"For people with dementia, research shows that meaningful outdoor activity and connection with the natural environment can have a positive effect and can slow down the progression of the symptoms."

Wellness in Kings Park is a gentle, welcoming program created to support people living with dementia, along with their families and carers.

Enjoy unhurried nature walks, simple nature connected activities, and light refreshments in a calming setting that nurtures wellbeing, connection, and moments of joy.

This program invites everyone to slow down, breathe deeply, and share in the restorative power of nature.

Workshop dates:

Thursday 23 April 10.00am - 12.00pm
Thursday 7 May 10.00am - 12.00pm
Thursday 21 May 10.00am - 12.00pm
Thursday 4 June 10.00am - 12.00pm

Thursday 23 April: Session One - Tune in, Breath Out – Developing the senses

We begin our journey with a gentle walk through the beautiful landscape of Rio Tinto Naturescape Kings Park. This guided experience invites you to slow down, tune into your surroundings, and reconnect with nature through smell, sound, and touch.

We follow up with an exploratory session incorporating scientific learning and sensory experiences. Exploring plants from seed to leaf to flower through hands-on activities - you’ll create your own packet of seeds to take home to scatter in your garden and a scent bag to invoke memories of your day.

This first session lays the foundation for this series of wellness workshops, which will boost mood and mental health, deepen connection with nature and help build emotional memory that will remain with participants after the experience.

Thursday 7 May: Session Two – Forage, Create & Connect – Rivarossa Botanicals

In session two, as we repeat the walk through Naturescape, you’ll mindfully forage a small selection of fallen leaves, flowers, and natural materials. Returning to our creative space, you’ll explore the delicate pigments held within flower petals, using them to paint intuitively onto paper. Through this process, you’ll discover how simple, household modifiers such as vinegar and baking soda can gently shift and transform these natural colours.

To close the session, you’ll be introduced to the magic of cyanotype printing. Using your foraged materials and pre-prepared light-sensitive paper, you’ll create your own sun-developed prints—capturing the essence of your walk in a lasting, visual form.

Thursday 21 May: Session Three – Explore, Evolve & Express – Rivarossa Botanicals

Building on the foundations of previous sessions, we once again begin with a mindful walk through Naturescape —returning to the rhythms of the landscape and reconnecting with our senses. With a growing familiarity, you’ll start to notice what lives in the bush and approach foraging with greater intention, selecting materials that inspire shape, texture, and form.

You’ll expand your creative practice by introducing natural inks. Drawing on your experience from the previous workshop, you’ll explore new ways of working—using foraged items to trace shadows, create organic outlines, or simply inspire your compositions. With a deeper understanding of natural pigments, you’ll again experiment with household modifiers to shift and evolve the colours on your page, embracing the unpredictability of the process.

We will conclude with a second cyanotype print, allowing you to refine and build upon your earlier experience. Whether using newly gathered materials or revisiting familiar forms, this final piece reflects both your growing confidence and your personal connection to the environment.

Thursday 4 June: Session Four – Kaarla, Katitjin, Boodja – Stories of Kaarta Koomba

To close the Wellness in Kings Park series, we are joined by Rickeeta Walley and Tay Conway, Kings Park’s Aboriginal Educators. A short walk through Naturescape to Kaarla Yarning will kick-start a morning truly immersed in nature. Here we will build and light the Kaarla (Campfire), providing space to reflect and unwind in good company, with bush tea, scones and stories of Country.

Together, these sessions are designed to offer a gentle progression towards improving health and wellbeing through nature-based experiences.

Location: Kings Park Education Centre

Fees:

$30 for booking individual workshops. Each ticket is inclusive of 1x attendee and 1x companion.

Accessibility

General information

Accessible parking