About me…

I work in nature connection across multiple fields. A Ranger for the Department for Environment & Water, I’m currently stationed at the Adelaide Botanical Gardens, guiding visitors and helping to protect our incredible botanical heritage. This role complements my own creative projects. My background in horticulture goes back a long way.

Early in my career I studied a vocational certificate in horticulture and worked in wholesale plant production and sales. I shifted gears in my 20’s and spent 10 years as a patrol officer and senior constable for SAPOL. It was a time of huge personal growth and insight to human struggles and strengths.

Eventually my love of nature took me back to gardens and I attained a diploma of garden design, spending several years designing gardens for my own clients, and for landscape contractors.

The lure of learning and adventure drove me on to study degrees in evolutionary biology and ecology from 2012 to 2018. My honours thesis explored how marine snails can adapt to acidified oceans in a changing climate. In 2019 I received a PhD research scholarship and took a deep dive into human-nature connection.

While in academia, I collaborated on research into many aspects of nature connection in the modern world — from eco-anxiety, to health benefits, to the cultural value of environmental restoration. In 2024 I finished my doctoral thesis — a case study of Adelaide — illustrating how decision makers can influence human-nature connection as they shape the urban landscape.

My drive for creative expression has gotten stronger in recent years. Now I combine my knowledge and skills to bring people closer to nature in as many creative ways as I can.

I am building a portfolio of artwork that celebrates nature through vivid animal portraits. I began exhibiting in SALA 2025 and 2026. My YouTube channel ‘Celeste in Oz’ is another way I combine nature education with sharing fun, outdoor activities to inspire others. As you brows my content, I wish you happiness and inspiration!