Mundy Creek
When?
1st Saturday of the month.
4:30 – 6:30 pm (wet season – November to April)
4:00 – 6:00 pm (dry season – May to October)
About
Mundy Creek Natureway extends along the western bank of Mundy Creek in Thindanga / Garbutt, from Dearness Street to John Melton Black Drive, and includes the adjacent ecologically significant grassland, mangroves and saltmarshes. The Mundy Creek Landcare site sits on Council road reserve between the creek and the Mundy Creek pathway, extending from Lockheed Street to the Townsville Recovery Services drain (constructed in 2017).
We also care for the waterway and the adjacent grassland to the best of our ability although these are not part of the landcare site. The most convenient access to the site is from the eastern end of Lockheed Street or from across the footbridge at Harold Phillips Park.
History of this site
Mundy Creek flows past well-used parks and open spaces, but the surrounding natural vegetation was substantially degraded over the past century and remained largely neglected until the Mundy Creek Natureway concept emerged in the 1990s.
Dedicated local leadership enabled revegetation work to begin in earnest in 2012, and CDTLI site sessions started the following year with great support from local volunteers who energetically cleared weeds and litter, and planted successive areas with new native trees.
The success of early planting at Mundy Creek is clearly visible as the earlier planted trees have already matured. These trees now provide valuable refuge and food for many birds and pollinating insects, as well as interest and shade for human recreation.
Despite the project’s excellent progress, management of this site remains challenging in the face of adjacent and upstream building developments and earthworks for flood mitigation. Other challenges include a lack of fire management, vandalism, arson, litter and illegal dumping in the area.
Current work
Our monthly site sessions focus on continuing weed management, rubbish collection, watering, mulching and working to maintain all of the plantings. We work seasonally in the space, conducting fire and drought risk management in the drier months and infill plantings in the wetter months. We promote and encourage information exhange and informal community stewardship of the space – where locals help to keep an eye on things and keep each other informed. In addition to our regular activities we host intermittent special activities to enhance community involvement and connection with the local environment, art and cultural heritage.
