10/10/2026
Waikerie Wetlands parkrun report 10/10/26
Many thanks to our visitor Jenni who wrote our report today 😄.
This weekend I visited Waikerie Wetlands as a volunteer tourist. If you take the trip to this beautiful Riverland town you will find a very welcoming group of community spirited people. With the caravan park just next door, there were tourists from around SA, with the other runners, walkers and volis being locals - a total of 32 runners and walkers. Along with Parkrun, local community enjoy being part of Rotrary, Footy, Hockey, Netball, and Cricket Clubs, the Waikerie Community Choir, and a local band.
There was no lack of conversation amongst the group displaying the true friendships shared by the regulars. Former event Director Penny had been there from day 1 with friend Sandy, who today achieved her 25 run milestone. David picked up his 25 volunteering milestone as Marshal, with another participant hitting the 50 run mark. Well done to these people! A lovely clear welcome and nnouncements were provided by Run Director Sara.
3 furry friends joined in the fun, one of them being
Frankie the "sausage something" dog, which often wears a jacket, "Bark Runner"! Penny, this week's volunteer Park Walker, regularly takes other people's dogs for a walk at Parkrun, who for various reasons may not be able to do so themselves.
I was interested to hear that the former parkrun Ambassador for Waikerie Wetlands, Anne Fry, was the former Event Director for my local Adelaide event, Anstey Hill. You're only ever a few steps away from someone connected to another person you know!
I'm always keen to hear a bit about the history of a Parkrun as a tourist. This event began on January 18 2025 and those involved in the set up said they had no problem getting a core group of volunteers to get the event started. It is well supported by the local paper, which advertises Parkrun events such as birthdays and tutu runs. For the 1st birthday Rotary got involved and supplied breakfast for all in attendance. The Waikerie Wetlands have been in place for a few years and as well as being the perfect site to launch a Parkrun, they serve other purposes in the community, including a home for wildlife. The wetlands are positioned next to a levy running alongside the caravan park, which was built to protect the town against flood. Storm water collects and filters through the wetland ponds ending up in large tanks with the water being used to keep the footy oval and and other community areas green.
To finish, final thanks must be given to an enthusiastic group of volunteers this morning including Cindy as Time Keeper, Wendy on Finish Tokens, I had fun Barcode Scanning, Naomi and Heather completed the group of 3 Marshals, First Timers were well informed about the tricky track by Tania, Andrew was Tail Walker, and Course Check was completed by Kerryn.
