Sustainable Living Festival 2025
Sat 22 November | 9am-2pm | Ferodale Oval, Medowie
Update January 2026 ~ Festival evaluation summary
Our evaluation summary
undertaken with UoN
for the Sustainable Living Festival 2025
demonstrated learnings, enjoyment, improvements and more …
Update December 2025 ~ Around the festival
Our Sustainable Living Festival 2025
a partnership between
EcoNetwork Port Stephens &
HomeGrown Markets,
was a spectacular day.
A wonderful family-friendly day event
for all ages to enjoy!
Enjoy some snippets from our exciting community day
EcoNetwork collaborated with Homegrown Markets to deliver the 2025 Sustainable Living Festival. It was fantastic to work in partnership with Homegrown Markets to bring this special event to Medowie.
Fortunately, the rain held off in Medowie and people of all ages were able to enjoy an engaging and entertaining event. We estimate around 1500 people attended based on giving out over 350 activity passports, over 100 stalls and a steady stream of attendees visiting over the course of the day.
Our opening
We appreciated Uncle Neville Lilly welcoming us to Worimi Country and MP Kate Washington for officially opening the event.
Our sponsors
The event could not have happened without generous support from our sponsors, Port Stephens Council, Hunter Water and News of the Area.
Thank you to Port Stephens Council, our major event sponsor
And thank you also to our support sponsors, Hunter Water and News of the Area.
Special thanks also to our EcoNetwork affiliates that had a stall and the volunteers that contributed on the day.
The preliminary feedback has been very positive with children appreciating the participatory activities and hands on opportunities to learn and have fun.
We would also like to thank the businesses and organisations that donated fantastic prizes to support participation: Oakvale Wildlife Park, Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters, Moonshadow TQC Cruises, Imagine Cruises Port Stephens, Boomerang Bags Raymond Terrace, Port Stephens Koala Hospital, The Dirt Company, Dog House Grill, Kathy MacMillian and Spiral Spuds. The winning families came from Millers Forest, Nelson Bay, Medowie, Raymond Terrace, Abermain, Catherine Hill Bay, One Mile, Heddon Greta, Mount Hutton and Dunns Creek.
In the Waste to Art Competition the schools that won the art supplies, Boomerang Bags and vouchers from the Readers Retreat Bookshop were Birralee Children’s Place Long Daycare and Hamilton Childcare Centre.
We look forward to sharing highlights, photos and the evaluation report in the coming weeks.
Diverse program and a magnificent range of stalls
Our 2025 eco program boasted a diversity of workshops, demonstrations, hands-on activities, enviro initiatives, talks, performances and and live tunes too! Local-made stalls and delicious street food, kids zone, prizes to win and a magnificent market place of gourmet foods, pre-loved stalls and more. Just a glimpse at the amazing layout with over 100 stalls demonstrates its immensity. We are growing!
Preliminary feedback
Our preliminary feedback from the children’s passport demonstrated the breadth of what children and their families learnt and enjoyed from the day,
Children & their families LEARNINGS
from the day
What children & their families
ENJOYED on the day
An initial analysis of the LOCATIONS from where attendees came was revealing. Not only did we have a great representation locally in Medowie and from Port Stephens LGA, we were also attracting people from the neighbouring areas.
We will share our more detailed festival report, undertaken in conjunction with the University of Newcastle, when available.
EcoNetwork stall and our Children’s Activity Passport
EcoNetwork was busy handing out passports and general enviro information all day and encouraging memberships.
We valued the EcoNetwork members and affiliates who helped staff our stall.
Families enthusiastically returned their passport feedback forms, keen to win one of the fantastic passport prizes.
Thank you to our passport sponsors ~ you make the difference
Some of our sustainable stalls, workshops & approaches
Visitors used the great opportunity to meet with Port Stephens Council officers on a broad range of topics.
Hunter Water’s wheel and their 3D catchment model intrigued festival-goers of all ages.
Renew Hunter involved children in their sustainability miniature house ~ amazing the range of features it demonstrated. Coupled with Ewa’s chat, children were entranced.
Renew also demonstrated an electric car for a hands on feel and chat from users rather than sale yards!
Resourceful Living intrigued all with the diverse opportunities for plastic recycling into a variety of fantastic products.
Port Stephens Koala Hospital volunteers entreated many interested visitors about their fantastic work caring for Koalas. PSKH is also a kind sponsor for the Activities Passport competition.
Hunter Region Botanic Gardens chatted to many guests revealing their plant knowledge and the opportunities and programs on offer. And selling plants too!
Families searched for bugs, birds & backyard critters at the Landcare: Mambo, Soldiers Point and Salamander Bay display and so much more!
Sea Shelter is dedicated to carrying out ocean conservation in the Hunter Region. providing opportunities to educating
Thankyou Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters for your generous donation to the Festival by participating in the Kid’s Activity Passport.
OCCI: Ocean and Coastal Care Initiative brings interest and education to its onlookers
ORRCA ~ Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia, primarily focus is the rescue, research, conservation, protection and welfare of Whales, Dolphins, Seals and Dugongs which enthralled many festival-goers.
Around the festival
WONSO: Wonders of Nature’s Solar Ovens demonstration fired up when a little sun peaked through the clouds cooking the chick peas.
Festival-goers enjoyed making wildlife homes in just 15 mins with the help of the Port Stephens Community Woodworkers, with many thanks to Port Stephens Packaging who kindly sponsored great discounts on all bee and insect hotels, bird boxes for Tree creepers and Eastern rosellas, to possum boxes.
Jenni Goodman Books, Children’s Author / Illustrator, captivated many families with her fascinating book readings.
Everyday is an opportunity to make a difference. With over 200 voluntary landcare groups in the Hunter, many families found opportunities at the Hunter Regional Landcare Network stall.
A sustainable approach encouraged
Clear information about what to do, and at the entrance a mug library!
Kids zone ~ embracing simplicity and nature
Crafts, games, and an array of hands on activities, from tie dying reusable shopping bags and seed planting, to face painting and family games. These are in addition to the activities at many o four sustainable tents too! Our next generation are our decision-makers, and building a solid foundation is critical. each point of difference is a step in the right direction.
“Waste to Art”
New and exciting in our 2025 festival, we made a fantastic start involving community and schools ~ we’re hoping for even more participation next festival.
Thank you to our prize sponsors
Our Marketplace ~ 2025 we shopped locally and more sustainably
HomeGrown curated a beautiful market so you could shop locally-made, for thoughtful gifts, just in time for Christmas. Here’s just a tiny sampler! And of course there were food vans, encouraged to use minimal packaging.
Thank you again to our Festival sponsors
We very much appreciate our 2025 sponsors who make our festival possible.
THANK YOU so much
Port Stephens Council our major 2025 sponsor
Hunter Water our event supporter
Port Stephens News of the Area our most recent festival sponsor.
See our Sponsorship Prospectus 2025.
And a THANKYOU to our 2025 Activities Passport prize sponsors,
with great prizes for families to enjoy.
Oak Vale Farm | Imagine Cruises | Moonshadow Cruises | Port Stephens Koala Hospital | Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters |
Major sponsor
Event supporter
Event supporter
EcoNetwork was delighted to have partnered again with Homegrown Markets in 2025, for their expertise in managing stalls and bringing together a magnificent market place, building further on our combined and successful 2024 Sustainable Living Festival, and EcoNetwork’s inaugural 2022 Sustainable Futures Festival.