Features and Highlights

Features and highlights for 2012.....

Main Stage Speakers and Performers

Be inspired by a range of entertaining speakers such as Sustainability Expert Professor Peter Newman, the ABC's Natural Cleaning Guru Shannon Lush. Gardening Australia's Costa will join Darwin's own Leonie Norrington in gardening panel discussions (2pm Sunday), and don't miss our local politicians battle for Landscape Olympic Gold and culinary victory on the mainstage event "Can Candidates Cook Cook-Off" (10:30am Saturday). Local Larrakia musicians the Mills Sisters will perform for a Saturday sunset session, and be sure to come back on Sunday to enjoy a lunchtime duet encore performance with Shellie Morris and Neil Murray (12:30pm Sunday).

Green Living Tent

A range of informative and inspiring talks and workshops will be held across the Festival weekend. Take away knowledge for you to implement into your home, garden, school or workplace. Topics will include renewable energy vs fraccing, composing and biochar in the Top End, Stain Clinic with Shannon Lush, Indigenous bush tucker, waterwise gardening, Muckaty Nuclear Waste Dump discussion, and real estate for the future with local businessman Paul Heron.

The Roving Program

This year a selection of over 70 exhibitors and community groups will be given the oportunity for fifteen minutes of fame to showcase their technologies and products as short workshops or demonstrations at their exhibition site as part of an alternative roving program. Topics will range from sustainable gardening, energy efficiency, landscape design, eco products, plants, remote gardening projects, urban bicycle safety, worm farming...

Children's Fun, Games and Activities Precinct

The Festival is jam packed with fun activities for the kids, jumping castles, games, Ecoart, face painting  and Chantal the Fairy will all be at this year’s event! Keep an eye out for the Junior Rangers interactive "Art for Parks" Canvas park map model. Tell your own story of trips to parks in the Top End with painted hands and feet!

Panel Discussion: Growing Greater Darwin Sustainably

Some of the Festival's best guests will be coming together to discuss the question around the Festival theme as it relates to Darwin as a city. How can Darwin grow sustainably? Currently, invited speakers include Curtin University's Sustainability Expert Professor Peter Newman (pictured), Darwin Mayor Katrina Fong Lim, Palmerston Mayor Ian Abbot, and Dr Stuart Blanch.

Main Stage, 1pm Saturday 2 June

Larrakia Precinct

Come and visit this new precinct to explore Larrakia Nation culture, music and art. Hear the bellowing didgeridoo and taste the bush tucker. All weekend talk bush medicines with our friends travelling all the way from Urapuntja and the Western Desert , and come and share stories and information with the Remote Indigenous Gardens network:

• 1:00pm - 2:30pm Saturday RIG Talking Circle - 'How we garden where we live - gardening tips, and ways to involve the community using local resources'
• 11:30am - 2:30pm Sunday RIG bushtucker talking circle, display, and cook-up demonstration 

Panel Discussion: Carbon, Conservation, and Cattle

Territory land owners, cattlemen, and land use experts are coming to the festival to report on the State of the Outback - trials and tribulations of the efforts to keep the Top End healthy and productive. 

Main Stage, 4pm Saturday 2 June

Arts in the Park

Free art workshops with local artists Aly de Groot and Karen Roberts, displays and outdoor art and sculptures for your garden! Workshops include basket weaving and making sculptures from organic materials.

All weekend, Wesleyan Deck Arts Precinct

City of Darwin

City of Darwin is once again, pleased to sponsoring the Tropical Garden Spectacular and the Top End Sustainable Living Festival.  After a fantastic display last year, the Parks and Reserves team will once again create a landscape display with a focus on the urban forest and appropriate tree planning. 

City of Darwin will also be promoting its new Sustainable Cities Portal tool ‘Sustainability @ The Top’.  Community members have the opportunity to develop their own personal action plan including tracking their dollar, water and greenhouse gas savings on this exciting new interactive web-based tool.

All Weekend, City of Darwin Marquee

Schools and Community Garden Precinct

Guided by the Darwin Garden Education Network, some of Darwin's best community gardens will be on show at the Festival. Come down and visit their site, enjoy some organic coffee or a cup of freshly cut hot and cold herbal teas and a slice of homemade cake served on banana leaf. Learn about compost tea brewing, simple garden and wicking bed construction, and importance of growing your own food or get involved in your local community garden. Also visit and judge the School Garden Photography Competition. Amazing art and gardening workshops will take place across the weekend.

Landscape Olympics with Costa

Costa Georgiadis is making a huge effort to return for our Festival and Spectacular this year, so make sure you stick around for the Sunday afternoon Landscape Olympics showdown.

Main Stage, 3pm Sunday 3 June

Melaleuca Awards

Check out the candidates for the 2012 Melaleuca Awards, Power and Water Corporation’s annual awards to recognise outstanding achievement in environmental excellence. Winners announced 7th June.

All Weekend, Power and Water Marquee

Eco House and garden

Come along and see the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens Eco House and Snakebean Community Gardens as well as the new terraced permaculture gardens that are currently being developed with the assistance of the Nursery and Garden Industry NT. Gardening and sustainability videos and documentaries will be played in the Ecohouse throughout the weekend.

Movie Night

It won't be hard to find the Solar Cinema Bus at the Festival. The Saturday Night Special Screening is "Growing Change" - an inspiring documentary by Director Simon Cunich.

Solar Powered Cinema Bus 6:30pm Saturday 2 June

Charles Darwin University

The Horticulture Aquaculture Team from CDU will be at the event again this year promoting all types of education and training related to Horticultural pursuits in the Northern Territory. Qualified staff will be on site all weekend to assist with any training or general horticulture enquiries. Come and talk to the team about progress towards sustainability, with award winning water re-use system, grid connect solar system, and future sustainability training programs.

All Weekend, CDU Marquee

To and From the Festival

Why not ride your bike to the Festival?! If you have to drive car pool with friends. Mindil Beach reserve has parking for 800, with access off Maria Liveris Drive. The Gardens are off Gardens Road and Gilruth Ave with a special entrance on the Northern side of the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens. Look for the coloured flags. There’s plenty of space for parking your bike, and we encourage you to walk, catch a bus, car pool or skateboard.