Walking the Gumnut Trail

What better way can you think of to teach kids about our native Eucalypts and their importance for the threatened Swift Parrot than by making them a Gumnut Trail?

This magical trail winds from the Sustainability Learning Centre in Mt Nelson, Hobart, and loops through native bushland which includes Blue Gums (Eucalyptus globules) and Black Gums (Eucalyptus ovata) – both important trees for the threatened Swift Parrot.

Visitors can also explore some of the 23 species of ants found there, look for bats in tree hollows and collect gum nuts to grow seedlings back in their schools. We haven’t forgotten about the teachers either. There’s a teaching unit linked to the Australian Curriculum for teachers to use on the walk and as a follow-up in their classrooms or in exploring their local eucalypt bushland.

Two local schools, Hobart College and Mt Nelson Primary School, collected and cultivated Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus ovata seed to support this critical Swift Parrot habitat. The students then planted the propagated trees in an area of bushland on the Gum Nut Trail. The students have also made a booklet on ‘How to plant a tree’.

We couldn’t do this without funding from the Dahl Trust and support from our local schools. Thank you!