Visitors enjoy parks – Above: East Timorese man Jong and Afghani Farhat bonded during the excursion. 57684

By Russell Bennett
MORE than 100 new Australians celebrated their new native flora and fauna at a special event at Grants Picnic Area in Kallista last week.
Immigrants from Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor, Somalia and a host of other countries witnessed the Dandenong Ranges for the very first time.
The huge group of Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES) clients, community guides and volunteers boarded two coach buses from central Melbourne and headed for the hills for a walking tour of Sherbrooke Forest led by Parks Victoria rangers. Most of the touring group settled in Australia less than three years ago – some as recently as six months ago.
Many of them left the suburbs and metropolitan area for the first time.
Karen, a 23-year-old Iraqi, was glowing from his forest experience.
“The hills are nice, very nice,” he said.
“It’s such a beautiful, natural place.”
Karen couldn’t pinpoint his favourite part of his trip, saying: “The whole thing has been my favourite part. “The people here are wonderful. They’re just so warm and nice.”
Marwan, also from Iraq, was scratched by the cockatoos at Grants Picnic Area but said he did not mind. “Everything I’ve seen today has been fantastic,” he said. “Including the birds.”
Twenty-three-year-old Somalian man Monireh was also mesmerised by the native hills fauna.
“The animals here are very interesting,” he said.
“I’ve never seen anything like them.
“This whole experience has been great for if we come back to the hills on another trip.”
The AMES trip to the hills – including the coach rides – was funded by Parks Victoria through its Healthy Parks, Healthy People grants program.
It reaches out to new arrivals and overcomes barriers in accessing parks and bushland.
AMES guide and event organiser Joseph Youhana came to Australia from Iraq four years ago.
He said the most important part of the excursion was “giving that smile to people to remind them of where they’ve come from and where they are now”.