Come and Meet Nature at Naragebup

Naragebup, aka Rockingham Regional Environmental Centre, is a beautiful setting for engaging in natural learning about Rockingham’s local flora and fauna, and it’s built upon sustainable practices in the most organic way. It’s a place for all ages, where you can feed chickens, visit snakes, frogs and lizards, as well as view Australian native fossils and skeletons through the lens of their digital microscope.

Naragebup — a Gifted Nyoongar Name

Rockingham Regional Environmental Centre’s name is based on Nyoongar language and means, as explained by Janine (Naragebup’s Public Relations and Volunteer Coordinator) ‘NARA = cup, GEB = to drink, UP = meeting place’. When I asked how to pronounce it, she gave me the handy tip: rhyme it with ‘never give up’. Try it! It has a nice mouthfeel, doesn’t it?

This beautiful word was gifted by a Nyoongar man to founder Bob Goodale when he opened the centre. There’s some mystery about when the centre opened. Although Janine says Bob created Naragebup somewhere during the early nineties, ‘maybe 1992’, the centre’s About Us page states it was opened in 2000. Perhaps, like many projects that start and build organically, the exact moment of creation is hard to pinpoint.

Sustainably Built from Local and Organic Rockingham Materials

Naragebup has emerged from the ground up, built upon 1.7 hectares of land that’s leased from the Rockingham council. Initially, the centre started out as a simple caravan but, over time, it’s become the beautiful centre it is today, complete with meandering gardens featuring native plants, organic vegetable patches and a bush tucker trail.

‘Over time, he was able to acquire 4 train carriages, which are our rooms. They were all there, in situ, and somewhere over time they built the shed over the top of it. I believe it’s all recycled stuff.’

Janine Matthews — Public Relations & Volunteer Coordinator, Assemblage Artist/Sculptor/Jeweller

Some of the many sustainable features include: telegraph poles all around the verandah; a limestone amphitheatre; the Lakeview Room: a media/function room made from hay bales, and which uses solar passive design; composting toilets; a chicken tractor system; and worm farms. You can even buy worm wee for your garden!

It’s possible to hire the Lakeview room, the amphitheatre or even the whole venue, and prices are so reasonable. It’s also possible to hire cinema equipment for the amphitheatre.

Another feature is their recycling programs. Several items, things that you may not be able to recycle anywhere else, can be taken to the Rockingham Regional Environmental Centre. These include printer ink cartridges, mobile phones, and oral care products and packaging.

Run by Locals; Supporting Local Artists and Initiatives

Along with worm wee, there are also native seedlings by Native Plants WA to purchase, as well as seeds sourced from Naragebup’s own garden and a gift store full of wares from local artists. There’s a station with various cleaning products that can be poured into your own vessels, sometimes there’s pure beeswax, and you can even get a coffee made for you or buy a refreshing cold drink or ice-cream. Everything is low-cost and water is provided for free, in reusable cups. Budget-friendly and locally made: I know where I’ll be doing some of my gift shopping!

Janine, who channels Frida Kahlo with her signature floral crowns, is one of the artists whose creations — sweet offerings made entirely of recycled materials — are featured in the gift shop.

Since Naragebup doesn’t receive any funding (despite being an award-winning environmental centre and a registered charity), their ‘lifeblood is the people who regularly volunteer their time’. I have also noticed that there are students gaining hands-on experience there: which, I’m told, is a coveted and hard-to-come by position.

Although Naragebup isn’t a café, there’s plenty of seating available outside, and a small lounge area inside. Here, a coffee group meets every Friday from 10:30am to 12pm. “Everyone” is welcome, though the group is primarily populated by older women and, when I asked, I was told that it’s not a suitable place for young, active children. The fee for the group is simply the entry fee, or membership. Membership entitles you to free entry.

There’s plenty of space for the little ones outside though, as well as a pretty incredible turtle-themed slide, no doubt created by a local sculpturer (if you know the story, please contact me), a little play house, and chickens to feed.

A Rockingham Hub for Natural Learning & Learning About Nature

Bob’s vision was to have some ‘land by the lake’ (Lake Richmond), particularly because it’s heritage listed, on which to educate the public about sustainability. Today, there are many opportunities for learning.

I imagine many of Rockingham and Mandurah’s homeschooling and nature-loving families are regular visitors. And during the school holidays, the centre is regularly booked out by out-of-school-care groups, who bring in 60-90 children a day. These days are co-ordinated with half of the group listening to a reptile talk and the other half visiting the ‘dipping pond’. This is a pool full of aquatic macroinvertebrates: children scoop up water from the dipping pond outside then get to identify the wrigglers on the top, which are mosquitoes, larvae and dragonflies. Children identify this on a chart then look at it under a magnifying microscope connected to the computer.

But these activities are not just for OSC groups, they are accessible to all. Some activities are free and do have a cost attached. Inside, there are snakes, frogs and lizards in vivariums to visit, another pool full of fish, starfish, and I even saw a gorgeous stingray surface from the sand before settling back into invisibility. And in one of the train carriages, there’s a library with plush armchairs to sink into, if reading and research are your thing. It strikes me that this would also be a lovely hiding place for those of us who are very sensory-aware.

A Place of Peace

With so much going on, you could be forgiven for envisaging a busy and stimulating environment, however, it’s anything but (except for during their annual October festival where all manner of environmental and community groups, such as Sea Shepherd and Riding for the Disabled hold stalls, and local talent provide entertainment. This usually happens on a Saturday late in the month).

Naragebup is actually such a peaceful place to visit. Even when I visited last weekend, though there were more people than during the week, it was still quiet and serene. My recommendation? Go for a gentle stroll along the Anne Mueller Environmental Walk at Lake Richmond then bring a packed lunch and to enjoy at Naragebup afterwards.