Bringing science to life at Oaklands Wetland

A great opportunity for school students to study environmental microbiology in the field, where currently there is little opportunity to do so in and around Adelaide.

Oaklands Education Centre

An exciting, purpose-built home for the partnership between the City of Marion and Flinders University, providing a place for education, research and studies into wetlands, and showcasing the site's stormwater re-use scheme.

These facilities are free to use and a unique experience open to STEM schools, researchers, government agencies, and environmental groups and members of the Aboriginal community, who can book the facility for their educational or meeting needs.

The centre contains:

classroom for up to 25 students
small-scale field station
air conditioning and heating
disability access
kitchen
toilet.

Book the Education Centre

Download Oaklands Wetland flyer

Oaklands Wetland Educational Workshops

Designed for high school students (years 10 to 12) and aligned with the SACE curriculum, Flinders University has created various educational modules where students are able to participate in water-related STEM activities - topics included are groundwater, environmental health and ecology.

High school students get first-hand experience of practical activities such as conducting a theoretical risk assessment to see whether wetland water is safe for its intended use. The activities will be of particular use to the new science as a human endeavour strand of the SACE curriculum.

There will also be unique opportunities to have your class led, in conjunction with your teacher, by a PhD researcher from Flinders University.

This not only allows expert scientific guidance but enables students to see and discuss potential future tertiary education and career pathways in STEM.

For more information in regards to booking a Flinders University student led workshop, please contact the STEM-Outreach team.

Contact us

stem@flinders.edu.au

What is a wetland?

Oaklands Wetland

Oaklands Wetland plays an important role in our community. Around 85,000 new plants have created a habitat for many different species of animals, including parrots, ducks, cockatoos and wader birds such as spoonbills, ibis and gulls. Fish and frogs live in the wetland, plus many different types of insects like dragonflies and mayflies.

The wetland is fully operational and can treat up to 400 million litres of stormwater each year. Water is cleaned as it moves slowly through a series of ponds, which each use natural processes in various ways to clean the water. To function properly, the wetland needs calm water, healthy plants and native animals to all play their part. The Oaklands Wetland provides a great space for schools to further educate their STEM students.