Indigenous gin; underground farming; Champagne fizzics; and sea cucumber cravings secure Groote Eylandt's future
National Science Week
Great National Science Week FOOD stories up for grabs now around Australia
- Indigenous female-led distillery make gin from native botanicals – Townsville, QLD
- Lab-grown meat guru explores “biomanufacturing” – Sydney, NSW
- Balloon veggies persuade kids to eat healthy - Canberra, Condor, Denman Prospect & Holt, ACT
- A farm under Sydney’s CBD
- A seafood future for Groote Eylandt after mining - Alyangula, NT
- Gourmet mushrooms, grown in an abandoned railway tunnel – Mount Rumney, TAS
- Experimenting with beer – Hobart, TAS
- The best champagne glass and other science surprises in a bottle of bubbly - Melbourne, VIC
- Why won’t your beer hold its head? – Winnellie, NT
More on these below and visit ScienceWeek.net.au/events to find more stories in your area.
Scientists, experts, performers and event organisers are available for interview throughout National Science Week.
Read on for direct contact details for each event, or contact Tanya Ha, [email protected] or 0404 083 863.
Visit the Media Centre for all media releases and images available for media use.
Gin from bushtucker: distilling Indigenous botanicals and science – Townsville, QLD
Native lemongrass distilled into gin tastes like roses for some people and lemon for others, depending on their genes.
Proud Wiradjuri woman and gin distiller Clair Ryder blends Traditional Knowledge with modern science and innovative distilling, using ingredients that are ethically sourced with the blessing of Traditional Landowners.
Clair can talk about the chemistry behind native aromatics, the ecological significance of key species, and the cultural knowledge that has shaped their use for thousands of years.
She is presenting ‘Bush Alchemy’, a 90‑minute guided experience hosted by On Country Craft Distillery, the only distillery owned and operated entirely by First Nations women in Australia.
This session blends scientific insight with tasting raw bushtucker ingredients. Participants then experience how those same botanicals evolve when infused into spirits and incorporated into food.
Saturday 22 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/bush-alchemy-exploring-indigenous-botanicals-and-bushtucker-in-spirits/douglas/
Media enquiries: Clair Ryder, [email protected] or 0478 599 035.
From lab-grown meat to life-saving medicine – Sydney, NSW
Could the technology built to grow cultivated meat also make the medicines of the future? Biotechnology entrepreneur George Peppou – founder of cultivated-meat company Vow – will trace the path from food innovation to advanced therapeutics.
Peppou will draw on his industry experience to explain how techniques developed for food production could transform the manufacture of life-saving drugs, and why NSW is positioned to lead the next generation of advanced biomanufacturing.
The talk is part of the Science & Research Breakfast Seminar Series run by the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer.
Wednesday 12 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/world-leading-biomanufacturing-from-production-of-meat-to-biologic-drugs/sydney
Media enquiries: Bruce Ritchie, [email protected] or 0429 412 426.
Balloon veggies persuade kids to eat healthy - Canberra, ACT
Move over balloon animals, these balloon fruits and veggies are getting kids eating healthy (note: please don’t eat balloons). Former reality tv star, molecular biologist and official balloon scientist Dr Chloe Lim has partnered with the University of Canberra and Nutrition Australia to create Foodie Fun Play! This hands-on adventure lets curious little eaters explore nutrition through storytelling, science and sensory experiences. Perfect for kids aged 3-8.
Chloe founded edutainment venture, Twistyfic, and made the finals of Channel 7's TV show, Blow Up.
Media enquiries: Dr Chloe Lim, [email protected], 0401 118 648
Dr Chloe Lim is available for media interviews. Photos available for media use here.
A farm under Sydney’s CBD
Sydney’s CBD has a secret underground indoor farm, right next to Darling Harbour.
Urban Green Sydney will open the doors to its hidden hydroponic farm in Barangaroo. Set in an underground carpark, it demonstrates how cities can strengthen food security by growing food in small or underused spaces through innovation, smart design, and simple growing systems.
Owner and founder Noah Verin can talk about the use of growing mediums like coconut coir instead of soil, transforming what would otherwise be a waste product, like coconut husk, into a valuable resource for growing plants. It’s a simple example of circular farming in action, where waste is reduced and materials are reused in smarter ways.
Visitors will explore how plants grow, how modern food systems work and how simple hydroponic methods can be used at home. And they can taste a range of the most popular greens.
Schools, offices, community groups and other organisations can also take part in a nationwide microgreens growing experiment by ordering and using Seed to STEM Grow Kits.
Underground farm tours: Monday 17 August to Friday 21 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/under-the-pavement-farming-solutions-to-the-future-of-food/barangaroo
Sydney CBD pop-up: Wednesday 19 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/seed-to-stem-urban-farm-pop-up/sydney-cbd
Media enquiries: Rebecka Walter, [email protected] or 0421 241 456. Images for media.
Urban Green Sydney owner Noah Verin and client chefs are available for media interviews. Noah is a former chef and studied environmental science while at university.
A live hydroponic Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) system will be on display, giving people the chance to see how water, nutrients, and lighting work together to support healthy plant growth in compact urban setups.
A seafood future for Groote Eylandt after mining - Alyangula, NT
Groote Eylandt is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Its economy relies heavily on manganese mining… which is ending. How do you create a secure future for an island in the middle of nowhere?
Marine biology, Anindilyakwa culture and aquaculture are coming together through an aquaculture enterprise to create jobs and protect the ocean. It’s a project of the Groote Holdings Aboriginal Corporation and the Anindilyakwa community.
Sea cucumber (“trepang” in Anindilyakwa language) is the core product sold to the lucrative Chinese market where it is a culinary delicacy and is used in Chinese medicine. Dried sea cucumber is lightweight, high-value and non-perishable: important for a product that has to be shipped via a 5-day barge ride to Darwin and then exported.
The enterprise puts an ecosystem to work to raise sea cucumbers in a way that cares for Sea Country. Droppings from seaweed-eating rabbitfish provide food for sea cucumbers. The rabbitfish also remove the seaweed scum that blocks the sunlight sea cucumbers need and provide a locally grown food source for the 2,100 people who live across the archipelago. Blacklip oysters help clean the system to the extent that the effluent water from the facility is cleaner than the water that enters it.
The enterprise now produces oysters, fish for local consumption, and edible, as well as sea cucumber.
Students from local Alyangula, Angurugu and Umbakumba schools will visit the Groote Aqua facility for four days of hands-on marine science, aquaculture, microscopes, water testing and community activities exploring how science and Indigenous knowledge can build a sustainable blue economy on Groote Eylandt.
On the fourth day, the site will open to the wider community, giving everyone the chance to experience marine science in action and see the enterprise that will support lives and livelihoods after mining.
Saturday 29 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/from-knowledge-to-independence-science-for-grootes-blue-future/alyangula
Media enquiries: Valentin Thepot, Groote Aqua Aboriginal Corporation aquaculture manager, [email protected] or 0460 012 284.
Val and aquaculture team members and Indigenous GHAC board members are available for media interviews.
Gourmet mushrooms, grown in an abandoned railway tunnel – Mount Rumney, TAS
An abandoned Tasmanian railway tunnel is now a thriving hub for growing gourmet mushrooms on a commercial scale. Tunnel Hill Mushrooms founder Dean Smith and Tim Murch from West Tamar Fungi walk visitors through the process, which starts in a lab and finishes underground.
Participants learn to harvest and prepare mushrooms, mix their own straw mushroom logs to grow fresh mushrooms at home, and sample the results – grilled up on a one-of-a-kind Train BBQ. Part of the Beaker Street Festival.
Saturday 8 August and Saturday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/mushroom-workshop-at-tunnel-hill-2/mount-rumney
Media enquiries: Matt Fraser, [email protected] or 0401 326 007.
Dean Smith is available for media interviews.
Experimenting with beer – Hobart, TAS
1 recipe. 4 beers.
Four Tasmanian brewers serve up an identical recipe for beer, resulting in vastly different sensory traits.
ExBEERimental Science showcases how small variations in brewing techniques impact our experience of downing a cold one.
Hear about the science and taste the difference with beer-loving scientists Kelsey Picard and Matthew Fielding.
Audience members can join the live event in Hobart at Shambles Brewery.
Friday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/exbeerimental-science-3/north-hobart/
More information about www.beerablescience.com.
Media enquiries: Matthew Fielding, [email protected] or 0417 167 618.
The best champagne glass and other science surprises in a bottle of bubbly - Melbourne, VIC
From the best shape for a champagne glass to the physics of fizz, there’s a lot of surprising science packed into a lovely bottle of bubbly (and a few misleading myths).
Emma Donnelly is available to explore the science of Champagne, uncorking history, science, and the secret to a perfect pour. Emma studied Champagne through the University of Champagne-Ardenne in France before founding Culinary Science to combine her love of flavour, psychology and sensory science.
Tuesday 25 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/champagne-science-bubbles-myths-and-magic/melbourne
Media enquiries: Emma Donnelly, [email protected] or 0408 955 234.
Emma Donnelly is available for media interviews.
Why won’t your beer hold its head? – Winnellie, NT
Making or breaking the perfect beer head is all about physics and chemistry. Don’t Lose Your Head is a lively, interactive presentation revealing what makes – or destroys – the perfect head, and why it matters.
Hosted by the Darwin and NT Homebrewers, the session uses live demonstrations to break down the roles of ingredients, cleanliness and technique, with the audience helping investigate why foam forms and why it vanishes too soon.
Saturday 22 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/dont-lose-your-head-science-of-beer-foam/winnellie
Media enquiries: Matt Elvey, Darwin and NT Homebrewers, [email protected].
National Science Week: background
National Science Week is Australia’s annual opportunity to meet scientists, discuss hot topics, do science and celebrate its contribution to our lives. Science drives economic and social change – from safe and nutritious food to reducing cancer deaths; from smart phones to AI; from under Antarctica’s ice floes to distant planets.
First held in 1997, National Science Week has become one of Australia’s largest festivals. Last year about 3 million people participated in more than 2,500 registered events and activities.
National Science Week 2026 runs from Saturday 15 to Sunday 23 August. Event details can be found at www.scienceweek.net.au.
National Science Week is proudly supported by the Australian Government, alongside key partners Questacon, CSIRO, the Australian Science Teachers Association, and ABC Science.
