 year old guy called, um, it's called bill from the u s you came over
one of our trips and wrote down mount lofty. Pretty cool. Sandy's done the Matloff Dietrich [inaudible] well, scale of one to 10, how hard is it? Oh, it was really easy
in one way because we were going downhill. Good fight. That was the best part. I thought that was beautifully planned. Didn't have to ride back up the hill at the end. And we did stop for coffee along the way. And Bush
fire, no, it was fun to visit when it stopped in at the wildlife park and stuff like that. I mean, it, it does depend on the day. So I was running the trip this morning and it was certainly a little bit damper mount lofty today. We missed out the fuse, but um, uh, it's all part of the fun actually when, when you actually get out on the mountain bike. Oh,
does it look so awesome? And I understand that further money's being spent on bike trails, is that right?
Yeah, certainly what we're doing as part of recognizing how popular it is and how many people are using them and because there are so many parts of the trials that can be used for walking and for cycling. We've got another 1.4 million that's going to, our basic aim is to turn them out loft, he's into an international mountain biking destination.
And so to do that we're putting some money in getting the plans together and really looking at some new trails as well as the trials that we already use.
From all of your experiences, how well I guess a South Australians and also tourists from further afield using these trails. Are they, you know, they come in here and, and you know, lining up and his business growing. Are you seeing a growth? Well, certainly, um,
locals, there are a lot of, a lot of locals that mountain bike. Um, it's a very, very popular sport and it's growing all the time. So we do a lot of skills training with those locals and we see that a lot. Um, the other side of my business is that the more the tourism side of things and that's a lot more soft adventure tourism.
So it's not necessarily at the moment we're finding it's not necessarily um, the keen mountain bikers that know about Adelaide, but it's tourists that are coming through for a different experience. And I think this is where we really needing to focus. It's part of a, hopefully what the department is going to be focusing on is that we've got this amazing network of trails. Now you've got the hills seven kilometers from town. Um, and people don't know about it.
They don't realize that they, you know, I've, sorry, overseas and interstate visitors don't realize how, how great it is to be able to come to Adelaide, stay in the city and you've got 200 kilometers of trials within easy reach. And so that really is the, certainly from my point of view is the focus is what really needs to be focused. We need a few, there's a few more trials to be built. Um, some fantastic descents.
I think some really hero trials that we need down from mount lofty and in that area, but it's also getting that message out there that we've got these amazing and this amazing terrain. So close to town,
we're going to take a very short break, but after it's, we're going to be talking about world environment day and all the fundings have activities that'll be happening around town for you to get involved in.
Go down to known it is one 53 and you're chatting with Jade Robertson and we took me about a PAC lands around South Australia and how the government is improving them and I wanted to put the calls out to you [inaudible] what is your favorite park around town and where's the best place to take the kids? Have you got any ideas for park? What would you like to see improved around town? Give us a call and let us know.
Said he's World Environment Day on Monday, the 5th of June and there's a huge event happening at the showgrounds isn't there to help celebrate it. What's that all about? What's happening? Road Environment Fair. And really it's bringing that part of having fun and thinking about the environment into that fear kind of atmosphere. Again, focused on kids and learning and fun and celebration and recognizing in South Australia we've got a lot to celebrate. So what can people expect to see at the fair?
Kids love getting involved and being hands on with this sort of stuff. Don't know. Absolutely. And it is all about hands on. So I think we're having the biggest indoor play, um, playgrounds, play space that has ever been done. Yeah. And you can tell us a bit more about that. I don't want to steal the thunder of the, of the assignment.
Yes. I've got roped into that one as well. What are you doing to building Mariota at the same time? So it's a little bit busy to see a little bit busy, but that's okay. So, but it should be fantastic. I absolutely jumped at the opportunity because I think, you know, the whole essence of, you know, my business is getting kids outdoors and connecting with nature because if they don't have time in nature and they're never going to love it and want to take care of it.
So, you know, that's, that's what we really need to do and this is a great celebration of that. So what we'll be doing is, I think we've got about a 20 by 30 meter space that we'll be having a, uh, bringing trucking in and craning in a tree that kids can climb on it. So soft fall and 40 from pods will bring in some, uh, some woven sort of, you know, pods for them playing loose parts. We'll have cubby building, um, a dry creek beds.
Um, and anything else I can think of before now and sort of Saturday. So it should be an amazing experience. So I can still keep moms and dads listening and you want to have your input, let us know. Cool. Like double two, three, double o w and people, you reach out to kids to help you with these ideas. Don't you, what do you find that they want the most? If it's interesting to get, because obviously my, I'm the playgrounds that we build a natural playgrounds was natural environment.
So it's hard for kids to think beyond what they already see. So if you ask them what they want in their new playground, they'll say, I want a giant slide. I want to water slide a swimming pool or you know, five story tree house. You know, all these crazy things. I think the best one I ever heard was a, a slippery dip that went underneath a, um, a pond that had a clear tunnel underneath. So as they slid under the pond, they could look up and see the fish underneath. So I thought it was amazing.
But unfortunately finances and budget didn't allow that one. But you know, surprising. But I like it. And that's the beautiful thing about asking kids. You know, they come up with the most amazing ideas and sometimes we can do them. Sometimes we need to modify them a little bit. But it's really important I think is the question you ask is what do you want to do? And when you say what you want to do, it changes. It's not a giant slide.
They say, I want to jump, I want to run, I want to play, you know, so then you can sort of tease out what those things you can do in natural forms. So it's really, you're really important to sort of ask them the questions cause they're the ones who are going to be using it. So,
and the other thing that we're doing is jumping onto the things that kids also love to do. So they love fire trucks have no Mike, it's doing, so we're bringing the June of fire truck into the world environment fair and talking about what we do there with helping protect our environment from bush fires and other things with the fire truck, we've got the boats that we use in our marine parks coming in.
So kids will be able to hop on the boat and have a, have a go there, hop on the platform and look around. And we're also having a green trail, which is a little bit like the yellow brick road that you might've done when you've gone to the Royal Adelaide show. So we're going to have a green trail and kids are going to be out to go and collect things or learn things along the way and you know, fill their bags with goodies. So from story corners to play grounds to fire trucks.
I think, um, it's going to be a pretty great fair, I tell you what, there's so much to celebrate. It isn't there with our parks and gardens. Oh it is. And I think it's that thing that sometimes you just have to be reminded of how much we've got here in South Australia. You know, I know I talk about kangaroo island a lot because it's that place where, you know, it's now in the lonely planet, top visits of the world. I think it's like the top five visit destination.
I keep meeting South Australians. He say, Oh, I haven't gone, you're going to have to come with us because we know all the great spaces around there. Like the Rangers on Kai. I know all the best walks to do. So. Oh, it's just so pretty isn't it? It's um, and I wanted to also talk to you about waste management and climate change or is a very serious side to, you know, World Environment Day. Yeah, absolutely.
And I think climate change is another example of where, you know, serious things are happening to the, to the globe. And I, my experience is that kids understand this and talk about it and they recognize that there's, there's things that we also then does exactly. And that's their planet that they're gonna be inheriting. So what I do find though is trying to take it from the sense of impending doom to what can you do? So what's the action? Right.
And that's the part that I really love engaging with kids about because they know that they can change from recycling. They know, they probably know more about, um, climate change and some of their parents do. So it's, you know, my kids love sort of showing me up on those kinds of things. So I think it's one of the things that kids can channel. And, and that's one of the ways that we're trying to think differently about climate change.
So we talk about carbon neutral Adelaide and trying to have Adelaide as the world's first carbon neutral city. And the reason that we've done that is in part to sort of share a bit of an aspiration about what can we positively do together. And um, that's what I really try and remind people about is there is action that we can do and we can actually change things in our local decision making, our community decision making as well as what we need to do globally to have a different climate.
What's ending, what have you done to, you know, to help sustain our natural resources and, and waste management and climate change and water. And, you know, the list goes on. There's a lot we've done and there's a lot more we can do. I mean, South Australia has a hugely proud history around waste. And the, the thing I often talk about, and I remember this is a kid is being the only place in Australia that had the refund for bottles, the bottle recycling, the plastic container recycling.
And that's actually been 40 years this year. We are, we are world leaders and certainly leaders in Australia on that and the other states are just joining in now. So I think we're going to finally have national container deposit legislation in the coming years. But you know, we've got the 40 years of experience and then we were the first place in Australia to banned the plastic bag.
What's so, I mean, you know, I dunno if you saw it, but on an ABC last week or the week before, they had that show war on waste and it was one of their highest rating shows and a lot of it was about these plastic bags. And I was watching, I was thinking how on earth is the rest of Australia? So fucking camera do what I believe. But we're leaders, aren't we in so many ways with all of this sort of thing.
It's very commendable. It is. And the great part is, you know, I've, I've, I think it's the way that, you know, when you're a kid with scouts or other, it's a fundraiser. You know, you are actually telling the positive story there, your understanding that, you know, plastic waste ends up in our oceans often and there's real damage there. But then there's the other part too.
There's, you know, we've got so many solar panels in South Australia more than anywhere else in Australia and one of the highest levels in the world. Well we need to be the ones ready for the recycling of those components when this round of solar panels needs to be replaced, you know, 20 or 30 years what will be next and thinking about those other forms of recycling.
And that's one of the things that we do with our waste Levy and with our waste schemes is actually trying to think of new industries, new jobs, and be much more forward thinking about what, what the whole circular economy looks like. So not just recycling, everything that actually making different choices about what we consume and how we consume it in the whole big circle of, of the way things twist and turn. Sandy, thank you very much, Ian and Simon. Thanks for coming into the studio.