A Shady Stroll Through Native Wonders
We’ve poured effort into reviving the Bush Garden Interpretive Trail in Mundingburra, just upstream from Aplins Weir. This spot offers a cool, shady nature walk—perfect for scanning our new QR codes with your phone to uncover details about native plants.
Edited, updated, proofread – Admin.
Featured Image: TheDinosaurMan08, CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons
Sagittaria first appeared in the Ross River in 2012. A containment program now targets this highly invasive aquatic weed to eradicate it before it spreads across the region. It chokes shallow waterways—including irrigation channels—blocking water flow, fish movement, and recreation. Farmers in the Murray-Darling Basin spend over $2 million annually to control Sagittaria and restore irrigation channels, highlighting its immense economic toll.
Water hyacinth, a floating weed, forms dense mats atop water bodies. It boasts light purple flowers and round, dark green leaves. Originally introduced from Brazil as an ornamental pond plant, this weed now restricts wildlife migration, depletes oxygen levels, and hampers recreation with its thick cover.
Cabomba grows fully underwater—except for its flowers—in slow-moving or still water, creating a thick canopy below the surface. Its stems stretch up to 10 meters long, posing risks to swimmers who may tangle in them.
Water lettuce, a floating weed, features spongy, fan-shaped leaves. It forms dense mats that shade out other plants. It reproduces via seeds or runners that spawn daughter plants. With a rapid growth rate, water lettuce spreads quickly under favorable conditions, covering entire water bodies. Water movement, natural or via boats and gear, typically spreads its seeds.
Hymenachne, a grass with long, wide leaf blades, thrives in shallow water or along riverbanks, reaching up to 2.5 meters high. It forms dense stands that boost flood risk by slowing drainage channels. These stands also limit animal migration and shrink available habitat.
Salvinia, a free-floating, spongy weed, flourishes in slow-moving, nutrient-rich, warm water bodies. It removes habitat, shades the water column, and cuts oxygen levels, degrading water quality. Its small, folded leaves sport tiny hairs, and its roots dangle freely. Without flowers, salvinia spreads solely through live material carried between water bodies.
Guest post by Carolyn Osterhaus.
Edited, updated, proofread – Admin.
Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.
Birdlife Townsville folks tipped me off about the Wongaloo wetlands. I learned, to my dismay, that tours offer the only access. Luckily, National Landcare Week in September featured a bus trip to this very spot.
The Wongaloo visit followed a walk through Mundingburra’s Bush Garden, where nursery manager Christine Dalliston dazzled us with her vast plant knowledge. Folks lingered, reluctant to board a bus that arrived late after a no-show scare. The day wrapped up at Morratt’s Pit, a site Lower Burdekin Landcare Association has revitalized.
Many locals, even those nearby, miss out on Wongaloo. The bus driver raved about his first visit, awed by thousands of birds thriving on water in a dry region. He claimed it outshone Town Common, calling that an “airport” by comparison.
Wongaloo Regional Park neighbors the Bowling Green Bay Ramsar site. The Wetlands and Grasslands Foundation—a nonprofit, public charity—teams up with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to manage it. A grant funds weed removal—lantana, pink bauhinia, candle bush—across the 50-hectare site. Fences stretch several kilometers to manage cattle and curb weeds.
Wongaloo hosts Australia’s largest recorded brolga gathering: around 12,000. Brolgas and magpie geese breed here, drawn by bulkurru (Eleocharis dulcis), or Chinese water chestnut. This plant forms thick beds in the wet season, then retreats to tubers as waters dry. Birds nest in the wet, then dig for tubers in the dry. Waterbirds and seasonal fish also rely on this habitat—freshwater fish spawn here during wet-season stream surges.
Three water sources feed the site. Runoff flows from the Mt Elliott Range. A massive sand ridge, built over millennia by the Burdekin River, traps rainwater and releases it slowly into the swamps. Occasional Haughton River floods add more.
Cattle graze to control weeds, monitored closely. Fences shield lakes, keeping cattle from damaging shorelines. Feral pigs pose a challenge. Conservation Volunteers tackled weeds in the past. Christine stressed, “Managing salt intrusions to restore the freshwater wetland matters most to me.”
At Morratt’s Pit in Ayr, green tree guards signal big restoration efforts. Lower Burdekin Landcare Association planted over 2,500 trees in the first half of 2017.
A sausage sizzle capped the day. Vegetarian sausages promised flavor but delivered dirt with a sage twist. Next time, I’ll join the birds and sample water chestnuts.
Image by David Clode from Pixabay
Edited, updated, proofread by Admin.
CDTLI celebrated National Bird Week (23–29 October 2017) with a birdwatching walk through the Bush Garden, guided by Michael McMaster from BirdLife Townsville.
Seventeen volunteers, including Cub Scouts and parents from Pimlico-Mundingburra, Loam Island, and Bluewater Scout troops, joined the fun.
The Bush Garden’s tranquil paths were ideal for listening to birds. Volunteer Sue sparked excitement by sharing a discarded honeyeater nest, its sturdy weave amazing kids and adults alike. We explored a recently installed owl box, now home to possums. These boxes offer vital habitat for hollow-dwelling birds, replacing scarce old trees in Townsville’s urban areas.
Kids loved spotting jacanas, marveling through binoculars at their long toes that let them walk on lily pads. The day’s highlight came at Aplin’s Weir: a family of tawny frogmouths—two adults and two juveniles—perched on a branch. Nearby, we found their nest in a paperbark tree overhanging the river.
Thank you to Michael McMaster, BirdLife Townsville, and all our volunteers for celebrating our wildlife. We hope you’ll join us in the bush again soon.