As April arrives, check out Monarto Safari Park’s brand new visitor centre, get into the garden festival or experience the latest art exhibitions.

Words Elisabeth Marie

Green thumbs

The South Australian Autumn Garden Festival will be returning to the Clare Showgrounds on Sunday, April 3 with more than 80 exhibitors nestled under the eucalyptus trees at the northern end of the grounds. Exhibitors will showcase everything to do with gardening, attracting green thumbs of all ages from across the state. Costa Georgiadis and Sophie Thomson from ABC Gardening Australia will host the 2022 event and guide festival workshops including the Starting Your Patch From Scratch workshop from 10am to 1pm and the Succulent Picture Frame Workshop from 2pm to 4.30pm on Saturday, April 2.

Call of the wild

This April, head down to Monarto Safari Park’s new visitor centre and be transported to the African plains, where you will come face to face with more than 50 species of native and African animals. Stretch your legs and explore the open spaces of Monarto Safari Park and its abundant flora and fauna, with 12 kilometres of walking trails between the new visitor centre and the animal platforms. As a conservation charity, each visit helps fund the work undertaken by Zoos SA’s conservation teams to save animals from extinction through breeding programs and insurance populations.

Take a leap

Get ready to run, roll and bounce from April 1 to 10 at The Big Bounce Australia, the world’s largest bounce house and inflatable theme park. The main component of The Big Bounce Australia features giant slides, climbing towers, obstacle runs, basketball hoops and ball pits sprawled across 1,500 square metres. There is also “The Giant”, a 300-metre inflated obstacle course with more than 50 challenges to tackle before the final giant slide, and “Airspace”, with three ball pits, an 18-metre-high maze, and a five-lane slippery slide. Kids and adults can enjoy the bouncy theme park with both family-friendly and adults-only sessions available.

Untold stories

Currently showing at the Migration Museum, Missing Voices: Untold Stories of Australian Muslims is a platform for Australian Muslims to share their stories in their own words. The exhibition provides first-hand accounts of Australian Muslims collected over 12 months by the Islamic Museum of Australia, presented through painting, illustration, video, photography and text. Running until Sunday, May 29 Missing Voices: Untold Stories of Australian can be viewed between 10am and 5pm daily.

What makes a home

Currently showing at the State Library of South Australia, Lust for lifestyle: Modern Adelaide Homes 1950-1965 explores the allure of modern living in a changing South Australia. Curated by Dr James Curry, the exhibition features photographs, drawings, plans, newspapers and magazine articles from the State Library’s collection, as well as material from other organisations and private family records to delve into the relationship between the owners and their homes. To gain a deeper understanding of the exhibition and modern living in South Australia at the time, there is a public program of events throughout April and May, including walking and garden tours, and floor talks from designers, gardeners and academics.

Playing polo

The 2022 Vale Polo Classic will be held at the McLaren Football Oval on Saturday, April 2, with a day of competitive sporting fused with the excitement of live thoroughbreds, premium hospitality and fashion. The SA Polo Association will host two 20/20 style games of polo featuring the best national talent. This format of polo is played on a reduced playing field to engage the crowd with increased speed and shorter quarters. Head to general admission for a family-friendly viewing experience, or treat yourself to a private marquee and indulge in the amplified hospitality.

Repurposing refuse

Currently showing at the Santos Museum of Economic Botany in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, Overlay tells an important narrative about the environmental impact of agricultural and land clearing practices. For the exhibition, artist Cara Johnson has repurposed collected agricultural refuse, weeds and debris from environmental regeneration projects to create handmade jewellery and art pieces. Running until Sunday, July 24, Overlay is open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 10am to 4pm.

Feminine touch

Currently showing at the BMGART Gallery is a group show by three female artists: Lindsay Nicholson, Barbara Chalk and Madeleine Collopy. Embrace the artists’ different styles with Lindsay Nicholson’s still life paintings, Barbara Chalk’s pieces on self-reflection and introspection, and Madeleine Collopy’s colourful canvas works. Showing until Saturday, April 16, the exhibition is open Tuesday to Friday from midday to 5pm and between 2pm and 5pm on Saturdays.