From the creators of Where Song Began ( Limelight Magazine) & Songs of Disappearance (#2 on the ARIA Charts), this performance will take you on an epic journey alongside migratory birds as they connect continents and cultures. A cinematic concert experience, Life on Land’s Edge draws on art, science, and music from across the ages. Spectacular footage and soundscapes set the scene for two of Australia’s most adventurous musicians. Be immersed in one of nature’s greatest stories.
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“Spectacular… There isn’t enough space to provide adequate praise” – Limelight Magazine
“It moved me to tears… I left feeling I had been sung to by the country” – Audience member
“…a work of art… a transfixing soundscape” – Sounds Like Sydney
Winner: 2022 Independent Arts Foundation Award for Innovation
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About the performers: Simone Slattery (violin/vocals, PhD, Churchill Fellow) and Anthony Albrecht (cello, The Juilliard School) are internationally renowned musicians, specializing on both period and modern instruments, and founded the Bowerbird Collective in 2017 to make art for nature.

The 60-minute performance is followed by a Q&A.
For more information visit www.bowerbirdcollective.org

Concert Program:
Simone Slattery – Invisible Connections (2020)*
Philip Glass – Opening (1981)
Anne Cawrse – Sanctuary (2021)*
Chris Williams – (Codex) on the Flight of Birds (2021)*
Corrina Bonshek – Far Eastern Curlew Lament (2021)*
Corrina Bonshek – Between Sea and Sky (excerpt, 2022)*
Anne Cawrse – Ruddy Turnstone (excerpt, 2021)*
Dai Fujikura – Star Compass (2020)
Gambirra Illume – Wind Birds (2022)*
Vivaldi – Violin Concerto “per Chiareta” in B flat major RV 372a, Andante (c.1720)
Simone Slattery – The Godwit and Curlew (2020)*
* New Commission

Nature In Mandurah

Learn more about nature in Mandurah

Mandurah has many protected waterways, national parks, and nature reserves that are home to various species of marine animals, birds, and wildlife. Shannon Lawson from the Mandurah Mail spoke with local tour operator Salt & Bush Eco Tours about their Mandurah Eco-educational non-for-profit.

Salt and Bush Eco Tours owner Jamie van Jones and her partner, Sebastian have a passion for the environment which is evident in everything they do.

Not satisfied with simply running an ecotourism business, they have now decided to share their knowledge and love of nature with the wider community by starting a not-for-profit.

“We thought we needed to do something more than just our business,” Jamie said. “We started Swanlandia Inc., which is all about ecology education. It’s inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards.”

The name comes from Swanland which was an early name suggested for Western Australia, and the term Landia which has the urban definition of ‘A fictional relationship to a non-fictional place’.

“Our mission is to connect people to the natural world through fun and educational experiences,” Jamie elaborated. “We believe that if you experience nature in a way that opens your eyes, then as you learn more about it, you fall in love with it and will want to conserve and protect what you love.”

Mandurah-Eco-educational-non-for-profit — Mandurah Eco-educational non-for-profit

Jamie and Sebastian say running Salt and Bush Eco Tours and working as naturalist guides for the last seven years around the world, they have seen first hand the positive impact experiences in nature can have on people. They wanted to make that accessible to youth.

Salt and Bush Eco Tours and Swanlandia Inc. are run as a hybrid-eco-enterprise.

“Both our business and not-for-profit have the same aim of sharing about the natural world in fun and educational ways,” Jamie said. “We just have different methods of achieving it. We are going to have 10 percent of Salt and Bush Eco Tour’s profits go towards funding programs for Swanlandia Inc. programs.

“We are also applying for grants locally, to help grow our not-for-profit dream into fruition.”

The couple are currently awaiting the outcome of a grant application through the City of Mandurah which they will find out about in early May.

“Even if we’re not successful we’ll keep trying to find another way to go head, even if it’s smaller to begin with and we work our way up to what we want to eventually do,” Jamie said.

The first step will be to start a group called the Cygnets which will be for six to eight-year-olds. There will be fortnightly meetings with hands on learning such as finding out how many frogs there are in a local wetland by identifying their calls, then learning about their role in echo system. Similar to scouts, children will put their learned skills to the test in their own neighbourhoods to earn badges and progress through the program.

“We’ll cover all kinds of things, from birds to fungi and mammals,” Jamie explained. “We hope to grow as an organisation to offer programs to all ages. We believe citizen science is a great way to engage in nature and contribute to science. Bird surveys, biodiversity counts, or programs like the Western Ringtail Possum tally, which is on over the next month, are programs we will help people to connect to locally.”

Jamie and Sebastian have travelled to some of the most amazing natural habitats on the planet, such as Antarctica, the Arctic, Borneo and Papua New Guinea, but they say living in Mandurah still makes them feel blessed.

“We can see how lucky we are to live in Mandurah and be surrounded by the diversity of the wetlands, the coastline and the bush. It truly is a world-class place to live,” Jamie said.

Relaxed by Nature

Discover a diverse range of nature experiences in the Mandurah region

From the bushland to the waterways, the Mandurah Estuary and Peel Inlet is twice the size of Sydney Harbour and home to a unique abundance of wildlife, birds and marine animals that’s worth exploring.

Jump onboard a custom guided private nature tour with Salt and Bush Eco-Tours and you’ll be amazed by this biodiversity hotspot right on your doorstep. There’s plenty to delve into when you wander and discover the incredible surroundings on a bushwalking trail, paddle or sail on a kayaking adventure with a difference, go bird-watching or simply settle in for a peaceful evening of stargazing.