Meet our Team

Melinda is the Founder of Eco Explorers Australia and has a passion for connecting families and children to nature. She is a trained Forest School Leader (FSI 2017)and also trained in Nature Pedagogy with Claire Warden (2016). Melinda has over 20 years of experience working in community services with CALD families, women, foster care families and with children with disabilities and addition needs. Before having children, Melinda worked and travelled in Cameroon, Africa caring for orphaned chimpanzees and gorillas.

She also founded Australia’s first environmentally friendly toy store and has a deep passion for supporting child's play and child-led learning. With a passion for sustainability, she has been an advocate for children’s nature play and has been providing toys for early childhood centres and educators for over 10 years. Melinda is on the Australian Forest School Association committee board and is currently studying to be certified as a Playwork practitioner.

Adam is also the founder of Eco Explorers, and a Forest School Leader (FSI 2018) who has been delivering bush programs to families for over seven years. With skills in bushcraft and knowledge of bush foods learned from Aboriginal Elders, Adam wants to pass on these skills to the next generation.

He spent his childhood living and camping in the bush; climbing mountains, exploring rivers, learning to fish, track, make fires and to simply… just ‘be’ at one in nature. He has a background in Outdoor Education and enjoys camping, bushcraft, rock climbing, and meditation.

Adam now hopes to share his childhood experiences with the next generation to inspire a deep connection with nature working as a mentor and positive role model for young boys and men.

Adam runs our Bush Kindy and Forest School programs at Westerfolds Park, Gresswell Forest, and the Dandenong ranges.

Penny is a qualified level 3 Forest School Leader and Primary School Teacher who has extensive experience running bush playgroup and bush kindy programs for Eco Explorers for nearly 7 years. She has a wonderful ability to gently guide and connect with children to enable them to discover, learn and explore their natural environment.

Penny loves spending time outdoors, going on bush walks with her children, doing yoga and gardening. She has great local knowledge of Gresswell Forest which she eagerly shares with her playgroup families. Penny is also a trained children's yoga facilitator and often incorporates mindfulness movement into her programs. She is passionate about connecting children through play to nature, helping them to learn new things through their interactions with it and each other.

Penny works at Newport Lakes Reserve and Brimbank Park.

Kirsti is an Early Childhood Educator who has over 20 years experience working in Kindergartens, Child Care Centres and Primary Schools. She was also a Lecturer at Victoria University (teaching in the Bachelor of Early Childhood/ Primary Education Degree course) and also currently works as a Mentor teacher supervising first-year pre-service teachers for Victoria University.

Kirsti assists with the training of new staff supporting them in their new role as bush playgroup facilitator and as an admin support.

Anne is an early childhood educator with over ten years of experience facilitating playgroups. She lives in the Dandenong ranges with her husband and three children and has worked extensively as a private nanny for many hills families.

With a strong belief in gentle parenting and attachment theory, Anne believes that it takes a village to raise a child, and loves the opportunity to help families connect with others in their area.

Anne has a passion for providing children with open-ended opportunities for play and guiding their natural learning abilities in supported outdoor environments. She believes children are natural artists, adventurers and creators and that they need to connect with nature now more than ever.

Anne runs our Dandenong Ranges bush playgroups.

Trudy is an early childhood educator with 15 years experience working in kindergarten with families and children from diverse backgrounds with diverse needs.

She has also worked in the graphic design industry and welfare and disability sectors.

Trudy is passionate about enhancing children's natural sense of curiosity and wonder about the world they live, in especially in nature. She believes that nature play contributes significantly to positive lifelong outcomes of physical and mental well-being and that when children have opportunities to be in nature they are happier and healthier!

Trudy runs our Newport Lakes and Brimbank Park bush playgroups.

Kirsty is a qualified primary school teacher who has been a dedicated and passionate mother to two kids for the past 6 years. Kirsty is an advocate of child-led, nature-based education for many years, her gentle, empathetic and curious nature is apparent in her facilitating approach.

Growing up on a bush property, instilled a life-long passion for nature and outdoor exploration. It also cemented the idea that Mother Nature is our greatest teacher. She also acknowledges the importance of strong community connection, and takes pleasure in creating a nurturing environment in which both child and parent can be supported and forge new friendships.

Ting is a life-long performer and storyteller who loves working with children and their families. She is passionate about fostering children’s natural curiosity and creativity, and delights in experiencing and learning about nature’s wonders together.

Ting has experience working and volunteering in the not for profit and community sectors, across events, cultural activities, performing arts and media. She has also taught English classes for children in Japan. Ting also started a weekend playgroup to bring together families interested in forming friendships whilst learning about Chinese culture and languages.

Ting's other creative pursuits include writing stories for children for outdoor theatre and picture books. She recharges via dragon boat paddling, roller skating and practising yoga.

Ting runs our Macleod, Burwood and Templestowe bush programs.

Amy has been beach-combing for as long as she's been walking! With a Bachelor of Science (Marine Biology & Zoology) and a Bachelor of Teaching (Primary & Secondary), environmental education is one of her passions. She’s previously worked in education for Bayplay, Gould League, Zoos Victoria, Queenscliff's Marine Discovery Centre, Angelsea's Ecologic and Vancouver Aquarium, and has volunteered extensively with Marine Care Ricketts Point.

A mother of two, she enjoys spending time with her family in nature, snorkelling and cooking. Amy has been a casual relief facilitator with us since early 2017 and particularly loves exploring the rockpools with young families.

Amy runs our beach kindy session at Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary.

Mel has worked in the Early Childhood Industry for over 30 years and is facilitating our City of Whittlesea funded programs, as well as our Warrandyte groups.

Mel enthusiasm for helping families learn about and appreciate nature is evident as she shares her knowledge and passion for environmental responsibility and care of the land.

Mel completed a 10 weeks nature stewards program through the City of Whittlesea in 2022 and also ran our bush school program at Christmas Hills Primary School. She currently runs our school holiday forest school programs

Jess is a qualified secondary school teacher, with an environmental science degree. She has worked with many young people over the years and loves building meaningful relationships with those in her care.

As a young girl, Jess was often found looking for insects, birdwatching, rock pooling and always had a keen desire for exploring the great outdoors. She has a passion for passing on knowledge about our beautiful natural environment to kids and their parents, with a hope to foster a sense of awe, wonder and respect.

She believes that by taking the time to look, listen and feel what’s around us when exploring nature, you can discover many things to spark your imagination. In her spare time, Jess loves to read, bake, and explore the Dandenong Ranges with her husband and two young sons.

Jess runs our Dandenong Ranges and Lysterfield Bush Kids programs.

Shaney is a qualified Early childhood educator committed to fostering a deep connection between young children and the natural world. She has extensive experience in a career dedicated to nurturing curiosity and creativity in young children through the Arts and outdoor learning.

She has passionately led a bush and beach kinder program, nestled in the breathtaking surroundings of Point Nepean Park in Portsea. In addition to her work as an educator, Shaney is an illustrator of picture books and greeting cards.

As a mother of three young adult boys, Shaney understands the importance of fostering a love for nature from an early age.

Shaney runs our school holiday programs in Frankston & on the Mornington Peninsula