Is there disability access?

Hills Environment Centre is an accessible location, however the site for the habitat gardening tour includes unavoidable steps and some steep slopes and is unfortunately not suited for those with mobility needs.Hills Environment Centre access information:disabled car park is located in the lower carpark (to the right of the community centre as you drive in). There is an access ramp that leads from the carpark to the entrance of the building. There is a disabled toilet onsite and our reception desk is at an accessible height for wheelchair users.

What is sliding scale pricing?

Sliding scale pricing is a flexible payment system where the cost of a ticket varies based on a person’s income or ability to pay, making it more accessible to a wider range of people. It allows participants to choose a price within a set range that works for them.

When an 'Extreme 75+' or Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating is declared for the Mt Lofty Ranges, Hills Environment Centre will close and all events will be cancelled.Any fees paid will either be reimbursed, or the course will be rescheduled for a later date. We will contact you via text or email in the event of a cancellation, please be aware that rescheduled events may take a few days to confirm a new date.

Peri-Urban Habitat Garden Tour

Name: Peri-Urban Habitat Garden Tour
Start: 2026-10-24T11:00:00+1030
End: 2026-10-24T13:30:00+1030
Location: Hills Environment Centre

Sat, 24 Oct, 11am - 1:30pm ACDT

Hills Environment Centre

Norton Summit SA, Australia

Hills Environment Centre

266 followers · Contact host

Description

Join Jenny Deans for a presentation and guided garden tour exploring the design journey behind a unique and steep peri-urban Habitat garden.

Learn how the garden was designed to provide year-round habitat and food for native wildlife, improve bushfire resilience, showcase unusual native plants, minimise maintenance, and work with natural processes rather than against them.
We'll discuss the overall vision, design process, and the many competing priorities that shaped the final result. Along the way, we'll share practical examples of what succeeded, what we'd do differently, and why a "don't let perfection be the enemy of good" mindset helped progress and improve the garden.

This tour will be particularly useful for Adelaide Hills residents with larger urban gardens or acreage properties, especially those managing challenging sites with steep slopes and difficult terrain.

This session will begin at Hills Environment Centre for a short presentation. Then we will car pool to the site at Skye <10 minutes away.

Please note that this site requires walking up stairs and navigating steep slopes and is unfortunately not suited for those with mobility needs.

The presentation and garden tour will offer honest insights, practical lessons, and inspiration for creating your own habitat garden.

Date: Saturday 24th October 2026
Time: 11.00am - 1.30pm
Location: Hills Environment Centre, 4 Crescent Drive Norton Summit
Cost: Sliding scale fees available, ranging from $10 - 25 per person (afternoon tea included.)

Please note that this site requires walking up stairs and navigating steep slopes and is unfortunately not suited for those with mobility needs.

Above photos: Left image - July 2025. Right image - July 2026.

For further enquiries please contact:

Hills Environment Centre

info@hecinc.org.au

0405 527 610

Hills Environment Centre is proudly supported by Hills & Fleurieu Landscape SA Board and funded by Green Adelaide

We acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians of the land and waters, the Peramangk and Kaurna peoples, upon whose land we live, work, travel and visit at the Hills Environment Centre.

FAQs

Is there disability access?

Hills Environment Centre is an accessible location, however the site for the habitat gardening tour includes unavoidable steps and some steep slopes and is unfortunately not suited for those with mobility needs.
Hills Environment Centre access information:
disabled car park is located in the lower carpark (to the right of the community centre as you drive in). There is an access ramp that leads from the carpark to the entrance of the building. There is a disabled toilet onsite and our reception desk is at an accessible height for wheelchair users.
What is sliding scale pricing?

Sliding scale pricing is a flexible payment system where the cost of a ticket varies based on a person’s income or ability to pay, making it more accessible to a wider range of people. It allows participants to choose a price within a set range that works for them.
Fire danger ratings

When an 'Extreme 75+' or Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating is declared for the Mt Lofty Ranges, Hills Environment Centre will close and all events will be cancelled.
Any fees paid will either be reimbursed, or the course will be rescheduled for a later date. We will contact you via text or email in the event of a cancellation, please be aware that rescheduled events may take a few days to confirm a new date.