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Barossa Council Update
SEPTEMBER, 2025
Hidden talent creates hiss-tory
There’s a snake in the grass at Barossa Bushgardens, and it’s not your common slithery Aussie brown either, although they’re sure to be sharing the environment as the weather warms up.
No, this snake is of Jurassic proportions and is receiving much “adder-ation”, thanks to The Barossa Council arborists who unleashed their artistic talents on a “hiss-tory” making addition to the Nuriootpa site.
Shaun Atkins, Team Member Arboriculture, said it was a fun yet daunting project for crew members, who were initially tasked with carving a snake head into a large wooden stepping-stone to form the beginning of a children’s trail through the Bushgardens.
“None of us had done anything like this before, ever,” Shaun explained.
But when the crew was called to Flaxman Valley to inspect a tree that had failed and needed removal, a familiar shape in one of the fallen limbs sparked a reptilian revelation.
“It was almost a perfect ‘slither’ shape,” Shaun said of the Rough Barked Manna (Eucalyptus viminalis) seen lying dormant in the grass.
Transportation of the long branch to Council’s Operation Depot at Tanunda proved an issue.
“It was a careful process, but so worth it,” added Shaun.
“Once the timber had landed, we got to work. With just chainsaws, an angle grinder and a wild imagination, we ended up with a far better result than expected.”
A face appeared and scales soon followed before the more than seven metre long snaky resident was successfully delivered to its new digs in the Barossa Bushgardens.
The entire arboriculture team which helped bring it to life, was thrilled to see it released into the wild.
Such is the rarity of this reptile species, the jury is still out as to whether it’s a Timberconda, Splitting Cobra, Green Tree Snake or perhaps just a simple Wood-bellied Brown.
“Throughout the process, our running joke was, it’s a pretty good-looking worm!” laughed Shaun.
“This project has really sparked something and we’re all hoping to continue exploring this hidden talent. Not a bad result for a first try.”
Did you know?
There are nearly 240 different plant species growing within the 13-hectare grounds of the Barossa Bushgardens, located on the outskirts of Nuriootpa.
During the last financial year, 2,742 native plants were donated to local schools, community organisations and rateplayers, while the onsite nursery produced 47,294 plants from seed and 7,560 from cuttings.
Nearly 80 community groups used the Barossa Bushgardens’ Natural Resource Centre during that same period, and 174 events were either hosted or delivered, including tours and workshops.
As the giant 400-year-old River Red Gum continued its vigil, 46 volunteers contributed a combined total of more than 11,100 hours towards the propagation of nearly 200 different plant species and keeping the grounds looking beautiful.
And finally, 10,400 people enjoyed visiting Barossa Bushgardens in 2024/2025. So, if you weren’t one of them, isn’t it time you discovered this hidden gem?
