SATURDAY 11 NOVEMBER

10am: Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony by Dabee Wiradjuri Elder, Peter Swain

11am: Observation of Remembrance Day (official ceremony held at Portland Cenotaph, Wolgan Street, Portland)

ACTIVITIES - All Day

Helicopter Joy Flights over the Portland area, with Capertee Valley Helicopters
Take a 10 minute joy ride across the scenic landscape of this area. Tickets are $100, purchased directly from the vendor

Art Exhibition: Tully Arnot, The Annexe, free
Leading contemporary artist, Tully Arnot, has created a new work that responds to the local Purple Copper Butterfly, with the assistance of local blacksmith Phil Spark

STEAM Train Display, Main Forecourt, free
Join local train enthusiasts and Zig Zag Railway mechanical staff to explore this ingenious technology

Wildflower Display, The Powerhouse, free
Created in partnership with local botanist and naturalist Chris Jonkers and Julie Favell, the display will showcase a selection of springtime flowering specimens from the Seven Valleys region.

Fly-Fishing Lessons, The Millpond, free
Take a Fly-Fishing lessons with the team at Wallerawang CAS in this fun, drop-in-style fishing clinic, open to all ages

STREAMWATCH Activity, The Millpond, free
Explore the aquatic life of The Millpond area in this drop-in activity with a STEAMworks educator

MUSICAL PERFORMANCES - Main Forecourt, The Boilerhouse

11.30am-12pm, 1pm-1.30pm, 2.30-3pm: ‘Amelie Ecology and the Insect Cabaret’, Main Forecourt

Where grevilleas grow and basil blooms, Dr Amelie Ecology brings you the INSECT CABARET using this very special Pollinator Week! Explore the curious ecology of soil micro-organisms, blue-banded bees and everyday ecologists in a cross pollination of science and musical theatre… where we invite all bee-ings to sing from soil to plate.

11am - 1pm, 2pm - 4pm: ‘Connections Between Science and Music, the Sounds of Biology with Dr Mark Temple’, The Boilerhouse

Mark will be giving drop-in style, multimedia presentations of science audio and will show how drums and synthesisers can take science data into a creative musical directions. Mark has sonified the coronavirus genome and more recently the Myrtle rust genome. Myrtle rust is a serious disease killing our eucalypts, bottlebrushes, and other Australian Native Plants. Dr Mark Temple is an academic specialising in Molecular Biology from the School of Science at Western Sydney University. Prior to being an academic Mark was drummer in The Hummingbirds pop band. Nowadays he is just as happy talking about science as he is playing drums to science data.

TALKS- The Powerhouse

11.30pm - 12pm: Lousie Bickerton, ‘Steam Distillation’

Lousie Bickerton is the founding director of Blue Mountains Lavender Farm in Little Hartley, an artisan producer of naturally grown lavender flowers and a distiller of lavender essential oil, an alchemic process she’ll be exploring in this fascinating talk.

12.30pm - 1pm: Tim Elderton, ‘The Invention of the Solar Train’

Tim Elderton is a Lithgow-based world leading engineer, who designed and built the world’s first solar powered commuter train in 2017. Tim is also founder of Australia’s first private rail freight company, Austrac Pty Ltd and of the Founder of Lithgow Railway Workshop Pty Ltd in 2011.

1.30pm- 2pm: James Cleaver, ‘Life as an IBM Master Inventor’

James is a IBM Master Inventor, Systems Architect, and a current PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales. An acclaimed STEMist with 27 years’ experience, James works as a consultant for IBM and has nearly 30 patents to his name - so far. James will be discussing the many roles he plays in his work with IBM, including the design of Artificial Intelligence solutions.

2.30pm - 3pm: Scott Lewry, ‘Jenolan Caves Biodiversity and Karst’

Scott Lewry, Interpretation Manager at Jenolan Caves, will explore some of the vast biodiversity of the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve, the geology of its limestone caves and the efforts taken to conserve this UNESCO World Heritage site.

TOURS - The Foundations Site and Portland Township

12pm - 1pm: Portland Walnuts, ‘Signs of Yesteryear’, Portland Township

Join the Portland Walnuts as they step back in time and explore many of the famed mural’s from the ‘Signs of Yesteryear Project’, painted throughout the Portland township.

1.30pm - 2.30pm: Diego Bonetto, ‘Edible Weeds and Other Stories’, The Foundations

Learn how to identify, cook, and eat the wild plants in your garden as Diego leads a foraging walk into The Foundation's grounds with the participants. Diego Bonetto is a creative producer and wild food advocate based in Lithgow, NSW. Building on the knowledge acquired while growing up on a farm in Italy, Diego introduces people to the ever-present food and medicine plants that surround us. Diego is a member of the Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation (KSCA) which is a group of artists ecologists and writers who came together to explore the idea of adaptive cultural change.

WORKSHOPS - The Powerhouse

Ongoing: Gabriella Hegyes, ‘Botanical Dyeing’

Join Artist and Educator, Gabriella Hegyes, to explore native plant dyeing and printing techniques, as part of the extended Wildflower Display program

Ongoing: Regina Walter, 'Paper Native Flowers’

Join Visual Artist, Regina Water, as leads visitors through the delicate art of paper native flower making, as part of the extended Wildflower Display program

12pm- 12.30pm: Keshia Stodgen, East Coast Wildflowers, ‘Native Flower Care and Floristry Demonstration'

East Coast Wildflowers is one of Australia’s leading growers and suppliers of Australian Native and South African Wildflowers. This demonstrative workshop will cover native flower growing and care tips with offer a floristry demonstration, with drop-in style demonstrations will continue throughout the day.

12.30pm - 1.30pm: Peter Swain: ‘Caring for Country through Aboriginal Land Management’

Peter Swain is a Dabee Wiradjuri man, an Aboriginal Cultural Educator, Artist and Didj player, who was born in Rylstone, NSW. Explore Wiradjuri Aboriginal Culture with Peter as he reveals ways to care for country through drawing practice. Peter is a member of the Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation (KSCA), which is a group of artists ecologists and writers who came together to explore the idea of adaptive cultural change.

2.30pm - 3.30pm: Leanne Thompson: ‘Interwoven - collaborating with plants to weave’

Leanne Thompson is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice focuses on collaboration and community engagement outside conventional art spaces. Recent projects include large scale participatory installations utilising solar energy, light, sound, and natural materials. Her work explores interactive relationships embedding humanity within ecology especially relating to water in the landscape, wetlands, and watercourses. Leanne is a member of the Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation (KSCA), which is a group of artists ecologists and writers who came together to explore the idea of adaptive cultural change.

Saturday Night Cocktail Event

The Annexe 6pm - 8pm

This exciting evening will feature an exhibition opening of one of Australia's leading visual artist*, Tully Arnot, who has created a new art work commission that responds to the local threatened native species, the Purple Copper Butterfly. Tully Arnot was invited by STEAMworks to develop a new work and a series of workshops that responds to the unique natural environment of the Lithgow region.

Local endangered and threatened species will be further explored through the Keynote address by Ian Allan, supervisor Natural Areas & Arboriculture Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, Mount Tomah, who will be discussing the instrumental role he played in protecting the Wollemi Pines, during the 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires.

SUNDAY 12th November 2023, 10am - 2pm

ACTIVITIES - All Day

Helicopter Joy Flights over the Portland area, with Capertee Valley Helicopters
Take a 10 minute joy ride across the scenic landscape of this area. Tickets are $100, purchased directly from the vendor

Art Exhibition: Tully Arnot, The Annexe, free
Leading contemporary artist, Tully Arnot, has created a new work that responds to the local Purple Copper Butterfly, with the assistance of local blacksmith Phil Spark

STEAM Train Display, Main Forecourt, free
Join local train enthusiasts and Zig Zag Railway mechanical staff to explore this ingenious technology

Wildflower Display, The Powerhouse, free
Created in partnership with local botanist and naturalist Chris Jonkers and Julie Favell, the display will showcase a selection of springtime flowering specimens from the Seven Valleys region.

Fly-Fishing Lessons, The Millpond, free
Drop-in style Fly-Fishing lessons with Wallerawang CAS

STREAMwatch activity, The Millpond, free
Explore the aquatic life of The Millpond area in this drop-in activity with a STEAMworks educator

MUSICAL PERFORMANCES, The Boilerhouse

10am - 12pm, 12.30pm - 2pm: ‘Connections Between Science and Music, the Sounds of Biology with Dr Mark Temple’, The Boilerhouse

Mark will be giving drop-in style, multimedia presentations of science audio and will show how drums and synthesisers can take science data into a creative musical directions. Mark has sonified the coronavirus genome and more recently the Myrtle rust genome. Myrtle rust is a serious disease killing our eucalypts, bottlebrushes, and other Australian Native Plants. Dr Mark Temple is an academic specialising in Molecular Biology from the School of Science at Western Sydney University. Prior to being an academic Mark was drummer in The Hummingbirds pop band. Nowadays he is just as happy talking about science as he is playing drums to science data.

TALKS- The Powerhouse

12pm - 12.30pm: Allan Wray, ‘The Purple Copper Butterfly’

Allan Wray is the Senior Land Services Officer at Central Tablelands Local Land Services and will be discussing the work being undertaken to protect and monitor this local threatened native butterfly.

1pm- 1.30pm: Dr Laura McKemmish, ‘Using Computers to Answer Questions about Space’

Laura is a senior lecturer in chemistry at the University of New South Wales, a computational astrochemist who uses computers to answer questions about the molecules in space. In this talk, Laura will highlight this compelling connection, which helps to answer questions about whether there is water on other planets, whether there are earth-like planets, and even whether there might be aliens!

TOURS, The Foundations

10.30am - 11.30am: Carol Probets, ‘Introduction to Birdwatching’

Carol Probets is one of Australia’s leading bird watching guides and an expert on birds of the local Blue Mountains and Capertee Valley region. Join Carol as she leads an informative tour through the Foundations site exploring the bird life of the area. Bring your binoculars!

12pm - 1pm: Diego Bonetto: ‘Edible Weeds and Other Stories’

Learn how to identify, cook, and eat the wild plants in your garden as Diego leads a foraging walk into The Foundation's grounds with the participants. Diego Bonetto is a creative producer and wild food advocate based in Lithgow, NSW. Building on the knowledge acquired while growing up on a farm in Italy, Diego introduces people to the ever-present food and medicine plants that surround us. Diego is a member of the Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation (KSCA) which is a group of artists ecologists and writers who came together to explore the idea of adaptive cultural change.

WORKSHOPS

Ongoing: Gabriella Hegyes, ‘Botanical Dyeing’

Join Artist and Educator, Gabriella Hegyes, to explore native plant dyeing and printing techniques, as part of the extended Wildflower Display program

Ongoing: Regina Walter, ‘Paper Native Flowers’

Join Visual Artist, Regina Water, as leads visitors through the delicate art of paper native flower making, as part of the extended Wildflower Display program

11am - 12pm: Peter Swain: ‘Caring for Country through Aboriginal Land Management’

Peter Swain is a Dabee Wiradjuri man, an Aboriginal Cultural Educator, Artist and Didj player, who was born in Rylstone, NSW. Explore Wiradjuri Aboriginal Culture with Peter as he reveals ways to care for country through drawing practice. Peter is a member of the Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation (KSCA), which is a group of artists ecologists and writers who came together to explore the idea of adaptive cultural change.

1-2pm: Leanne Thompson: ‘Interwoven - collaborating with plants to weave’

Leanne Thompson is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice focuses on collaboration and community engagement outside conventional art spaces. Recent projects include large scale participatory installations utilising solar energy, light, sound, and natural materials. Her work explores interactive relationships embedding humanity within ecology especially relating to water in the landscape, wetlands, and watercourses. Leanne is a member of the Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation (KSCA), which is a group of artists ecologists and writers who came together to explore the idea of adaptive cultural change.

EXPO Stall Holders Include - ALL WEEKEND

• Arts OutWest representing the Kew-Y-Ahn Aboriginal Gallery

• Australian Computer Museum Society

• Australian Women Pilots’ Association

• Blue Mountains Lavender

• Botanic Gardens of Sydney (Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tohmah)

• Central Tablelands - Local Land Services

• IBM Australia in partnership with Charles Sturt University

• Inspiring NSW

• East Coast Wildflowers

• edgedVR

• Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation

• Kanimbla Wombats

• Lithgow & District Community Nursery

• Lithgow Environment Group

• Lithgow Living History

• Macquarie University (+NISEP +Future STEM Gen)

• Penrith Museum of Printing

• Phil Hill

• Portland Wallnuts

• Southleigh Farm

• The CORRIDOR project - Cowra

• University of New South Wales (+SciX +STANSW)

• University of Western Sydney - Maldhan Ngurr Ngurra Lithgow Transformation Hub

• Zig Zag Railway