#2 March 2025

The ‘Sunshower’ 🌦️🌈

A little bit of news to brighten your day

Wangat Lodge - Simply, How Life Should Be!

I have had so many thought-provoking, inspiring things and experiential happenings over the last few months to share! So many Sunbursts! 

But first, “DO NOT MISS THESE!” events on the Wangat Calendar... and some offerings too!

Ways to spend time at Wangat Lodge…

For Groups - Lodge vacancies. 

There are very few weekends/school holiday spots left for 2025, so get in quick!

• WHY NOT? - Bring your work team or friends up to Wangat for your end-of-year/pre-Christmas celebration! 

• WHY NOT? - Gather friends for a nature-inspired New Year’s Eve at the ‘Gat! 

• WHY NOT? - Summer Holidays at Wangat Lodge! 

DATES STILL AVAILABLE:

Dec 5-7, Dec 12-14, December 19-22, Dec 28- Jan 2, Jan 15-22

FOR TEENS! - Currawong Camp - Twice Annually - our life-changing and life-affirming 6-night Nature and adventure camps for Young People in school years (or equivalent) 7-12.

Autumn Camp 2025 SOLD OUT!

Spring Camp (Sept 28 - Oct 3) still has (ONLY A FEW) places, but filling fast!

CLICK HERE…for more info, a COOL short video and to BOOK NOW!

FOR FAMILIES - Our Friends of Wangat Family Nature Camps - Twice annually, we create 4 nights where you and your family get to live a storybook. 

A slideshow of Summer 2025 storybook! A MUST WATCH! - CLICK HERE TO WATCH (30secs)

Join us for WINTER CAMP 2025! (almost sold out!) Book NOW- CLICK HERE!

FOR BIRD LOVERS! - Our Annual Bird Language Retreat

Our Annual October Workshop-Retreat is SOLD OUT! (but please get in touch to add your name to our waiting list and priority - first purchase offer for 2026) CLICK HERE TO GO ON WAITING LIST

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES to learn bird language with us:

An interactive, online zoom course with Wangat’s Dan and Andrew the Bird Guy which will totally change the way you engage with birds! Check it out, AND other retreats AND incredible info by CLICKING HERE

FOR TRAIL RUNNERS - Our first ever trail running retreat - suitable for ALL LEVELS - Lots of options every day!

Coaches include Emily Brunt (winner UTA Women’s 100k, Brendan Davies (winner UTA Men’s 100k and head coach at UPCOACHING) and Sean Brunt (11 Iron Man competitions and huge endurance background!) May 2-5 2025 - Book Now! - details in flyer below, and share with trail running friends!

WANGAT DOES SHAKESPEARE! -

Don’t miss our 4th Annual Dungog Shakespearience:

Save the Date - October 30 - Nov 2 2025. (3 evening shows, 1 Saturday matinee)

2025 Season - HAMLET brought to you by Shakespearience Australia.

Things that have been Sunbursts for me, to share with you 🌦️🌈 …

Interviewed on Late Night Live on ABC’s Radio National

One of the most special moments of my life came in Spring last year when I got to speak with one of Australia’s most outstanding, eloquent and authentic journalists and authors of our time, David Marr. I was invited with Andrew Turbill (AKA Andrew the Bird Guy and the REAL star of the interview) to explain our Bird Language course and its origins at Wangat Lodge. David was wonderful, and we had a short but fun-filled chat with him pre and post-interview. 

Finding myself interviewed on LNL was personally very poignant. I have been a daily listener for at least the past 15 years! I say it was one of the most special moments because its previous presentor (for 30 years up until mid-2024!) Phillip Adams, I would consider one of the biggest influences on me. His intellect, humanist values, passion for the arts and sciences not to mention his unsurpassable puns, were a joy and inspiration! I think David Marr (while he will never replace Phillip in my heart!) is doing a brilliant job, and the program continues to inspire my thinking and reading!

Andrew and I believe that Bird Language (essentially a deeper, more complex, but vastly more satisfying form of bird watching) provides a deeper, insight into your surroundings and is transformative and the best way to deeply connect with nature. Have a listen! Let me know what you think! Listen Here!

Interviewed on “Nightlife” on ABC Radio Sydney

I was also super grateful to be able to share the history of Wangat and its wonders with Phillip Clark on ABC Sydney’s Nightlife program. Check it out here!

A great read! - The Arbornaut by Meg Lowman

This is an inspiring read on so many levels! Firstly, you will be uplifted and inspired by Meg’s personal story! She literally made her own climbing gear (including welding up a slingshot to get her rope into immensely tall trees) to pioneer a new method of ecological survey - getting INTO the canopy of trees, which she calls “the eighth continent”. She is unbelievably brave, passionate and full of awe! Also, it all started here, amongst the east-coast rainforests of Australia, where she got a scholarship with Sydney University in the late 1970s, and spent over a decade exploring, researching and writing ground breaking papers about Australian forest canopies.

And, what she discovers up there, will totally light up your world and ignite your curiosity!

Another equally important and compelling aspect to Meg’s story is the sexism she faced throughout her entire career in the field of science and biology. Again, her strength to continue pushing is phenominal and inspiring (although this should NOT be the case, and sadly still is for women in the sciences and many other fields…albeit with progression). I would recommend this book to any naturalists and budding scientists (young and old), but especially young women, as Meg is a brilliant role model, and mentor-on-the-page.

What I personally loved most about this book, was Meg’s philosophy and values which is so in tune with Wangat’s purpose. She writes, concluding her wonderful book, “Maybe most important of all, let’s teach every kid about the forests that keep them alive. Shall we start by climbing a tree?”

An Artist Encounter of Note - Graham Wilson

Many guests at Wangat would have stared and pondered at the wood-cutting print looking down from the ceiling. The archetypal “Green Man” on horse back, brandishing a seedling with a medieval-esque Newcastle background and the farting (pollution!) mechanical dragon being overpowered. I have loved having this piece, not just for its totally engaging aesthetic and imagery but also as a talking point, especially when young people on school camps and our teen programs, ask me what it is or means, and I can reply, “well what do you think it means?”.

I have wanted to meet the artist to talk about this work ever since I first saw the picture over 7 years ago, and I had heard it was part of an 8-piece series and wondered what the rest of the story would tell! Well, a week ago, this happened, in the most amazingly synchronistic of ways (this part of the story for over a coffee!). The artist is Graham Wilson, and has had, and continues to have, the most brilliant, productive and sublime art-making career. I was absolutely blown away by his generosity as he spent half a day, showing me his art works in his studio, including the 7 original woood-cuttings of the “Carved Green Man Series”. He also toured me through one of Newcastle’s most amazing artist hubs - The Creator Incubator (where his studio is located), which is part of the “Clyde St Artist Precinct” in Hamilton North. A visit to The Creator Incubator is a must - they hold incredible exhibitions and heaps of community and life-affirming events, workshops, etc. Check out Graham’s exquisite work through his Instagram page HERE. And Wangat’s beloved Ken Rubeli has also done a fantastic article on Graham and the Carved Green Man, HERE.

Thanks so much for reading. Please get in touch with any thoughts, questions and comments that arise and share the love by forwarding this newsletter forward.

Go well! Dan