News from Cittaslow Goolwa, South Australia – December 2025

The South Coast Chamber Orchestra plays Christmas songs at our fortnightly Produce and Artisans Market

As 2025 draws to a close, the festive season offers Cittaslow Goolwa an opportunity to reflect on a year of meaningful achievements and strong community engagement.

Over recent years, members of our Environment Group have propagated and planted more than 13,000 native trees across the region, making a tangible contribution to biodiversity, landscape restoration, and climate resilience. In parallel, Cittaslow Goolwa has secured a 20-year lease from the South Australian Department for Education for a site adjacent to the local Primary School and Pre-school Children’s Centre. This important milestone will allow the creation of a new Community Garden, developed in collaboration with educators, parents, and children. The garden will focus on hands-on learning around growing, harvesting, and preparing fresh fruit and vegetables, fostering early awareness of healthy food and sustainable practices.

Like many parts of the world, Australia has faced significant challenges in 2025, including floods, bushfires, and, more recently, shocking acts of violence such as the events in Bondi, New South Wales. Closer to home, our community has been affected by an algal bloom impacting the coastline and local marine ecosystems. These events serve as a reminder of the fragility of our natural environment, our shared vulnerability to climate change and global instability, and the collective responsibility to care for both the planet and one another.

Some of our youngest members with the Cittaslow Goolwa Pageant float

In response, Cittaslow Goolwa continues to support local charities providing Christmas hampers to residents and families in need, while also strengthening social cohesion through free community entertainment events and participation in the Goolwa Pageant with our Cittaslow float. Together, these initiatives reflect the values of solidarity, sustainability, and community that remain at the heart of the Cittaslow movement.