A Tawny frogmouth, often mistaken for an owl. Mat: “They’re beautiful and so well camouflaged.”
Story by Julie Nance, photos and video: Mat van der Aa
Mat van der Aa swapped detonating explosives in the Air Force for life as an outdoor educator and guide. His ‘office’ is the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, and his mission is to inspire teenagers to respect and love the bush as much as he does. The lower Mountains resident shares some of his favourite wildlife photos and videos, including his most memorable moment – a Superb Lyrebird mimicking other birds and dancing.
Mat immerses himself in nature every week and enjoys motivating young people to gain the physical and psychological benefits he does.
Mat was having a rough day when he chanced upon a lyrebird on Prince Henry Cliff walk in Katoomba. He had spotted lyrebirds in the bush plenty of times but this was the first time he saw one dance. The biggest bonus was being able to sit and watch its performance for 15 minutes.
“It actually moved me quite a lot,” Mat says. “I was a little bit emotional driving home and it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed. It was magical.”
Carol Probets, Blue Mountains birding guide of more than 30 years, explains what the lyrebird is doing in each of the videos:
Video 1: This is a typical stream of mimicry of other bird calls interspersed with the lyrebird’s own territorial song. Other bird calls include Pied Currawong, Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Laughing Kookaburra, Eastern Whipbird, Grey Shrike-thrush and Satin Bowerbird.
Video 2: Male lyrebirds generally display on a scratched-up mound of earth, but they also display on logs and in trees, as this bird is doing. Here, his tail is inverted over his body and spread wide. You can see the right lyrate feather is broken off with only a short stub remaining. A new feather will grow the next time the bird moults. The repeated clicking sound is part of the bird’s normal breeding display and may serve as an invitation to females.
Q and A with Mat
You are a 19-year veteran of both the Army and Air Force, the latter part working in explosive ordinance disposal. That sounds more nerve-racking than your current role.
I wanted to give back to society. Defence around the world has put a lot of explosives out there and I wanted to get rid of at least some of them. It didn’t end up agreeing with my body so I thought of another path and that’s what I’m doing now.
I help facilitate school camps and Duke of Edinburgh programs which involve a hike but at times a paddle too or just a paddle program.
It has an emphasis on service, volunteering, learning new skills and sport. It’s an adventurous journey which basically puts the students outside their comfort zone and builds resilience. I get to have fun and run around in the bush as well. For the school camps I run activities including confidence courses, kayaking, canoeing, bushwalking, abseiling, climbing, a bit of archery and an obstacle course.
Mat climbing in his spare time: “I grew up on a dairy farm in New Zealand. Since moving to the Blueys, I’ve developed a strong appreciation of the Australian bush.”
How important is connecting to nature for you?
It’s integral to good mental health. We’ve come a long way from sticks and stones and having to run our prey down but we didn’t evolve to live inside four walls.
I just know that previously dealing with depression and anxiety, if I’m out in nature it really helps. A Sydney Red Gum loves a good hug and it’s super nice when it’s a really hot day and the tree is quite cool. It’s the same if I’m in a kayak, canoe or on a stand-up board; you realise you are very small in the grand scheme of things. While my problems are very real, they don’t particularly matter a whole lot to everything else that’s going on. Being out in nature just gives you a bit of perspective every now and then.
“Some kind of cool caterpillar. He was just down below Martin’s Lookout where there’s a rock climbing crag, Slab World.”
Are students nervous in the bush?
I obviously do a brief on snakes before we start running around. All the usual things like stop and back away slowly. Snakes aren’t by nature aggressive and they’re not going to attack unless you step on them or they feel threatened or cornered. Normally though, they’ll go the other way quite quickly.
You definitely get a lot of squeals with spiders and that’s something we have to drum into students, that a spider is not an emergency. Don’t wake us up if there’s a spider in your tent.
Diamond python: “That was the second one I saw that morning. You respect their space and they won’t enter yours.”
What on earth is that? Mat: “Sawfly larvae. They love gum leaves.”
What do you like most about sharing your bush playground with students?
A lot of kids are book smart but don’t venture outside much. Some haven’t been exposed to the bush at all. At the start of a camp everything seems very unachievable to them. When we’ve gone up a hill, down into a saddle and back up and you’re sitting there looking back at the hill; it’s not particularly high by an adult’s standards but these kids look back in disbelief. And then there’s a little light in their eyes like ‘I just did that. I can do these things’. It’s pretty cool to watch the evolution of the thoughts in their minds and the looks on their faces.
The group I had last week, it was wonderful watching the growth from the first day to the fourth day of camp when they were leaving. I like being able to impart a little bit of love and curiosity about the environment, how to have minimal impact and all the different animals we come across.
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
We’ve had some great news! Santa is coming to the free Community BBQ at the Planetary Health Centre Expo in Katoomba on Saturday 22 November. He’s arriving early to help us celebrate Christmas in a way that’s safer and healthier for us and the planet, and he’s let us know that he’ll be giving everyone who comes a free fire-retardant plant for their garden. We’re so thrilled we’re putting on fun family events for the day: from a fabulous free drumming workshop with Emily from Hands, Heart and Feet, to live music and a pollinator hunt with Amelie Ecology, and workshops to create plastic-free Christmas presents. There’ll also be an opportunity to meet the RFS, NSW Fire & Rescue, Red Cross and other emergency services. Come and learn ways to keep the family safe while also having fun, enjoying a coffee, sampling some plant-based sweets and a free BBQ lunch, and taking home lots of useful information about hazardous materials and preparing for extreme weather events! Register here to attend (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/disaster-risk-awareness-expo-or-full-cycle-2025?
Do you feel overwhelmed about preparing your home for bushfire? Come along to the free Bushfire Retrofit Toolkit Workshop at the Disaster Risk Awareness Expo (and pre-Christmas Family Day) at the Planetary Health Centre in Katoomba on Saturday 22 Nov. Meet the team who developed the Toolkit and learn to use it in a free, 2-hour interactive workshop. You will have the opportunity to work on case study properties in small groups and ask the team questions about your own property. Free afternoon tea provided. Bookings essential here (Disaster Risk Awareness Expo link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/disaster-risk-awareness-expo-or-full-cycle-2025/tickets #beprepared #bushfire #retrofit #disasterriskawareness #planetaryhealth #katoomba #bluemountains #bushfireretrofittoolkit...
When we pulled up some old lino we were shocked to learn at the Katoomba Resource Recovery and Waste Management Facility that it was made of asbestos. There are so many parts of old homes in the Blue Mountains that contain asbestos, so, to help keep everyone safe, we`ve invited Betty the Asbestos Education House to the Planetary Health Centre on Saturday 22nd November as part of our Disaster Risk Awareness Expo and pre-Christmas Family Day. Betty is a purpose built, mobile model home designed to demonstrate where asbestos might be found in and around any Australian home built or renovated before 1990. Her exterior resembles a typical fibro home but when opened up, she has extensive audio and visual information including a bathroom, kitchen, living room, man shed/garage and a dog house. You can learn more and register to attend this free event here (link in profile): www.fullcycleconference.com.au
Yesterday we launched the Upper Mountains Seed Saving and Gardening Group at the Planetary Health Centre. It`s the perfect time to get planting so we shared locally acclimatised seeds for a variety of beans (they don`t cross-pollinate so you can plant as many varieties as you can fit in!), round yellow zucchinis, Japanese pumpkins and Roi de Carouby peas. Seeds are arguably one of the best return on investments you can make in your life. Plant one tiny celery seed and when that plant goes to seed you can harvest thousands to replant and to sprout and add to your salads. We`ll be meeting on the first Saturday of every month as part of Skill Share Saturdays at the Planetary Health Centre. Our next meeting will be Saturday 6 Dec. Register here if you`d like to attend (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/copy-of-upper-mountains-seed-saving-and-gardening-group?
The KTOWN pickers - Katoombans Taking On Waste Now - are clearing litter from local tracks and streets and stopping it from entering our waterways and eventually our water supply. Read more in Katoomba Area Local News (link in profile): https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/ktown-katoombans-taking-on-waste-now/
This Saturday will be the first meeting of the Upper Mountains Seed Saving and Gardening Group at the Planetary Health Centre, starting at 10am. Register your interest here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/3LalNFy
It will be followed by the Planetary Health Bushcare group at 1.30pm. Register your interest here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/49k8PPo
Global poisoning by a tsunami of toxins that are flooding the planet is fast becoming the biggest threat to life on earth. Extreme weather events like fire and flood accelerate this chemical pollution. To address this the Planetary Health Centre`s Full Cycle 2025 conference from 20-22 Nov is bringing together leading experts in managing extreme weather events as well as those who are working on reducing the risk of hazardous materials like asbestos and PFAS. According to keynote speaker Julian Cribb:
"The poisoning of our planet through human chemical emissions is arguably the largest human impact of all upon the Earth. In volume, it is four to five times greater than our climate emissions (which are a part of it), and three times more lethal than the estimated climate death-toll. It is the mega-threat least understood by society, monitored by science or regulated by government. It has mainly occurred over the last 50 years, due to a massive global surge in chemical use and materials extraction.
Scientific assessment has identified more than 350,000 man-made chemicals. The US Department of Health estimates 2000 new chemicals go on the market every year and the Smithsonian says 1000 new compounds are now being synthesised every hour. The UN Environment Program warns about a third of these “are persistent, able to accumulate in humans and animals and are toxic”.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 13.7 million people — one in every four — die each year from diseases caused by “air, water and soil pollution, chemical exposures, climate change and ultraviolet radiation”, caused by human activity.
Human chemical emissions are thus responsible for the largest mass killing in history.
Learn more and register for the conference here (link in profile): www.fullcycleconference.com.au
There will be a free community expo on Saturday 22 November at the Planetary Health Centre in Katoomba.
Conference volunteers receive free registration. Email planetaryhealthevents@bmcc.nsw.gov.au if you’d like to volunteer at this critically important event.
T`ai-chi and Qigong routines can increase mobility and strength, improve immunity and help build an inner calm. To get the greatest health impact you need to practice them on a regular basis, so we`re thrilled to now be offering a 6-week block of classes to take you into summer starting 9am this Saturday 1 November and running until Sat 6 December. Bookings essential here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4qrw4Nx This Saturday, 1 November, the activity is also the first in a full day of Skill Share activities at the Centre that includes Seed Saving and Gardening from 10am, and Planetary Health Bushcare from 1.30pm. You can book in for Bushcare here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/49k8PPo Contact Lis on 0407 437 553 for more information.
Rotarians 4 Planetary Health will be meeting again at the Planetary Health Centre at 6pm on Monday 27 October. Register at this link if you`d like to attend! (link in profile) https://events.humanitix.com/rotarians-4-planetary-health-l7bb4qhr?
Thank you to everyone who popped by for the @ediblegardentrailbluemountains today! It was a great day discussing gardens, ponds, frogs, seeds, composting seats, wicking beds and how to restore the hydrological cycle! Next Saturday will be our Skill Share Saturday. We`ll be kickstarting a 6-week block of Tai Chi & Qigong at 9am, launching our Seed Saving and Gardening Group at 10am and running our monthly Bushcare Group at 1.30pm. You can book in for Tai Chi here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/tai-chi-and-qigong-six-week-block-spring-2025-qaw2ts2v and to Bushcare here (link also in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/planetary-health-bushcare-spring-summer-2025
The Planetary Health Centre is on the Edible Garden Trail today! Last week we launched the Upper Mountains Seed Savers and Gardening Group. Come along to learn more, enjoy a coffee in our garden, and pick up a free Vegetable and Flower Sowing Guide. We`re open from 10am. You can find us at 33-39 Acacia St Katoomba. Tickets for the Edible Garden Trail available here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/blue-mountains-edible-garden-trail-2025
The Planetary Health newsletter is now out. Read about three days of innovation at the upcoming Full Cycle Conference in Nov, the Edible Garden Trail this weekend, and a six week block of Tai Chi and Qigong classes at the Planetary Health Centre (link in profile): https://bit.ly/47jbFBz
Julie Nance is a community storyteller with the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative. In her coverage of the Lower Mountains area, she brings 30 years’ experience in communications, publishing and journalism.
After specialising in health and social issues as a journalist, Julie led creative teams in the government and not-for-profit sectors including the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, YMCA NSW, Cancer Council NSW and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Julie is passionate about empowering people with quality information to help them make informed choices.
Electric vehicles continue to grow in popularity across Australia, but many people are still uncertain about their benefits, feasibility, and availability. To try and help local communities in the Lower Mountains have a better understanding of what EV’s can offer, local sustainability advocates, Parents for Climate are hosting an EV Showcase in Blaxland to help bust the EV myths and provide helpful, up-to-date and accessible information.
