Not everyone’s first foray into film earns them a line that becomes a cultural phenomenon, but the iconic "You're terrible Muriel" has stamped Gabby Millgate into the Australian national consciousness. From the bright lights of showbiz (including roles in Muriel's Wedding, writing and starring in TV sketch comedy on Full Frontal, and performing stand-up) to the quiet wisdom of the outback, Gabby's journey has been anything but linear.
Now, Gabby is leveraging her passion, her talent for improvisation, and her ability to advocate, into a new role: passionate Nature Pedagogy Leader at Woden Valley Early Learning Centre (ELC) and sustainability advocate, and she wants all educators and children to benefit from her knowledge.
In this role, Gabby sees nature play as a way for children to become aware of climate issues and to have a voice in conversations that shape their future.
From Pilbara adventure to nature pedagogy
Gabby’s love for the living world was forged while working in media. After a career in film and television, a job in radio called her to the outback of the Pilbara in Western Australia, where she worked as a breakfast presenter for the ABC.
It was a chance meeting with a listener who was living off the grid outside of phone range and Port Hedland that sparked a new interest and taught her some important lessons. "It was there in a dry, hot, hostile environment that I learned how to raise chickens and grow vegetables," she explains.
This outback knowledge was soon tested back in the city, where another career change saw her train as an early childhood educator at the age of 42.
Aware of the beneifts of outdoor education, Gabby remembers feeling frustrated at first: “Access to outdoors was limited and learning was primarily indoors. We only had ‘outdoor rooms’ that simulated some outdoor style experiences.”
To find her footing, Gabby applied her outback learnings to a neighbouring space. "In the afternoons and on the weekends, I got to work in my neighbour, Eileen’s garden. Eileen had a yard that was inhospitable for her grandchildren and within a year we transformed it into an explorative garden for children to pick and eat and discover."
The nature revolution at Woden Valley ELC
Jump forward several years later and Gabby continues to share her love of nature and sustainability, now with the children and families at Woden Valley ELC. Her prior experience and capacity to transform an ECEC environment with the children as partners is precisely why she was recruited by the parent executive committee in 2017.
As Gabby recounts, the decision was strategic and powerful: “The parents basically said, ‘best practice is access to nature and deliberate programming of nature... Our money is going back into the service, so let’s invest in one person to manage the spaces and connect with the rooms and the leadership there and support them.’”
In turn, Gabby was given 'carte blanche' to transform the spaces, together with the children.
Gabby’s role as Nature Pedagogy Leader is multifaceted, designed to supervise the outdoor space and embed a new philosophy across the entire service. Her focus is not on being a fountain of knowledge, but a partner in exploration. “You don't have to know everything. I never do ‘chalk and talk’,” Gabby says. “You are learning with the children and what they're capable of. You're learning what they're interested in, and together, you’re just giving it a go.”
Unpacking nature pedagogy: A philosophy of connection
Nature pedagogy is far more than a set of outdoor activities. It is a profound philosophical shift that redefines the relationship between children, educators, and the environment.
Gabby defines it succinctly: “Nature pedagogy is caring for the land, the animals and the people with the children. It’s about rights and responsibilities.”
It is a relational philosophy that nurtures a worldview where citizens see themselves as “part of, not separate from”, the living systems that sustain us all. The great thing about the approach, Gabby suggests, is its accessibility: “You begin by learning alongside the children, setting up intentional natural zones that encourage touch, movement, creativity, and stewardship.”
At its heart, this approach returns to ancient wisdom. As Gabby notes, “Basically, we’re going back to Aboriginal ways of knowing and being, which is the world as a relationship, not just for resource.”
Practical implementation: The elements of nature pedagogy in action
For directors and educators looking to implement nature pedagogy, Gabby breaks the approach down into its fundamental elements: Earth, Water, Fire, and Wood—each one offering practical, accessible activities that build ecological literacy.
1. The element of earth: Dignity, discovery, and belonging
The element of Earth, or the dirt, is the foundation of nature pedagogy. This is about more than a sandpit; it’s about giving children the agency to shape their world.
Putting it into practice:
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Intentional digging zones: Create areas where children can move soil with their own hands. A simple mix of clay and sand, or even bringing in compost, provides powerful sensory and motor benefits. “I’ve seen children as young as 18-months old work a shovel and a wheelbarrow. They are absolutely capable when we give them the chance,” Gabby notes.
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Collaborative planting: Plant simple, fast-growing seeds like alfalfa or a cheap bag of chook feed (wheat, millet, corn). With the children, mark out paths, watch the tiny crops grow, and then turn them back into the soil for green compost.
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Edible gardens: Plant resilient, edible plants like alfalfa, whose roots go deep. This creates transitional, living classrooms where children can see the whole cycle from seed to soil. When they pick the edible leaves and add them to their lunch, it is, in Gabby’s words, “a beautiful act of respectful caregiving... That’s the heart of Nature Pedagogy. It’s not just dirt; it’s dignity, discovery, and belonging.”
2. The element of water: Respect, responsibility, and wonder
Nature pedagogy transforms water play from a managed mess into a relationship to nurture. It encourages children to explore water in all its dimensions: how it moves, how it feels, and how it connects us to life.
Putting it into practice:
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The power of slow pedagogy: Plan for respectful transitions. “It’s about setting up the way your room runs... So, for example, if you’re doing water play, what mechanisms do you have set up for respectful transitioning from being wet to being changed?” asks Gabby. Planning for enough gumboots and towels shows children their comfort and play matters.
3. The element of fire: Safety, story, and regulation
Introducing fire, safely and intentionally; builds respect, understanding, and confidence. It is a powerful cultural, communal, and neurological experience.
Putting it into practice:
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Neurological benefits: Gabby highlights the science: gazing into a fire “lowers stress hormones like cortisol, raises endorphins, and engages the parts of the brain responsible for mood, memory, and social connection.” When children sit quietly, they are not just learning safety; they are regulating their nervous systems.
4. The element of wood: Agency, imagination, and physics
Wood and stick-play provides a wealth of learning opportunities, engaging a child's motor system, spatial thinking, and imagination.
Putting it into practice:
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Loose parts and intentional materials: Provide a range of safe, natural wood: logs for balance, stumps for sitting, long branches for lifting, and unpainted pallet wood for cubby building.
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Risk and responsibility: When children use sticks, facilitate a discussion on rights and responsibilities, as Gabby describes: "The only time we really sit them down is when we’re discussing rights and responsibilities. So, looking after the land, the animals and the people... How do we keep the people safe when we’re doing stick play, for example?”
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Muscle, mind, and imagination: Encourage children to collect and break sticks, experimenting with leverage and pressure. This hands-on experience is a lesson in physics that refines their bodies and builds their self-regulation.
The bigger picture: Fostering citizens of the world
Gabby’s work is a testament to the idea that early childhood education is the most crucial place to instil ecological literacy. The small, daily acts of planting seeds or caring for the earth are building blocks for future climate action.
Her message to her peers is clear: focus your attention where it matters most. “If each generation is involved in projects that change the environment—bringing in dirt, creating garden beds, planting plants, all of those things—then each generation is actually benefiting and building on the previous.”
"Now the EYLF has approved providers and educators attending to all aspects of the environment. It’s a lot to accomplish with meaning and coherence without a Natural Pedagogy Leader.”
By embracing nature pedagogy, ECEC services aren’t just offering a better curriculum; they are actively preparing children to be “active participants in ecological literacy and climate action, rather than passive spectators.” You don’t need to be an expert to start; you just need the willingness to learn, to care, and to let the land, the animals, and the children lead the way.
Further reading:
Woden Valley ELC: Celebrating 10 Years of Nature Pedagogy at WVELC: A Home, Not an Institution
WIN News: She's best known as Muriel's sister, and now comedian Gabby Millgate has found a new purpose in life
Gabby’s book: The Book Book Book: Chickens in early childhood settings