Discovering Natural Habitats
Use your senses to discover the sights, sounds and smells of a variety of Australian environments within the Botanic Garden, uncovering the habitats of the plants and animals that live there. Students will discover the physical conditions of each environment and how these affect the growth and survival of living things.
What happens?
- Explore the variety of different Australian environments with in the Botanic Garden
- Compare different features of a variety of environments
- Learn about the variety of plants and animals that live in each environment
- Discover different adaptations that make plants and animals suited to living in their specific environments.
Curriculum links
Themes: Environments, habitats, living things
- ST1-9ES: Identifies ways that people use science in their daily lives to care for the environment and the Earth’s resources
- ST1-10LW: describes external features, changes in and growth of living things
- ST1-11LW: describes ways that different places in the environment provide for the needs of living things
- ST1-2VA: demonstrates a willingness to engage responsibly with local, national and global issues relevant to their lives, and to shaping sustainable futures
- MA1‑1WM: describes mathematical situations and methods using everyday and some mathematical language, actions, materials, diagrams and symbols
- MA1‑11MG: measures, records, compares and estimates volumes and capacities using uniform informal units
- GE2-1: examines features and characteristics of places and environments
- ST3-10LW: describes how structural features and other adaptations of living things help them to survive in their environment
- ST3-11LW: describes some physical conditions of the environment and how these affect the growth and survival of living things
Booking information
Minimum students: 15
Maximum group size: no more than two groups of 30 students per day
Please note: no education bookings are available on Fridays.
Class size will be limited for certain activities due to safety considerations and staffing resources.
Please book at least two months before your visit.
Use the button on this page to request an excursion booking, or call us during business hours on (02) 4227 7667.
If your request is accepted, we'll send you a booking confirmation letter, risk assessment, garden map and instructions for your visit (including wet weather plan).
Excursion cost is $14 (incl. GST) per student per day, and includes two activities. Carers and teachers are free.
In line with new Education Department policy, we are requesting the pre-payment of your attendance by credit card. This will be emailed to you as soon as we have confirmed your education date and you have confirmed your numbers. (Please note we cannot amend numbers after an invoice has been generated).
If payment before attendance is not possible you will be required to send us a PO number so we can send the invoice to EDConnect, to be paid prior to attendance.
Once your payment is made we will issue a confirmation, along with Council risk assessments covering safety for garden excursions.
Please meet at the Discovery Centre, located at the north eastern corner of Wollongong Botanic Garden.
Buses can drop students off at either the bus bay located at the University of Wollongong on Northfields Avenue or at our Murphys Avenue car park.
If your activity is being held at one of the Garden Annexes, such as Mount Keira or Puckeys Estate, please meet at the designated located specified on your booking confirmation.
We have a minimal waste policy and ask that packaging of food items brought to the Garden are minimised.
Most activities can still go ahead in light rain. In this case, please make sure students, teachers and accompanying parents wear appropriate wet weather clothes and shoes.
Our activities may need to be cancelled in heavy rain or high winds.
Please call us on the excursion day to confirm whether the program can continue or if your excursion needs to be rescheduled.