Dee Why Lagoon Filter Lab

Dee Why Lagoon is one of the best places in the collection to explain ecosystem services, the jobs nature does for free. Wetlands can slow stormwater, trap sediment, store carbon, provide habitat and reduce the rush of water heading straight to the sea. That means a lagoon is not just scenic. It is working constantly.

For children, the clearest lesson is that messy-looking places can be important. Mud, reeds and shallow water may not look dramatic, but they are busy with filtering, feeding and sheltering life. Parents can invite kids to imagine what would happen if rainwater rushed directly off roads into the ocean without wetlands to slow and sort it first.