BioBlitz@Croom 2026: 5 Free Nature Sessions on 6 and 7 November, Book One Ticket Per Person (Albion Park Rail, Shellharbour, NSW)

BioBlitz@Croom is a free citizen-science event on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November 2026 at John O’Dwyer Oval in Albion Park Rail, with five guided sessions run by Shellharbour City Council’s Environment team. You book one free ticket per person, and each session has its own age limit.

This guide uses the five session pages on Eventbrite, which the Shellharbour City Council BioBlitz 2026 link leads to, checked on 28 October 2026. Times are New South Wales daylight time (AEDT).

What is a BioBlitz?

The organiser describes a BioBlitz as a time when community members, scientists and nature enthusiasts record as many species of plants, animals and fungi as they can in a certain place at a certain time. At Croom the target is the patch of bushland known as Illawarra Lowlands Grassy Woodland, inside Croom Reserve. You do not need science experience: the event page says to bring curiosity and a love of nature.

Records go into iNaturalist, a citizen-science app where you upload photos or audio of wildlife, plants or fungi. The organiser suggests downloading the app and creating a profile before you arrive. The wildlife and night sessions also mention the FrogID app.

What are the five sessions and when are they?

Day	Time	Session	Ages
Fri 6 Nov	9:30am to 11:30am	Croom Blooms: native plant ID	Adults and young people 16+
Fri 6 Nov	7:30pm to 9pm	Guided spotlight walk	Adults and families with children 10+
Sat 7 Nov	8am to 9:30am	Bushland Birds	Adults and families with children 8+
Sat 7 Nov	10am to 12pm	Wildlife Watch	Adults and families with children 8+
Sat 7 Nov	7:30pm to 9pm	Guided spotlight walk	Adults and families with children 10+

All five are listed as free. Each session page says to book one ticket for each person attending, and the pages describe participants as needing a reasonable level of fitness and the ability to walk on uneven ground.

What happens in the plant session?

Croom Blooms runs on Friday morning with plant enthusiasts from Growing Illawarra Natives, Carl’s Rainforest Experiences and Wild Urban Moss. The page names guides Emma Rooksby and Carl Glaister, and biologist and moss expert Alison Haynes, who will talk about moss and lichens. The aim is to count as many plant species as possible in a small section of Croom Reserve. It is the only session with a 16+ age limit, because of its survey style. The Eventbrite page also carries a generic “under 16 with parent or legal guardian” tag that does not match the 16+ wording, so ask the organiser if you want to bring someone younger.

What will we see on the Saturday birds walk?

Bushland Birds is a guided walk with experts from Illawarra Birders and the federal environment department (DCCEEW), plus Council’s Environment team. The page says to look for robins, pardalotes and Tawny Frogmouths and to record as many bird species as possible. The organiser suggests bringing binoculars if you have them.

What is Wildlife Watch?

This Saturday 10am session records the animals seen in the woodland and uploads them to the citizen-science apps. The page lists Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs, Blue Banded Bees and Jacky Dragons as examples of the wildlife of Croom Reserve. Carl Glaister is named as one of the guides. Bring a phone with iNaturalist and FrogID installed, and binoculars or a magnifying glass if you have them.

What are the spotlight walks like?

Ecologists from the University of Wollongong, including Katarina Mikac, lead the evening walks through Croom Reserve, looking and listening for nocturnal wildlife such as Sugar Gliders, frogs and Tawny Frogmouths. The page says that past spotlight walks have turned up Sugar Gliders, an Eastern Long-necked Turtle and Tawny Frogmouths. The organiser asks you to wear closed shoes, long pants and clothing for being outside at night, and to bring a small torch for walking, although torches for spotlighting will be provided.

The walks are for ages 10 and over. The organiser says the age limit is because they involve walking at night near creeks and looking for noise-sensitive animals.

Which session suits my family?

The age limits on the session pages decide most of it. A family with a child aged 8 or 9 can book the Saturday birds walk or Wildlife Watch, but not the spotlight walks, which start at 10. A teenager aged 16 or over can join the Friday plant session on their own booking, while younger children cannot. The two spotlight walks are the same activity on two nights, so pick the evening that suits you. Because each person needs their own ticket, book every adult and child in your group separately on the session page.

The day sessions are daylight walks on uneven ground, and the night walks are in the dark near creeks, so the organiser asks for a reasonable level of fitness at every session. If you have mobility needs, use the Contact button on the collection page before you book, because the pages do not describe the paths.

Where do I park and what is on site?

All five session pages say you can park in the car parking area at John O’Dwyer Oval, and four of them (not the Friday spotlight walk) tag it as free parking. The public toilets at the oval will be open, and there is a refillable drinking fountain next to the amenities block. The venue address on every session page is John O’Dwyer Oval, Croome Road, Albion Park Rail NSW 2527. We did not find a public transport route in the organiser’s information, so check the Transport for NSW trip planner if you are not driving.

What should I wear and bring?

• Closed shoes, long pants and clothing for the weather (in the sun for the day sessions, at night for the spotlight walks)
• A mobile phone with iNaturalist installed, and FrogID for the wildlife and night sessions
• Binoculars for the bird session, and binoculars or a magnifying glass for the plant and wildlife sessions, if you have them
• A small torch for the night walks

Who runs it?

The sessions are organised by Shellharbour City Council’s Environment team as part of the Sustainable Shellharbour education program, and the Council lists them under Sustainable Shellharbour on Eventbrite. The session pages do not give a phone number, so use the Contact button on the BioBlitz@Croom 2026 collection page. The page does not say what happens in wet weather, so check your booking email and the collection page before you leave home.

Sources

• Shellharbour City Council — BioBlitz 2026 (What’s On)
• Sustainable Shellharbour — BioBlitz@Croom 2026 collection (five session pages: times, ages, parking, what to bring)

Featured image: a tawny frogmouth at Oatley, NSW (photo: JJ Harrison / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added). A species photo, not taken at Croom.

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Shellharbour City Council or Sustainable Shellharbour. Event details can change; check the organiser’s page before you go.