In the Wet Tropics bioregion of far north Queensland, I have propagated seedlings of native rainforest and coastal trees at my own property at Trinity Beach near Cairns. I have donated the plants to nature conservation projects at sites where the tree species are most suited, including a revegetation programme on Thomatis Creek.
This estuary, a distributary of the Barron River, is naturally becoming larger and the banks are migrating laterally. To halt the erosion process on privately-owned land, a Landcare organisation (Terrain NRM) instigated tree-planting to stabilise the riverbank. A local community organisation was then given charge of the project and I have provided technical advice as well as many hours controlling voracious competing grass and other weeds.
Working bees have seen enthusiastic volunteers of many ages planting additional seedlings beside Thomatis Creek. It’s been a joy to work alongside the community, sharing knowledge and seeing the transformation as native trees take root and help restore this important coastal ecosystem.