Colac Street Bushcare Group

Introduction

The Colac Street Revegetation Group formed out of an interest in restoring a section of a tributary of Kedron Brook near Colac Street, Kedron. The area was a weed-infested eyesore to be transformed into a condition suitable for use by wildlife and local residents. 

Our work aims to improve aesthetic, wildlife, and water quality values, as well as providing a starting point for a natural area corridor along the creek.

In late 1999, Brisbane City Council was approached for advice and assistance with regards to restoring the creek. Jenny Leask (Habitat Brisbane Officer – North) was impressed with our enthusiasm and she made arrangements so that we could do a trial planting. 

We were successful in our application for funding and assistance from the Habitat Brisbane Program and since then, we have continued to carry out restoration work along the creek.

Site history

Originally, the site was mostly weed infested with very few native plants and was of little value for wildlife.  

Since we started our restoration efforts, the aesthetics of the site have been improved greatly with the planting of a variety of eucalypt woodland trees, shrubs, grasses and vines. 

We have noticed birds, lizards and invertebrates utilising the habitat provided by our plantings. We hope that this positive trend of increased usage by wildlife will continue as the current plantings mature and provide habitat for a greater range of wildlife.

Site issues/difficulties

Steep slope

The site is a section of the creek with steep banks, which present difficulties for restoration work. For safety reasons, only adults undertook planting on the steep sections. Buckets were used to carry mulch to plants on the slope. 

Heavy weed infestation

The site is heavily weed infested with about 30 different species of weed. This presents difficulties, as the site is not capable of undergoing natural regeneration, as there is no remnant native vegetation on site or nearby from which regeneration can occur.

To overcome this problem a variety of weed control methods have been used at Colac Street and native plants are used to help suppress and replace the introduced species.

Weeds observed on site

  Contact Details

Gary Sands (Group Leader):

            Phone: (07) 3359 5297