Habitat Brisbane groups - northern suburbs

The Crosby Road Bushcare Group volunteer in a patch of bush at Bartley’s Hill in Ascot and a strip in Hamilton. It has been preserved as a result of its proximity to the reservoir and associated equipment.

The bushcare group was formed in May 2017 and has a working bee on the last weekend of each month, alternating between Saturday and Sunday, starting at 8am. Their work to date has been the gradual removal of weeds and replacement by natives. New volunteers are always welcome.

Contact details
For more information, or to become a volunteer, contact Nick on 0419 724 296 or send an email.

The Bald Hills Bushies started back in 1993, working to restore an old sand and gravel extraction site on the bank of Pine River at Barungwarra Reserve, Bald Hills. The group, in partnership with Council, have transformed the site with bushland plantings. Paths now wind their way through bushland, creating space for recreation and habitat for wildlife. In conjunction with mangroves fringing the river and adjacent wetlands, the site is one of the most diverse habitats for birds in Brisbane.

The group meets at the Barungwarra boat ramp at 7am on the third Saturday of every month to work in the park - weeding, mulching and planting. Work is normally finished by 9am. Group members also meet socially at Ahoy Cafe, Bald Hills Road, Bald Hills on the first Thursday of every month. New volunteers are always welcome.

Contact details
For more information, or to become a volunteer, phone Glen Tuckett on 0439 070 164.

Bushcare volunteers have been working in the Boondall Wetlands Reserve since 2006. This is a natural bushland area that includes the edge of the salt marsh, casuarina, melaleuca, and eucalypt woodlands. This group works by hand weeding to reduce the concentration of weeds to allow the natural regeneration of native vegetation. Native vegetation re-establishes itself quite quickly after weeds have been removed. Over the years the number and size of the weeds in the group's areas have been significantly reduced and regeneration of native species has been and remains an ongoing success story.

Boondall Wetlands Bushcare group meets on Friday mornings from 8-11am and new volunteers are always welcome.

Contact details
For more information, phone Jean on 07 3260 6503 or email the Habitat Brisbane Officer North.

An enthusiastic and talented bunch of local residents who adjoin the Brighton Wetlands came together in 2003 to look after the wetlands, drawing on local expertise to help identify the myriad of wetland plants and animals. The group has identified key areas in each of the three woodlands (Goodenia, Pimelea and Dianella) that make up the Brighton Wetlands. They do selective weeding and replanting. There is also a small tidal creek, Copold Creek, which runs through to Bramble Bay.

The group has impromptu working bees throughout the month and welcomes new volunteers.

Contact details
For more information, or to become a volunteer, contact Jenny Kingdom on 0439 746 905 or Nev Kingdom on 0411 535 240 or send an email.

Help restore a natural reserve while learning about the flora and fauna of the area and the management of the various weed species. Join the friendly and knowledgeable bushcare volunteers at Downfall Creek Bushland Centre, as they set about restoring bushland within Raven St Reserve at West Chermside. In addition to weeding to allow for natural regeneration, they also collect seeds from within the reserve and propagate them in the nursery, for planting, where required.

Raven Street Reserve is part of the Mountains to Mangroves corridor and has a number of distinctly different plant communities that are home to a great diversity of plants and animals.

Contact details
For more information, contact Sandra on 0412 758 640, or send an email.

This group of local residents works on a bushland reserve on Moreton Island behind the beach. The reserve has been invaded by garden escapee weeds including creeping asparagus, fishbone ferns, and umbrella trees. They are removing weeds to stop them from spreading into adjacent wilderness areas and to allow for natural regeneration.

Contact details
For more information, phone Shona Di Clemente on 0403 843 485.

The Ferny Grove Bushcare Group is working with the Keperra Kings - Young Adults with a Disability to restore riparian vegetation to the lower portion of Cedar Creek (a tributary of Kedron Brook). The group is working to rehabilitate the Ferny Grove Bushland along Cedar Creek by removing weeds and replanting with local species.

Join the small group of volunteers from 8.30-11.30am on the third Sunday of each month for bushcare maintenance, weeding and planting. Volunteers work at their own pace and all efforts are appreciated.

Contact details
For more information, contact John Jordaan on 0408 172 309 or send an email.

This group is rehabilitating the upper reaches of Kedron Brook where it runs through Brisbane Forest Park. This section has good natural values but is threatened by the dumping of garden rubbish and the impact of stormwater. The group is working strategically on the removal of weeds where bushland adjoins a residential area, as well as planting to fill gaps in the riparian (or riverbank) vegetation. Volunteer working bees are held on the first and third Thursdays of each month from 8-10am, and 2-4pm on the last Sunday of each month.

Contact details
For more information, email Lyn or Ann Ellerman.

This Kedron Book bushcare group was initiated by Frank Box in 1981. The very first work was carried out at Hickey Park, but with the official opening of Grange Forest Park in 1985, the group moved its operations to the current site. Since then, the group has worked tirelessly to remove rubbish, clear weeds, and plant a wide variety of native plants in order to attract and support local native fauna. In addition, the group has created walking tracks, an area of native grassland, a rainforest area to attract butterflies and hosted a number of work experience students. Some areas of initial planting by the group, have developed into well-established forest over 40 years.

Frank Box moved away from the area some years ago and since that time the leadership of the group has been shared by long-term members - Greg Smith, Greg Church, and David Walters. In recent years, the group has focussed its energies on the eastern end of the park accessed from Blandford Street.  In 2019, the efforts of the group were acknowledged when they won a Council Clean Green Choice Award.

This group meets on the third Sunday of every month from 8.30-11.30am and new volunteers are always welcome.

Contact details
For more information phone Greg Smith on 07 3356 7375 or send an email to David Walters. Alternatively, visit the Greenbrook Association website.

Video
Watch the Celebrating 30 years of Habitat Brisbane: Greenbank Association, Grange video on YouTube with David Walters and Greg Smith.

This local residents' group is rehabilitating a tributary of Kedron Brook that runs through Melrose Park at Kalinga. This site is gradually being restored with plantings of local creek species to provide habitat for wildlife and a quiet place for contemplation.

Contact details
For more information, contact John Lister on 07 3357 2093 or send an email.

This group is working in a remnant patch of bushland along a tributary of Kedron Brook at Kedron. This small area of eucalypt woodland is quite diverse in native grasses, herbs, and shrubs and has a long history of community involvement. The group is working to rehabilitate the woodland and waterway to create and enhance habitat for wildlife including a large number of ground-dwelling birds. Activities they undertake include weeding, planting, seed collection, and plant propagation. New members are very welcome.

Contact details
For more information, phone Rob Lucas on 07 3403 8888 during business hours.

The Kelvin Grove Bushcare Group started up in early 1994 and has been holding regular working bees ever since.

Hundreds of native trees and shrubs have been planted by volunteers over many years which has reduced erosion and encouraged many native animals and birds to return to the built-up area.  It’s now common to hear the whip birds call in this location. 

This group meets at the end of Picot Street at 8-10am on the second Saturday of each month and welcomes new volunteers.

Contact details
For more information, contact Giles Baxter on 0407 842 836 or send an email.

This small dedicated band is passionate about Chermside Hills Reserve, which is home to over 115 bird species as well as bats, gliders, and swamp wallabies. The group is working to restore the shady area of Little Cabbage Tree Creek where it passes through the south-western corner of the reserve.

This group meets regularly on the fourth Saturday of the month and new volunteers are welcome.

Contact details
For more information, or to become a volunteer, contact Patricia Geue on 0404 869 554 or send an email.

The group is working along the Cabbage Tree Creek corridor below Bunyaville State Forest. The riparian (or riverbank) zone in this section is rich in native species but under serious threat from the cat's claw creeper. The group is working in partnership with Council to control this high priority environmental weed and is progressively removing weeds and undertaking some planting to assist the natural regeneration along the creek line. Working bees are held every Tuesday from 8.30-11.30am.

Contact details
For more information, or to become a volunteer, contact Lesley Watson on 0447 342 282 or send an email.

This group is working on the northern bank of Kedron Brook in Carew Street Park and Toombul Terrace Park, consolidating many years of previous work and returning the site to useful native habitat for all to enjoy. This group is particularly interested in the protection of remnant Weeping Lilly Pilly (Waterhousea floribunda) and black bean (Castanospermum australe). This volunteer group meets on the third Saturday of every month from 7-9am.

Contact details
For more information, contact Amie Wimberley on 0418 183 730 or send an email.

This group is working to restore a melaleuca wetland remnant surrounding the historic cemetery at Nundah. The area has been heavily impacted in the past by clearing and weed invasion. The group is undertaking buffer planting around the perimeter of the remnant in addition to strategic weed control within the wetland.

Contact details
For more information email Peter Weir.

Dowse Lagoon is a Ramsar wetland of international significance, particularly notable for having a very high bird count in a very small and accessible area. The group currently manages the southern perimeter of the lagoon and is looking for new volunteers to join. The group meets weekly on Wednesday 6.30-8am and irregularly on weekends.

Contact details
For more information, or to become a volunteer, contact Frank Box 0421 488 622 or send an email.

This project is located in Curlew Park at Sandgate and seeks to conserve and promote habitat for small birds, particularly blue wrens, currently living in an inaccessible section of the park, by gradually replacing weeds with suitable native species.

In partnership with Council, the project has been responsible for the construction of a Swallow House - a unique shelter in which Welcome Swallows, Tree Martins and Fairy Martins can build their nests, with future provision for microbats. This project is visible from the railway line and provides an ideal opportunity to raise awareness about the value of small birds and microbats as an integral part of our urban environment.

This group meets regularly on the second Sunday of the month, 7-10.30am.

Contact details
For more information, or to become a volunteer, contact Frank Box on 0421 488 622 or send an email.

Teneriffe Bushcare works on a bush patch that has a view across the Brisbane River. This patch is the most inner-city bushland remnant and contains both eucalypt forest and rainforest communities. The bushcare group has been working here for over 30 years and has restored bushland from what was a completely weed-infested area. The bushland is on Teneriffe Drive at Teneriffe.

This volunteer group usually meets on the last Sunday of each month (January-November) from 8-10am.

Contact details
For more information, contact Ken Taniguchi via email.

Northey Street City Farm is a three-hectare permaculture community garden on the banks of Enoggera Creek in Windsor. The creek area is being regenerated by volunteers of the Walan Bushcare Group with native species, including bush foods and cabinet timbers. The rest of the farm includes an organic market garden and kitchen garden, fruit orchards, chicken runs, a nursery, a weekend farmers' market and a cafe.

The farm hosts a number of annual events as well as a range of permaculture and horticulture training courses and visits by school groups.

This group meets the second Tuesday of the month, 3-5pm, and welcomes new volunteers.

Contact details
For more information, or to become a volunteer, contact Richard on 0411 871 953 or send an email.