Upper Ferntree Gully writer and illustrator Amandine Thomas is inviting the community to slow down, sharpen their senses, and reconnect with nature through Wild Wanderings this spring – with a series of guided nature journaling walks held at Birdsland Reserve in Belgrave Heights.
The Wild Wanderings was developed over the past 18 months and supported by the Yarra Ranges Council and Burrinja Cultural Centre.
It aims to provide a deeper relationship with the Dandenong Ranges’ unique environment.
Each walk will be co-led by a local artist and an expert in native ecosystems, combining creativity and knowledge to inspire care and stewardship for the land.
Ms Thomas said the idea for the project was sparked after participating in the Knox Council’s Gardens for Wildlife program.
“For me, this sparked an interest in local ecosystems, and in how I could better support the unique plants and animals we are so lucky to have here, in the Dandenong Ranges,” Ms Thomas said.
Her background as a children’s book writer and illustrator laid the groundwork for the project’s creative approach, but she felt the need for something more immediate and local.
“I wanted to have a more tangible and direct impact in my own community. What if I could use both the power of art and knowledge to empower the community to participate in rehabilitation and conservation efforts locally?” she said.
Running from 21 September to 12 October 2025, the four walks will each feature a different artist-expert pair.
Participants will learn to observe their surroundings through nature journaling, a practice that blends drawing and writing to capture sensory experiences and ecological details.
“I am a firm believer that caring for our environment starts with an emotional connection: when we love something, we want to protect it, right? And this is what art does,” Ms Thomas said.
Artists leading the sessions include Martha Iserman, Emily Lowe, Liberty Finn and Ms Thomas herself.
They will be joined by local ecosystem experts Garrique Pergl, Kerry Press, Amy Weir and Emily Cox, the latter of whom Ms Thomas credits as one of the volunteers who initially visited her garden in 2023.
“Knowledge is a great tool to better understand and care for our environment,” Ms Thomas said.
“So, my hope is that art will provide an initial emotional connection, and knowledge will bring the tools to act on it.”
With the first walk nearly sold out, interest is growing steadily.
Ms Thomas said community response to the project has been enthusiastic, even before the first event has taken place.
“I think there is a real appetite here in the Hills to learn more about our local ecosystems, and to protect what we know to be precious: our stunning local environment,” she said.
Each participant will receive a native plant from the Southern Dandenongs Community Nursery – a small but symbolic gift aimed at inspiring long-term environmental action.
“Not all climate actions have to be huge, loud, overwhelming: it can start by planting a few endangered native plants,” Ms Thomas said.
Ultimately, Wild Wanderings is about more than just walking through nature, it’s about walking with it.
“I am hoping that the walks will encourage people to dig a little deeper, and maybe engage a little more with the unique conservation and rehabilitation challenges our area is facing,” she said.
Tickets for Wild Wanderings are available and can be booked via Humanitix.
More information can be found on Instagram (@wildwanderingswalk) or Facebook (Wild Wanderings).
