Danielle Carey and Amelie Ecology (AKA Dr Amelie Vanderstock) welcomed guests to the MAGNIFY event at Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.
Story and photos by Gabiann Marin
Ever wondered what the world looks like to a tiny insect? It’s something we don’t often ask ourselves, but that very question was the basis of a recent interactive community performance MAGNIFY, hosted by Wildground Creative Adventures and featuring environmental songstress Amelie Ecology. The event was designed to help locals, young and old, think about the wonderful contributions insects make to our lives and show how we can support them, and their vital role in our environment.
Key Points:
Insects are the key driving force in our ecosystem. Rethinking and reframing our attitudes towards them and educating children and adults about their importance can have a huge positive impact on planetary health.
The recent MAGNIFY event at Blue Mountains Cultural Centre focused on the importance of insects.
Local entertainer, singer and environmental scientist Amelie Ecology launched her debut album and her scientist activity kit and workbook at the event.
On the 8th June the courtyard of the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre was transformed into a magical world of giant mushrooms and metre high flowers buzzing with activity. Literally buzzing, as eager young people and the occasional adult dressed up as butterflies, bees, spiders and beetles, enjoying the interactive activities that characterised the MAGNIFY event.
Organised by Danielle Carey of Wild Ground Creative Adventures and Amelie Ecology (AKA Dr Amelie Vanderstock), the event was a day of fun-filled activities, performances and interactive play designed to encourage young people and their parents to rethink their ideas around insects.
Amelia loved being a butterfly.
“I think immersive experiences like MAGNIFY are groundbreaking for the community. We’re merging outdoor adventure, ecological storytelling, and creative art. But we’re doing it in ways that the audience co-creates alongside us at each step of the process,” Danielle enthuses.
“So we’re exploring connective practice and ecological relationships. It’s deeper learning. And an approach that hopefully inspires the community with hope, joy and wonder.”
Bushcraft and creative interactive events were a key focus at MAGNIFY.
As well as dress-up and creative craft activities, the day featured jaw dropping circus acts by the multi-talented performers of Stuart Christie’s Bah-Hah Circus. The performances comprised of several beautifully choreographed vignettes – each featuring a different tiny creature – from native bees to ladybirds.
As young girls dangled from trapeze or floated in clouds of silken fabric above the heads of the awestruck crowds, the beauty and elegance of the insect world was perfectly demonstrated.
The acrobatic sisters Ella and Anna transformed into bees as part of Stuart Christie’s Bah-Hah Circus performance.
The centrepiece of the day was the launch of Amelie Ecology’s album and educational science kit ‘Let’s Bee Scientists’ which aim to inspire children of all ages to fall in love with environmental science through a mixture of playful songs and educational activities.
Amelie and Gabi, introduced by Danielle Carey, launched their debut Album ‘Let’s Bee Scientists’ at the MAGNIFY event.
The album and educational pack feature songs and activities explaining why we should care about soil micro-organisms, native bee diversity and the importance of pollinators in providing the food we eat. In Amelie’s own words the whole project is all about providing an “ecosystem of learning!”
While Amelie’s songs and activities are light-hearted and fun, the information contained is surprisingly thorough, thanks to Amelie’s PhD studies in environmental science and ecology at the University of Sydney. Her doctorate focused on native bees in urban environments. Although she could have followed a more academic path, Amelie believes that the key to effective environmental preservation and education is through hands-on and creative engagement with children and adults through song, play and enjoyment.
Amelie Ecology as a Blue Banded Bee gets a closer look at the audience.
Amelie Ecology’s debut album launch and Danielle’s 10 year business anniversary were the catalyst for creating the event, but both women wanted it to be more than just about their own work, and something that the community could enjoy and learn from.
“All of my immersive work has focussed on allowing the unseen to be seen,” Danielle says. “Playing around with the micro vs macro. My work is playful and quirky, which invites the audience to develop meaningful ecological relationships in creative ways that inspire joy, well-being and connection.”
MAGNIFY not only provided an opportunity for the community to enjoy local creativity, it was also an innovative way to address negative thinking about insect species.
As Amelie Ecology explains beautifully in her catchy new tune “They’re not all pests!”, insects are the foundations of our ecological systems, yet very little is known about them.
Dr Kate Umbers, a Blue Mountains local and Head Lecturer in Zoology at Western Sydney University, is quick to point out that insects make up over 95% of the species of animals on Earth, with an estimated 300,000 species living in Australia alone.
“Of that only 100,000 have been properly documented and studied,” Kate reveals. “We don’t even know exactly what is out there.”
A native Australian Blue Banded Bee: the inspiration behind Amelie Ecology’s outfit at MAGNIFY. (Photo: Creative Commons license)
Danielle and Amelie understand that getting to know these creatures and developing a respect for them is a key driver for environmental health more widely.
Certainly, the children at the event had no negative assumptions about our friendly bugs and were delighted to become an insect for a day, as they fluttered, scuttled and crawled about the courtyard in fabulous handmade costumes.
Children buzz around Amelie Ecology during her performance.
Danielle also joined in the dress-up fun, appearing as a Dragonfly, while Amelie Ecology presented as a blue banded native bee, interacting with the children and parents throughout the event.
Danielle Carey as ‘Dragonfly’.
“We’ve always believed that nature isn’t separate from us: it’s woven into the fabric of who we are,” Danielle reveals. “Events like MAGNIFY and Wildground Creative Adventures programs, from bush school, playgroup, to literacy and science learning initiatives, are designed to reinforce this connection, and inspire wonder in the world around us.”
The Magnify event was made possible thanks to support from a Blue Mountains City of the Arts Trust grant, Blue Mountains Cultural Centre and the generous work of volunteers.
Watch Amelie Ecology perform one of the tracks from the new album in this short video
Get Involved
Find out more about the exciting world of Insects and how you can help them.
The international website iNaturalist hosts photos and information about insects from across the world and their app is designed for budding citizen scientists. Find out more here:
Invertebrates Australia has great resources and information about our native insects as well as opportunities to get involved in upcoming events and citizen science projects to help preserve and protect our insect populations:
Blue Mountains Planetary Health Events Calendar is also a great way to find out about community events happening in your local area. Check out the Katoomba event calendar here:
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
Join Andris Heks, Yogic Psychotherapist, winner Best Actor, Blue Mountains, for his workshop to laugh as you never laughed before, as part of a movement to globalise people-bonding cheerfulness through kookaburra laughter contagion as an antidote to distressing world divisiveness.
Purchase your ticket here: https://events.humanitix.com/kookaburra-laughter-workshop
View the trailer and the GoFundMe page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/globalise-unconditional-love-through-kookaburra-laughter
Key event information: - When? 10:15AM - 2:30PM, Sunday 4 October 2026 (1st day of Daylight Saving - 1 hour forward) - Where? Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre, 33-39 Acacia St, Katoomba, NSW, 2780 - Fee? $60 or what you can afford - Note: please bring your own lunch
What to expect: - Learn how to stay cheerful for good - Learning the funny, human emulated, communal kookaburra laughter and meditation - How communal kookaburra laughter promotes bonding even amongst strangers - The awesome native treasure of the laughing kookaburra phenomenon - Why Kookaburra Yoga is the ‘most excellent of Yogas` - How communal kookaburra laughter contagion boosts the subtle and gross national product - How you could contribute to the kookaburra laughter contagion
This event is supported by Blue Mountains Planetary Health.
Purchase your ticket here: https://events.humanitix.com/kookaburra-laughter-workshop...
Come along to the Planetary Health Centre this Saturday for the next Skill Share Saturdays event!
This weekend`s agenda:
8:30AM - 10AM | Learn how to use your sewing machine class with Sherlie McMillan
8:30AM | Planetary Health Cafe open, serving Good Fat Pastry and Whisk and Pin
9AM - 10AM | Tai Chi and Qigong class with Virginia Field
10AM - 12PM | Learn how to grow WITH the Upper Blue Mountain permaculture workshop with Leni from Alchemy Farms
10AM - 3PM | Fashion Upcycling Workshop with Sherlie McMillan
10:30AM - 12PM | Learn to make focaccia from scratch with Laura Zucchetti (no experience needed)
1:30PM - 4:30PM | Planetary Health Bushcare with Karen Hising
For more information and to purchase a ticket, please visit the website: https://events.humanitix.com/skill-share-saturdays-at-the-planetary-health-centre...
Plate to Planet: Blue Mountains Food Security Fair 2026
📣HEADLINE SPEAKER📣
Our headline speaker is Julian Cribb AM – a renowned Australian science writer, journalist and author who has spent more than 50 years communicating science, agriculture, climate and global sustainability issues. He is the author of several influential books, including The Coming Famine (2010), Food or War (2019) and How to Fix a Broken Planet (2023), which explore the future of food systems, planetary health and humanity`s long-term survival.
He is widely recognised as one of Australia`s leading voices on global food security and sustainable development.
To register for his talk, and view the rest of the program, visit the website: https://events.humanitix.com/blue-mountains-2026-food-security-fair...
At our next Skill Share Saturdays event on Saturday 5th September, join Laura Zucchetti at 10:30am to learn how to make focaccia from scratch!
Come along for a 90 min class where you`ll mix, rest and stretch your own focaccia dough from start to finish, guided every step of the way. You’ll take home your dough to bake on the day in your own oven.
Sign up to this session, and view the other offerings on the day via this link: https://events.humanitix.com/skill-share-saturdays-at-the-planetary-health-centre...
Plate to Planet: Blue Mountains Food Security Fair 2026
We are pleased to announce that the program and registration for Plate to Planet: Blue Mountains Food Security Fair 2026 is now live!
Follow this link to view the program and register your place: https://events.humanitix.com/blue-mountains-2026-food-security-fair
Key information:
When? Saturday 10 October, 9AM - 4PM
Where? Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre, Katoomba
Who is it for? Families, gardeners, enthusiasts, community groups and businesses, anyone looking to learn about how to be more resilient through local and sustainable food systems.
What to expect? Talks, workshops, demos, market stalls, family activities, music, food
Is there a cost? Entry to the Fair and Markets is free. Talks and workshops are ticketed (both free and paid) and have limited capacity, so please register in advance.
Program highlights:
🌏Headline talk: The age of renewable Food – Julian Cribb AM 🎋Wild edibles foraging workshops – Diego Bonetto, Eat More Weeds 🏞️The importance of bioregions in uncertain times – Rowe Morrow, Permaculture Matters 🥒Home canning and food preservation workshop – Kirsty Berté, Permaculture Hawkesbury Valley 🏡Designing your own Permaculture Property – Leni Nyssen, Alchemy Farms 🍃Utilising what’s in front of you – Uncle Lex, The Ganya Shed 🪱How to worm farm - BMCC 🎸Live music by Olivia Dustmann 🌾Community crop and seed swap
Tickets are limited so please register your place now: https://events.humanitix.com/blue-mountains-2026-food-security-fair
We are also seeking stallholders for the event. If you are a grower, retailer, community organisation or business that would like to get involved, please reach out to [email protected]!...
Thank you to everyone that joined us at the Planetary Health Centre on Saturday for the first of our Skill Share Saturdays program!
The Centre was a hive of activity all day, and we heard from @alchemyfarms_permaculture, the @ediblegardentrailbluemountains team and Andy Mann. Also thanks to Sherlie McMillan from Greater Blue Mountains Rotary for teaching the Fashion Upcycling workshop, and Virginia Field for the Tai Chi and Qigong class.
The next event will be held on Saturday 1st August - you can register your place here: https://events.humanitix.com/skill-share-saturdays-at-the-planetary-health-centre
🖐Get involved!
Do you have a skill, program or interest that promotes planetary health that you`d be willing to share with members of the local community? We are looking for more workshop and session hosts for our future events.
Join us at the Planetary Health Centre in Katoomba on the first Saturday of every month for Skill Share Saturdays!
Our July program includes: - What to grow in a Blue Mountains climate - Eating for Earth - Tai Chi and Qigong - Fashion upcycling and clothing reuse workshop - How to get involved with the Edible Garden Trail
You are also welcome to bring any surplus seeds or produce for our Crop Swap, or wind down in the Planetary Health Cafe (until 2pm).
If you have a skill that you want to share, or any questions or queries, please contact [email protected]
Visit the website to view the full program of events and register your place.
Join Andy Mann, a 23 year old Lawson local, for their Eating for Earth session 🌏
Eating for Earth is a judgement-free plant-based educational workshop that all types of eaters are encouraged to attend. There will be a presentation about the environmental impact of diets, a discussion section, and best of all, food! The food will be fully plant-based.
Andy wants to help inform our passionate community about how we can better reduce dietary environmental impact.
The session will run from 11AM - 12PM on Saturday 4th July.
Other sessions include: - What to grow in a Blue Mountains Climate - Fashion Upcycling - Tai Chi and Qigong - Bushcare on the Planetary Health site - How to get involved with the Edible Garden Trail
To register your place, visit our website: https://events.humanitix.com/skill-share-saturdays-at-the-planetary-health-centre...
We’re excited to announce the second Blue Mountains Food Security Fair, taking place in Katoomba in October 2026.
This annual event will bring together growers, thinkers, makers, and community members to explore one of the most important challenges of our time: how we grow, share, and sustain food in a changing world.
Across the weekend, we’ll be exploring themes including: - Healthy soil and regenerative systems - Food and human health - Plant-based food futures - Home and community food resilience - Water-sensitive and climate-adapted growing - Indigenous food knowledge and systems - School food systems - Australia’s food procurement - Global food security challenges Expect a dynamic program of inspiring speakers, practical workshops, and hands-on experiences designed to leave you informed, empowered, and connected.
Key information Date: Weekend of 10th October 2026 Location: Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre, Katoomba, NSW We’ll be announcing speakers and program details soon.
We are also inviting expressions of interest from individuals and organisations who would like to contribute to the program, host workshops, run a stall or partner with us.
Do you struggle making the most of your veggie garden all year round?
Join Leni from @alchemyfarms_permaculture on Saturday 4th July for her Permaculture Workshop: Learn how to grow WITH the Upper Blue Mountains seasons, rather than battling against them.
During the two-hour session, you`ll cover crop selection for different seasons, what to grow from seeds vs seedlings, frost and wind protection, and nurturing your soil with a seasonal cycle.
Register for this and other sessions as part of our Skill Share Saturdays program via this link: https://events.humanitix.com/skill-share-saturdays-at-the-planetary-health-centre...
From Saturday 4 July, we are opening up the Planetary Health Centre for our monthly Skill Share Saturdays program: https://events.humanitix.com/skill-share-saturdays-at-the-planetary-health-centre
Throughout each day, you can expect to find a variety of sessions focused on restoring the health of the planet, in terms of the environment, community and economy.
Sessions at the first event include:
- What to grow in a Blue Mountains climate - Plant-based eating - Tai Chi and Qigong - Fashion Upcycling and clothing reuse workshop
You are also welcome to bring any surplus seeds or produce for our Crop Swap, or wind down in the Planetary Health Cafe (until 2pm).
Visit the website to view the full program of events and register your place: https://events.humanitix.com/skill-share-saturdays-at-the-planetary-health-centre
Registrations essential.
We are also inviting expressions of interest from individuals and organisations who would like to contribute to the program - please reach out to [email protected] if you are interested!...
Gabiann has worked as in-house writer/editor for Amnesty International, Greenpeace and Médecins Sans Frontières across Australia, Africa and the Asia Pacific. She is an award winning novelist and children’s book author, having won or been shortlisted for several Australian and international writing prizes. She was one of the key designers and the writer of the award-winning multimedia interactive narrative, Kids Together Now, which focuses on helping children deal with issues around bullying and racism. In addition to her role as storyteller for the Planetary Health Initiative, she tutors in narrative and writing at Macquarie University and works as a writer, story developer and script producer.
In Katoomba, a grassroots litter-picking group tackles rubbish before it reaches our water supply. Their story shows how local environmental action, fueled by community connection, can drive meaningful change for planetary health.
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