Brownhill Creek’s bush bugs
A new gardens-based project in Adelaide’s Brownhill Creek is combining a child’s innate curiosity with the wonders of nature. And it’s a joy for parents and friends to watch.
A passionate group of educators has combined the curiosity of a child with the great outdoors and the result is Bush Bugs, a new nature-based project in Adelaide’s south-eastern foothills.
Established by sisters Sophie and Anna Smith, along with their friend Heather Docherty, Bush Bugs is a new nature-based project, which has been designed to allow children from birth to age five, to explore, learn and grow in a hands-on way using bespoke educational programs supporting all areas of early childhood development.
“The idea for Bush Bugs came about from us all being mums of young kids, looking to give them holistic nature experiences along with offering parental connections, then realising there wasn’t anything available,” Sophie explains. “So, we thought, we’re all teachers, we’ve got the skills and drive, so let’s create something.”
Anna continues: “Part of the problem of connecting children with nature has been that some parents have forgotten the joy that spending time outdoors brings their children. Bush Bugs is not just about giving kids an educational nature experience, it is also providing parents with the cues and confidence they can take from our programs, empowering them to replicate some elements with their child in other outdoor spaces.”
Heather adds, “Because we’re in such a digital world, we want to change that perfect social media look some parents feel compelled to achieve, and simply get their kids back into nature, and enjoy being together outdoors without the need for any online pressure”.
Brownhill Creek Recreation Park, located in Adelaide’s south-eastern foothills is one of this city’s oldest reserves and a well-known location to locals and visitors. Its steep-sided valley, majestic River Red gums, established trees and meandering creek, provides the ideal setting for the Bush Bugs program. Just 1.5 kilometres on from the Brownhill Creek Tourist Park, parents and their children follow the well-marked signs, placed along the road on program days – Thursday and Friday mornings – directing them to the exciting Bush Bugs hub.
“Having a big backyard and living out in nature is becoming less and less achievable for so many families, so providing them with a space they can come to and do that on a regular basis is important to us,” Anna says.
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“Our spot in Brownhill Creek Recreation Park is ideal. We have a large open area, bushland everywhere, shade in summer from the magnificent trees and a refreshing gully breeze, then winter brings the creek alive.”
Structure is a key part of the Bush Bugs teacher-led programs. Every session is based on that week’s particular theme and divided into two parts. The first half offers five activities, each one linked to a different area of early childhood development (gross motor, fine motor, cognitive, language, and social and emotional skills). In the second half of the session, it’s all about free exploration, with a variety of stations set up for the children to discover and enjoy at their own pace.
Because every child’s focus and needs can change from day to day, there is no expectation that every child will want to join in every activity. Some children need more freedom than others, and that’s perfectly okay.
The aim of Bush Bugs is to nurture children’s natural curiosity, by providing a relaxed and enjoyable, pressure-free environment for both children and parents.
Activity stations are set up prior to everyone arriving. Dotted around, under a shady tree, by a fallen log, or next to a tepee. Developmental skill activities vary from week to week to keep both children and adults engaged.
On the week that I visit, the program includes a fine motor skill station creating perfume by cutting and crushing flowers and plants, placing them in bottles, filling them with water and spraying. Next, using binoculars and magnifying glasses to explore the area is the gross motor activity, requiring children to think about how they moved around the area with distorted vision.
Sophie, Anna and Heather alternate as group leader depending on the program being run: Beetle Bunch is a 0–5 mixed age group; Buglet Buddies is very popular for the 0-2 age bracket; while Critter Crew is focused on the more adventurous runners and walkers. Beetle Bunch tends to have more sibling groups since it covers the biggest age range.
All three Bush Bugs sessions follow the same weekly theme, with each activity adjusted to suit the developmental stages of the age group and the individual children in the session.
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An early adopter of the Bush Bugs program is mum, Bell, and daughter Estelle. They have been attending the term programs since the program started in April 2024.
“It’s beautiful to be outside,” Bell says. “It’s so nice to have the activities set up and that everything is organic and natural. It’s a great way to pick up new ideas. At home you tend to do the same things, so replicating some of the Bush Bugs activity stations around our yard adds another level of interest for Estelle.”
First-time Bush Bugs attendees, Sally and son Harry, are sitting by the welcoming tepee reading a selection of books.
“My husband and I both grew up in the country, running around in the backyard with no shoes on, and we want Harry to have the same experiences,” Sally says. “We live in Woodcroft and there is nothing like Bush Bugs in our area.
“Some friends had mentioned Bush Bugs, and it popped up in my Facebook feed, so I booked in and here we are. Harry is having so much fun.”
As well as organised activities, there’s always plenty of time for unstructured play, around this delightful part of Brownhill Creek Recreation Park. Clambering on and over fallen tree trunks, exploring the bush tracks, discovering flowers and insects, and spending time by the muddy creek, the shrieks and laughter tell you there is so much to enjoy for both child and parent alike.
Bush Bugs challenges the sterilisation of child’s play, where getting dirty and taking risks is being avoided.
“Letting your kids explore and take risks is a really important skill,” Sophie explains. “We want to provide parents with a place they can help their kids learn to identify manageable and safe risks. Parents often perceive outdoor play as risky, here their children can show them it’s not.”
Participants travel from as far as Golden Grove and Christies Beach and Anna, Sophie and Heather have developed a sense of community amongst the groups.
“Often mums will catch up for a coffee in the Brownhill Creek Tourist Park after the sessions,” says Sophie. “We’ve had some families that have been with us since the very start; it’s been so special to watch these kids grow up.”
So, what is the Bush Bugs future for these incredibly passionate and enthusiastic teachers?
Heather explains: “We all loved our outdoor childhood experiences, and we want to create more opportunities for our children and our Bush Bugs kids to develop a strong connection with nature. It is so important to start educating them at an early age to look after the earth because we’ve only got the one. We would love to run more Bush Bugs classes and even look at other venues in the coming years.”
This article first appeared in the June 2025 issue of SALIFE magazine.
