2014 Environmental Learning Program for
schools
Brisbane City Council environment centres
Environmental learning in Brisbane’s natural areas
The Downfall Creek Bushland Centre and Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre are an
integral part of Brisbane City Council’s vision of being a clean, green city.
The environment centres’ mission states:
‘Brisbane’s environment centres motivate and empower people for action to create a green and
sustainable city. People of all ages are encouraged to appreciate, learn and connect with the
environment and their community through stimulating and fun experiences. They provide
information and hands-on experience for people to discover how to live in harmony with the
environment’.

Downfall Creek Bushland Centre is located within the Raven Street Reserve. The
reserve includes 33 hectares of dry eucalypt woodland and heath understorey, a natural
creek line with viewing platform, more than 115 different bird species and more than 200
native plant species. The reserve has several kilometres of walking and bike tracks, most
with wheelchair access.
The 200-metre Mountains to Mangroves Senses Trail, located beside the centre, is
designed as a self-guided walk and caters for a wide range of groups with special needs.
Features include a continuous handrail, a range of interpretive signage with braille and
raised text and self-guided audio tour and accompanying plant guide.

Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre is located within the Boondall Wetlands
Reserve. The reserve includes 1100 hectares of tidal flats, mangroves, grasslands, salt
marshes, melaleuca and casuarina swamps and woodlands.
The internationally-significant wetlands are part of a chain of Ramsar-listed coastal
wetlands linked with Moreton Bay. Boondall Wetlands has a rich Aboriginal history and is
an important place for cultural learning. The wetlands feature contemporary Indigenous
art totems and can be experienced by extensive walking and bike tracks – all trails have
wheelchair access.
The Environmental Learning program
Every year, thousands of students visit Downfall Creek Bushland Centre and Boondall Wetlands
Environment Centre to participate in fun-filled experiential lessons in Council’s bushland and
wetlands reserves. All lessons are:
 developed by our team of environmental educators
 Australian and Education Queensland curricula integrated and focused
 flexible to ensure each lesson is adapted to meet specific year level requirements
 catered to specific year levels and group requirements via pre-visit consultation with our
environmental educators
 supported by a teacher resource kit, complete with a lesson overview and pre-visit and
post-visit activities
 evaluated by teachers for teachers.
Learning naturally at the Environment Centres
The following is a guide to Council’s Environmental Learning Program for Downfall Creek
Bushland Centre and Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre. To reserve your lesson, please
follow the ‘How to book’ section on the back page of this booklet. All lessons are two hours in
duration unless otherwise specified in the lesson description. Lessons are delivered at the
relevant centre, unless specified in the lesson location. For details, please see ‘Key to
abbreviations and symbols’ at page end.
Australian Curriculum (Geography, History and Science, including General Capabilities and
Cross-Curriculum Priorities) for each lesson are provided upon booking a lesson or on request.
Lessons will be updated to include the remaining Australian Curricular as they are developed.
Queensland Authority Senior subject linkages for each lesson are also available on request.
Lessons for Prep to Year 10
Name
Location
Amazing
arthropods
DCBC
Year
level
Discover the amazing P
world of mini-beasts.
Through interactive
classroom and field
activities, students
will learn about the
different groups of
arthropods, their
1
classification,
habitats, life cycles
and importance in the
environment.
Description
2
3
Creek
critters
DCBC
Students gain an
understanding of
waterway health and
creek habitats
through games and
dip netting for creek
critters.
P
1
Australian Curriculum Substrand (P – 10)
Science: Living things have
basic needs, including food and
water (ACSSU002)
Science: The way objects move
depends on a variety of factors,
including size and shape
(ACSSU005)
Science: Living things have a
variety of external features
(ACSSU017)
Science: Living things live in
different places where their
needs are met (ACSSU211)
Science: Living things grow,
change and have offspring
similar to themselves
(ACSSU030)
Science: Living things can be
grouped on the basis of
observable features and can be
distinguished from non-living
things (ACSSU044)
Science: Living things have
basic needs, including food and
water (ACSSU002)
Science: Living things have a
variety of external features
(ACSSU017)
Science: Living things live in
different places where their
needs are met (ACSSU211)
Geography: The natural,
managed and constructed
features of places, their
location, how they change and
2
3
Indigenous BWEC
discovery
A fun and informative
look at Aboriginal
culture in relation to
the use of wetlands.
Students learn about
tools, artifacts,
storytelling, art and
the use of local
plants.
P
1
2
4
Marvelous
NBF
Come and explore
P
how they can be cared for
(ACHGK005)
Science: Earth’s resources,
including water, are used in a
variety of ways (ACSSU032)
Science: Living things can be
grouped on the basis of
observable features and can be
distinguished from non-living
things (ACSSU044)
History: How the stories of
families and the past can be
communicated, for example
through photographs, artefacts,
books, oral histories, digital
media, and museums
(ACHHK004)
Geography: The places people
live in and belong to, their
familiar features and why they
are important to people
(ACHGK002)
Geography: The
Countries/Places that Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples belong to in the local
area and why they are important
to them (ACHGK003)
Geography: The natural,
managed and constructed
features of places, their
location, how they change and
how they can be cared for
(ACHGK005)
Geography: The definition of
places as parts of the Earth’s
surface that have been given
meaning by people, and how
places can be defined at a
variety of scales (ACHGK010)
Geography: The influence of
purpose, distance and
accessibility on the frequency
with which people visit places
(ACHGK013)
Geography: The custodial
responsibility Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Peoples
have for Country/Place, and
how this influences their past
and present views about the
use of resources (ACHGK023)
Science: Living things have
mangrove
s
Totem
tales
BWEC
the Tabbil-ban
dhagun (place of salt
water) boardwalk.
This lesson involves
fun, interactive
activities and
investigates the
importance of
mangrove areas.
Students learn about
the unique
adaptations of the
plants and animals
that live in these
areas.
An interesting guided
walk along the Nurri
Millen totem track at
Boondall Wetlands.
Students explore
Aboriginal history and
how natural
resources were
utilised by Aboriginal
people.
1
3
Science: Living things can be
grouped on the basis of
observable features and can be
distinguished from non-living
things (ACSSU044)
P
3
4
Backyard
to bay
DCBC
and
NBF
A full-day program
consisting of a
morning and
afternoon lesson,
each two hours in
duration. Students
visit Raven Street
Reserve and
Boondall Wetlands,
learning how to
protect their
waterways from
‘backyard to bay’.
basic needs, including food and
water (ACSSU002)
Science: Living things have a
variety of external features
(ACSSU017)
Science: Living things live in
different places where their
needs are met (ACSSU211)
4
5
6
History: How the stories of
families and the past can be
communicated, for example
through photographs, artefacts,
books, oral histories, digital
media, and museums
(ACHHK004)
History: Days and weeks
celebrated or commemorated in
Australia (including Australia
Day, ANZAC Day, Harmony
Week, National Reconciliation
Week, NAIDOC week and
National Sorry Day) and the
importance of symbols and
emblems (ACHHK063)
History: The diversity and
longevity of Australia’s first
peoples and the ways
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait
Islander peoples are connected
to Country and Place (land, sea,
waterways and skies) and the
implications for their daily lives
(ACHHK077)
Science: Living things, including
plants and animals, depend on
each other and the environment
to survive (ACSSU073)
Science: Living things have
structural features and
adaptations that help them to
survive in their environment
(ACSSU043)
Science: The growth and
survival of living things are
affected by the physical
conditions of their environment
Creek
discovery
DCBC
Students undertake
waterway health
assessments to
investigate waterway
health and
connectivity from the
top of a catchment to
the bay.
Students are
introduced to the
concepts of
catchments and
water quality
monitoring. Field
activities such as dip
netting for water
invertebrates,
surveying creek
vegetation and water
quality testing are
used to examine the
health of a creek.
7
4
5
6
7
Happening
habitats
BWEC or
DCBC
Through role-play,
games and a guided
walk, students learn
what a habitat is and
explore the
dependence that
native plants and
animals have on their
habitat.
4
5
6
(ACSSU094)
Science: Water is an important
resource that cycles through the
environment (ACSSU222)
Science: Living things, including
plants and animals, depend on
each other and the environment
to survive (ACSSU073)
Geography: The importance of
environments to animals and
people, and different views on
how they can be protected
(ACHGK022)
Science: Living things have
structural features and
adaptations that help them to
survive in their environment
(ACSSU043)
Science: The growth and
survival of living things are
affected by the physical
conditions of their environment
(ACSSU094)
Science: Water is an important
resource that cycles through the
environment (ACSSU222)
Geography: The ways that flows
of water connect places as it
moves through the environment
and the way this affects places
(ACHGK038)
Science: Living things, including
plants and animals, depend on
each other and the environment
to survive (ACSSU073)
Geography: The importance of
environments to animals and
people, and different views on
how they can be protected
(ACHGK022)
Science: Living things have
structural features and
adaptations that help them to
survive in their environment
(ACSSU043)
Science: The growth and
survival of living things are
affected by the physical
conditions of their environment
7
Life in a
wetland
(new)
Mangrove
discovery
(adaptatio
ns, food
webs or
classificati
on focus)
BWEC
NBF
Spend time exploring
the wetlands,
investigating how the
growth and survival
of living things are
affected by the
physical conditions of
their environment.
Collect primary data
about and predict
patterns and
relationships
between the
distribution of
wetland community
types and salinity.
Join us for a walk
along the Tabbil-ban
dhagun (place of salt
water) boardwalk.
This walk introduces
students to the
mangrove species of
Moreton Bay and
explores the
adaptations of these
unique plants.
Students investigate
the diverse food web
that depends on
mangrove systems
and consider the
various values of,
and threats to
mangrove
communities.
(ACSSU094)
Science: Interactions between
organisms can be described in
terms of food chains and food
webs; human activity can affect
these interactions (ACSSU112)
6
Science: The growth and
survival of living things are
affected by the physical
conditions of their environment
(ACSSU094)
4
5
6
7
Science: Living things, including
plants and animals, depend on
each other and the environment
to survive (ACSSU073)
Geography: The types of natural
vegetation and the significance
of vegetation to the environment
and to people (ACHGK021)
Geography: The importance of
environments to animals and
people, and different views on
how they can be protected
(ACHGK022)
Science: Living things have
structural features and
adaptations that help them to
survive in their environment
(ACSSU043)
Science: The growth and
survival of living things are
affected by the physical
conditions of their environment
(ACSSU094)
Science: Interactions between
organisms can be described in
terms of food chains and food
webs; human activity can affect
these interactions
(ACSSU112)
Science: There are differences
within and between groups of
Wings of
the world
Discover the story of
Tom the Red-Necked
Stint, a tiny migratory
wader bird who
embarks upon an
epic crosscontinental journey
from the cold reaches
of Alaska to the
sunshine of Boondall
Wetlands. Through
story and an
interactive
presentation,
students learn about
the amazing annual
migration of wader
birds, their reliance
on wetlands globally,
the threats they face
and what is being
done to protect them.
Wetland
webs
(new)
BWEC
Mangrove
discovery
NBF
4
5
6
7
Join us for a walk
7
along the Billai
dhagun (place of
she-oaks) track and
discover the various
wetland community
types that make up
the Boondall
Wetlands. Identify the
common species of
plants and animals
found here and use
them to create food
chains and explore
food web
interactions.
Join us for a walk
9
along the Tabbil-ban
dhagun (place of salt
water) boardwalk.
This walk introduces
students to the
mangrove species of
Moreton Bay and
explores the
adaptations of these
unique plants. It also
organisms; classification helps
organise this diversity
(ACSSU111)
Science: Living things, including
plants and animals, depend on
each other and the environment
to survive (ACSSU073)
Geography: The importance of
environments to animals and
people, and different views on
how they can be protected
(ACHGK022)
Science: Living things have
structural features and
adaptations that help them to
survive in their environment
(ACSSU043)
Science: The growth and
survival of living things are
affected by the physical
conditions of their environment
(ACSSU094)
Science: Water is an important
resource that cycles through the
environment (ACSSU222)
Science: Interactions between
organisms can be described in
terms of food chains and food
webs; human activity can affect
these interactions (ACSSU112)
Science: Ecosystems consist of
communities of interdependent
organisms and abiotic
components of the environment;
matter and energy flow through
these systems (ACSSU176)
investigates the
diverse food web that
depends on
mangrove systems
and considers the
various values of,
and threats to them.
Lessons for Years 10-12
Name
Location
Description
Queensland Authority
Subjects (10 – 12)
Biology, Geography, Marine
Studies, Science 21.
Diversity
BWEC
or
developme
nt?
A full-day program consisting of a
morning and afternoon lesson,
each two hours in duration.
Students will gain a theoretical
and practical understanding of
how human activity impacts on
water quality and how
disturbance and poor water
quality negatively impact on
biodiversity. Practical
components include a water
quality and riparian assessment
of two sites and a biodiversity
exercise.
Urban
catchment
assessme
nt
BWEC or
DCBC
During this lesson, students learn
about urban catchment
environments and compare the
health of two separate creek
sites. Students assess water
quality (including phosphates,
nitrates and dissolved oxygen)
and riparian vegetation as
indicators of waterway health.
Biology, Earth Science, Marine
Studies, Science 21.
What is a
wetland?
BWEC
Students discover what a wetland
is and explore the functions and
diversity of the wetland types in
the reserve. Students identify
threats to wetlands and using
ecological health surveys,
determine which threats impact
Biology, Science 21.
Boondall Wetlands.
Key to abbreviations and symbols
Lesson locations
DCBC – Downfall Creek Bushland Centre
BWEC – Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre
NBF – Nudgee Beach Foreshore
Important lesson information
Lesson may be adapted to be delivered at your school, local reserve or special event.
Timings and costs to be arranged in consultation with environment centre staff.
How to book
1. Contact environment centre staff to discuss the most suitable environmental lesson for
your group.
2. Make a booking. School lessons are run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Alternative
days can be arranged, depending on availability. Off-site programs are run on
Mondays and Fridays. Please note that the maximum group size is 30 participants. We
encourage early bookings (a minimum of three weeks’ notice is recommended).
3. A booking confirmation form and teacher resource kit will be forwarded to you prior to
your visit.
4. You will be issued with your invoice following your participation in the lesson. Payment in
full is required within 30 days after issue of invoice.
Contact information
For all bookings and enquiries, please contact environment centre staff.


Downfall Creek Bushland Centre: Phone (07) 3407 2400; Fax (07) 3407 2404; Mail
Downfall Creek Bushland Centre, 815 Rode Road, McDowall Qld 4053; Email
dcbc@brisbane.qld.gov.au
Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre: Phone (07) 3403 1490; Fax (07) 3865 3723;
Mail Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre, 31 Paperbark Drive, Boondall Qld 4034;
Email bwec@brisbane.qld.gov.au
Cancellation/postponement
Please note that lessons will continue in light rain, so be prepared for this to occur. If weather
forces us to postpone lessons, an alternate date will be arranged. Please notify us as early as
possible if you need to cancel or postpone a booked lesson.
Transport
The centres are accessible by car or bus. In addition, Boondall train station is approximately
1.5km from Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre. Brisbane Transport Charters can offer bus
charters at competitive prices. For further information and an obligation-free quote visit
www.brisbane.qld.gov.au and search for ‘bus charters’.
Free travel with Green Heart Schools
Do you have waste free lunch days or a school environment club? If your school is actively
involved in sustainability initiatives then you may be eligible for free transport to Council’s
environmental learning facilities. Please note, some restrictions on group size and lesson
combinations may apply. Visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/greenheartschools to apply.
Costs
All prices quoted are GST inclusive. Teachers, support staff and parents are free of charge.
Fees and charges are set for the financial year and may increase in line with the CPI after 30
June 2014. Fees will be charged at the rate current at the time of the excursion.
On-site lessons – delivered at Raven
Street or Boondall Wetlands Reserves
Cost per participant (maximum group size is
30)
Please note: for a group of 15 or less a
minimum charge applies
One lesson / class
$7.25
Two lessons /
classes or full-day
program
$14.50
$108.75
Off-site lessons – delivered at your
school or local reserve
Cost per participant (maximum group size is
30)
Please note: for a group of 15 or less a
minimum charge applies
Charge for time spent preparing lessons to
specifically suit individual group needs (on
request)
$217.50
One lesson / class
$7.25
$108.75
$30.00 / hour
Urban Catchment Assessment – canoe option
Cost per group dependent on participant numbers. Minimum cost for one group of up to eight
participants is $250. Additional participants $7.25 each (group maximum 16 including teachers,
support staff and parents).
Environmental learning in Brisbane’s natural areas is another way Council is achieving
our vision for the city’s future.
Other Council programs offered by the environment centres



School Holiday Activity Program – join the environment centre staff on a fun-filled
adventure exploring Council’s reserves. Activities are free or low cost and cater to a
variety of age levels.
Volunteer Program – includes bushcare, interpretive and event volunteering
opportunities.
Weekend guided walks – free volunteer-guided walks at the Boondall Wetlands
Environment Centre are available to the general public and community groups.
For more information, please contact the environment centres directly.
Bookings are essential.
Council offers a variety of other community programs including Active Parks, GOLD (Growing
Old, Living Dangerously), GOLD ‘n’ Kids and Chill Out. For more information, please visit
www.brisbane.qld.gov.au or call Council on (07) 3403 8888.
Brisbane City Council Information
GPO Box 1434, Brisbane Qld 4001
For more information visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au or call (07) 3403 8888
J2013-03540 © Brisbane City Council 2014