video | Mount Gravatt Environment Group

Morning sun over site – A. Moore

By: Michael Fox

A beautiful warm sunny morning greets volunteers arriving to be part of restoration of our special mountain bushland.

Brisbane First Chinese Scouts - 29 July 2018 lr

Sienna welcomes Brisbane First Chinese Scouts

Our 2018 National Tree Day is particularly special as we welcome many individuals and groups who have been part of past events as well as some new groups like Brisbane First Chinese Scouts.

Clarivaux Bushcarers - 11 June 2018 - lr

Clairvaux Bushcarers in action

Preparing for National Tree Day events takes our Fox Gully Bushcare team about twelve months of removing rubbish, weeding and laying out planting site. The BCC Habitat Brisbane supported us with delivery and spreading of mulch, water tank and plants for the event.

Clairvaux MacKillop College students have been working with us this year to prepare the National Tree Day site.

It is very satisfying when 97 community volunteers come together to build on our work by planting 700 grasses, wildflowers, shrubs and vines to create more habitat for small birds.

The weeding team cleared a huge area of Guinea Grass Megathyrsus maximus reducing bushfire risk and allowing natural regeneration of native grasses and vines.

Community groups participating:

ahmadiyya team with Steve Huang - 29 July 2018

Ahmadiyya Team with Cr Steve Huang

The Ahmadiyya team, great supporters of our National Tree Day returning for the fourth year in 2018, shared their positive message of “Love for All, Hatred for None” with Cr Steve Huang.

Australian Ahmadi Muslims supported National Tree Day in many sites around Australia sharing their contribution in a special video including an interview with me.

Grill’d Corporate Team

A new group this year was the Grill’d team from their Garden City restaurant.

Having fun in the bush: planting, weeding or eating there were smiles everywhere.

Thank you to:

Fox Gully Bushcare team members: Jack, Carl, Benno and Liz
Our BCC Habitat Brisbane team Anna and Jodi: who organised the plants, mulch and hole digging.
Alan Moore Photographer

Brett with Koala Mum in background (top right)

We know that Koalas are breeding on Mt Gravatt. We are getting regular reports of sightings from all around the mountain and I have even woken to find a young male climbing onto the deck at night. However, today, our Rover Street Bushcare co-ordinator, Brett Dugdale, shared something I have never seen before: a mother and joey together.

In Mt Gravatt we live only ten kilometres from Brisbane CBD and we have Koalas in our “backyard”. As a community we are stewards of a truly unique piece of Australian bush habitat.

I am honoured to know Brett. He is not only passionate about protecting and restoring the mountain habitat; he also brings a wealth of practical restoration experience gained working with Bulimba Creek Catchment Co-ordinating Committee (B4C).

Brett notes that the Brisbane City Council fox eradication program – seven foxes have been removed from Mt Gravatt Reserve in the last twelve months – is having a positive effect on the mountain wildlife. However, as Koala numbers increase, conflict with domestic pets will become an increasing problem: a young Koalawas attacked by a dog in a local backyard last week. That lucky Koala was OK after being checked out by RSPCA vets and returned to the mountain.

Please keep your dogs on-leash when walking in the Reserve and of course carry bags for dog droppings. Koalas tend to avoid areas where they can smell dog droppings so if we want to encourage Koalas we need to clean up after our dogs.

If you find any injured wildlife in the Brisbane area you can call the BCC Wildlife Ambulance – BCC Call Centre 3403 8888.