February 13, 2022
By: Michael Fox
Join Clean Up Australia 2022 – Mount Gravatt Mountain
Summer has been a great season for flora and fauna with ten new species identified just in January. However, the season has also been a boon for weeds so we need your help to Clean Up our Koala habitat of weeds as well as rubbish.
Date: Sunday March 6th 2022
Start time: 7:30am
Meet at: Mt Gravatt Summit carpark – near Lovewell Café
January 18, 2021
By: Michael Fox
Join CleanUp Australia 2021 – Mt Gravatt Summit
Our annual Clean Up is growing attracting more community groups like our Griffith Mates partners and a total of 76 volunteers in 2020.
Our Clean Up teams have reduced rubbish from 55 bags in 2011 to 10 bags in 2019.
Date: Sunday March 7th 2021
Start time: 7:30am
Meet at: Mt Gravatt Summit carpark – near Love Well Project
Please join our Clean Up teams picking up rubbish or removing removing weeds.
October 8, 2020
By: Michael Fox
Yesterday Laurie Deacon, my Co-president and I were honoured to welcome our state Environment Minster Hon. Leeanne Enoch to Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve. Minister Enoch was accompanied by our local MPs Corinne McMillan and Joe Kelly. We were also joined by Wayne Cameron, Bulimba Creek Catchment Co-ordinating Committee (B4C), Rob Janson and Greg Neill representing N4C and Coorparoo Finger Gullies Bushcare, and Greg Wellard, Mackenzie Bushcare.
First stop on our tour is the butterfly speed dating site: look for the butterfly sign near the Summit Track entry. Some butterfly species practice “hilltopping behaviour” where males gather on in locations like the amphitheatre like space with the protection of trees along the edge for safety, all with the objective of attracting a female.
Our visitors were particularly interested in the Koala Phascolarctos cinereus population in the Reserve. One of our Koala Drinker team, Jake Slinger, spotted a Koala watching from the trees right where we were standing.
Our visitors were very impressed with restoration at the 2017 National Tree Day planting site.
I particularly complemented our political representatives on the impact of the Containers for Change initiative which has caused a very positive problem. When I look back at past CleanUp’s for comparison:
The reduction in rubbish meant our 2020 CleanUp not only had our largest team of volunteers but also our largest Weeding Team. A very positive problem!
March 4, 2018
Cub Scout Lincon
By: Michael Fox
Heather Woods and her family, again hosted our annual Clean Up Australia event.
Twenty-nine community members, including Cr Krista Adams and Corrine McMillan MP collected seventeen bags of rubbish: drink bottles, McDonalds’ bags and car parts.
Heather organised us into three teams:
Guide Eliose on the job
Road Team collecting rubbish from Mt Gravatt Outlook Drive; and
A Griffith Mates team joined the Weeding Team clearing a large area of Creeping Lantana Lantana montevidensis as well as weed grasses along the road verge.
I was able to show the Weeding Team members the natural regeneration of native plants where the Creeping Lantana was removed as part of National Tree Day.
Bell Flower vine is a delicate scrambler spreading in the cleared area.
Winter Apple Eremophila debilis
Winter Apple Eremophila debilis is a herb with a small mauve flower and cute little apple like fruit.
A great morning working with inspiring people and a lot of rubbish taken to the dump.
February 16, 2018
By: Michael Fox
Green Carpenter Bee
Clean Up and restoration work is making an impact with wildlife like this female Green Carpenter Bee Xylocopa (Lestis) aeratus returning to the restored habitat. Video shows the female chewing a nest hollow into an Acacia.
Date: March 4th 2018
Start time: 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM
Meet at: Mt Gravatt Summit carpark – near Love Well Project
Please join our Clean Up teams picking up rubbish or removing Creeping Lantana
October 31, 2017
By: Michael Fox
I have been honoured to accept the 2017 Cleaner Suburbs – Catchment Champions Award in recognition of our work within Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve.
In receiving the award I reflect the efforts of dozens of enthusiastic happy volunteers including Marshal and Liz who work with me on Tuesday mornings.
Our Griffith Mates partners join us for regular Fox Gully Bushcare events bringing international students to experience the Australian bush and contribute to our restoration work.
The Mates willingly join in everything from weeding to moving logs.
Heather Woods organised Clean Up Australia welcoming a wide range families to join us cleaning up Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve.
One hundred and fifty community members worked hard and shared smiles at our National Tree Day event.
Member, Alan Moore runs our annual Photography Workshop and prepares our calendar, combining community education and fundraising for equipment.
The Brisbane City Council Habitat Brisbane team provide training, contract support, tools, plants and other resources.
Non-profit social enterprise Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee (B4C) provide vital support auspiceing grant applications, accounting and seed funding to launch our Polliantor Link project.
Thank you to all our supporters and a special thanks to Heather Woods who nominated me for this award.
March 6, 2017
Bush Monsters raring to go!
By: Michael Fox
Heather (Woods) and the Bush Monsters again led the charge for our 2017 Clean Up Australia.
Thirty four participants, including a babe in arms: it is good to see them starting young, and other family groups were broken into three teams:
Carl, Jean and future bush lover
Joe Kelly MP Member for Greenslopes and Matt Campbell joined the Summit Team cleaning up the picnic area.
Thanks to the work of Brisbane City Council maintenance crews the picnic area is generally tidy these days. However, Clean Up Co-ordinator Heather focused the Team on detailed job of collecting pieces of broken glass. It is important to keep the picnic area safe for kids to run barefoot in the park.
Dolcin Family on Summit Team
I think the Road Team needed a third type of rubbish bag specially branded as McDonalds Rubbish. While the Reserve is much cleaner these days throwing fast food packaging from cars still seems to be a popular sport and the vast majority of drink cups and packets have the famous golden arches brand.
Family fun on Road Team
I have rarely seen so many happy faces picking up rubbish … must be something to do with being out in the fresh and the trees.
Amber and Barb more fun on Road Team
Weed Buster Allegra
I led the Weed Team on the attack to clear invasive Mother-of-Millions Bryophyllum tubiflorum* and Asparagus Fern Asparagus aethiopicus*.
Mother-of-Millions commonly spreads into our bushland when people dump garden waste and being a succulent this weed can survive and spread rapidly in our dry Australian conditions.
The De Guzman family returned to represent Viridian Energy and specialised as Mother-of-Millions Weed Busters.
Jenny and Karen Asparagus Fern Busting
Jenny and Karen specialised in removing Asparagus Fern which has spread into the Reserve by fruit eating birds visiting local gardens then flying into the bushland. The Cyclone Two-pronged Hoe is an ideal tool for getting under crown of the weed and pulling it up roots and all.
Weed Team – (l-r) Allegra, Hennessy, Sandy, Jeamie, Karen, Jenny and Noel
Final count for the event teams was twenty-one bags of rubbish and weeds. Congratulations and thank you for all the hard work!
See you at National Tree Day 30 July.
March 6, 2016
By: Michael Fox
Clean Up team sign-in
7am Sunday morning!
Site coordinator Heather Woods explained that an early start would avoid the heat and leave volunteers free for the rest of the day. After the team briefing, Heather deployed different groups:
Team work produces results
The Kokoda Youth Foundation supports young Australians, inspiring them to do extraordinary things. We challenge their deeply held beliefs, allowing them to explore their limits and abilities, and provide them with opportunities for personal growth.It was an inspiration to meet and work with these young people.
Cr Adams with Kokoda Lantana Weed Busters
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Cr Krista Adams joined the Lantana Weed Busters learning more about our Bushcare work as well as taking the opportunity to meet some of Australia’s future leaders.
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Lord Mayor Quirk with Clean Up team members
I had to opportunity to talk with Lord Mayor Graham Quirk as we cleaned up around the 2 Millionth Tree Planting at the Summit. I complemented the Lord Mayor on the Council support for our Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve. Now that Council officers lock the gate at night and clear up around the picnic area we have much less rubbish. Even the broken glass we were picking up seemed to be from older thin glass stubbies or older style beer bottles.
We also discussed the Pollinator Link project. I was proud to explain to the Lord Mayor of Brisbane that we now have our first first Certified Pollinator Link Garden in Sandgate and regular articles appear in Living in the Shires published by Harcouts Graceville. Now we just need to get our Council Parks meeting the Pollinator Link criteria with water for wildlife and nest-boxes.
Clean Up success
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Clean Up success. Thirty volunteers scoured the Reserve and even with half working as Lantana Weed Busters there was still a huge pile of rubbish collected. Even a microwave dumped at Federation Lookout.
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Clean Up team sign-in
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However, I think the prize need to go to the Girl Power team who collected so much rubbish beside the road they had to return for extra bags and still struggled back to the Summit with two more full bags of rubbish.
March 8, 2012
Mt Gravatt Summit 
Twenty five volunteers, including a team from Queensland Institute of Business Technology (QIBT) and Cr Krista Adams, joined co-ordinator Kersite Olsson at Mt Gravatt Summit for Clean Up Australia last Sunday.
The team filled 11 recycle bags and 10 general waste bags, as well as, collecting a tyre, chair, metal, etc.
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Mt Gravatt Girl Guides – Showground
Nine volunteers joined co-ordinator Lizi Drysdale at the Guide Hut to Clean Up Mt Gravatt Showgrounds.
We are partnering with the Girl Guides this year to launch the first Pollinator Link between Mt Gravatt Reserve and Bulimba Creek with a pollinator garden around the Guide Hut.
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Roly Chapman Reserve
Brett Simpson led another team for Clean Up Australia in Roly Chapman Bushland Reserve.
It is inspiring to be able to join with other community groups to Clean Up our community.
July 14, 2011
At a recent Westpac Mt Gravatt luncheon to recognize
local volunteers, Branch Manager Paul Dennett presented Nancy Hodge with a ‘Community Champion’ certificate for her work with Mt Gravatt Environment Group.
Nancy has propagated hundreds of local native seedlings which she has then assisted us to plant. She is a regular volunteer at group working bees and our annual Clean Up Australia Day event.
Congratulations Nancy, on your award!
Report Koala sightings
Sheamus O'Connor - Young Citizen of the Year 2012
Environmental Protection Award - Brisbane's Spotless Suburbs
Mount Gravatt Environment Group 