Arboretum Coordinator Samantha Newton will be hosting a series of walks to help Macquarie staff connect to our natural environment.

There’s an expression in Japanese language, shinrin-yoku, that translates as ‘forest bathing’. It’s used to describe the practice of spending mindful time surrounded by nature, taking in the sights, sounds and smells to find calm and relaxation.

This notion of reconnecting with nature is one of the ideas behind the campus nature walks taking place on Tuesdays 25 February, 7 April and 12 May as part of the ‘Better you at MQ’ staff wellbeing program.

As an added bonus, staff joining these lunchtime walks will benefit from the light exercise of a campus stroll, while at the same time learning about the nature all around us from the Faculty of Science and Engineering’s Arboretum Coordinator and Sustainability Officer, Samantha Newton. We caught up with Samantha to find out what staff can expect to discover on the walks.

We’re fortunate to work on a bushland campus. Exactly how many trees and plants do we have at Macquarie?

We have over 3000 trees and woody shrubs across more than 300 species. Collectively these form the University’s arboretum, a mixture of native and planted flora that reflects a long history of custodianship by the Darug people, through to development of market gardens, to today’s conservation and use for education and research.

What can staff expect on your campus nature walks?

We’ll be showcasing various parts of the campus, with the walks taking a different route each month. Depending on the season, tours will include teaching gardens, hidden courtyards and native forests, and there’ll be chances to spot some wildlife.

What are some of the nature highlights on campus for you?

There are so many different plants on campus that it’s hard to pick a favourite. I love the mountain blue gums that line Science Road, and the big scribbly gum on the lake-side of the Chancellery building. And I enjoy showing visitors the sandpaper fig and lemon-scented tea-tree in the Bush Tucker garden.

Down by Mars Creek and the wetland area is a great place to see water birds and small lizards. I love seeing and hearing butcherbirds and kookaburras, plus the occasional channel-billed cuckoo and baby brush turkey in the biology gardens.

My favourite place on campus is the Biology garden annexe, next to 6 Science Road. It’s a quiet area with benches and tables. It’s a great place to have lunch or a short break, to watch the birds and to see many different and interesting plants in a small space.

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To join the walks, register via the booking link.

If you’re interested in campus walks with a fitness focus, join the University’s new weekly campus walking group, commencing Thursday 5 March. These walks are a great opportunity to improve your physical health at the same time as connecting with colleagues (why not bring your whole team and make it a team engagement activity?)