PURCHASE OF LOT 18 DALEY CLOSE, KIMBERLEY IN THE DAINTREE LOWLAND RAINFOREST

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Action: Purchase and protection of Lot 18 Daley Close (Lot 18 RP 740684)

Area: 0.9588 hectares

Location: Kimberley, Daintree Lowland Rainforest, Queensland

Vegetation type: Lowland Tropical Rainforest

Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary, Noah's Walnut

Here is a fundraising update for the 22nd of October 2021

Target to purchase and protect this property: $143,820

Amount raised: $120,281

Remaining target: $23,539

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 18 Daley Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Saving Daintree’s Lot 18 from development.

On learning that Lot 18 Daley Close at Kimberley was for sale, we acted quickly and started negotiations to purchase this property and protect it from development. One week later we had a contract of sale and had paid a deposit. Now we must raise the funds to purchase this important rainforest property as the settlement on the purchase is scheduled for the 15th of November.

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 18 Daley Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Lot 18 Daley Close at Kimberly shares a boundary with the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area. Undeveloped freehold properties in the Daintree should not be left in the ownership of people who would destroy the rainforest. Development for housing fragments the rainforest and has negative on impacts the surrounding rainforest.

The rainforest on this freehold property is of equal value to the adjoining Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area and must be protected. 

Lot 18 Daley Close at Kimberly in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is a freehold property in private ownership and can be developed for housing subject to approval from the Douglas Shire Council.

The development of other properties at Kimberley has caused significant damage. Clearing of vegetation and the creation of roads to the top of the ridges obtain views causes enormous damage.  

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 18 Daley Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

View from Lot 18 Daley Close in the Daintree Rainforest

The vegetation on Lot 18 Daley Close is intact with no evidence of past clearing This property provides habitat suitable for the endangered Southern Cassowary and the rare Bennett’s Tree-kangaroo has been seen nearby. See the photos of the rainforest on Lot 18 Daley Close here. 

Fifteen years ago, the Douglas Shire Council created a new town plan that included measures to conserve the Daintree Lowland Rainforest, however, they excluded the subdivision at Kimberley and the freehold properties at this location remain at risk of being developed for housing.

Please, help us to remove the threat of development hanging over Lot 18 Daley Close. We’ve acted quickly to pay a deposit on Lot 18 and now we need your help.

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 18 Daley Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Rainforest on Lot 18 Daley Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest

Due to COVID-19 development in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is escalating. The tropical rainforest is being cleared for housing development. In response, we have purchased sixteen properties for conservation in the last two years. 

A subdivision was carved into the Daintree Lowland Rainforest in 1982. This created Lot 18 Daley Road and dozens of rural residential lots in Kimberley. The houses that have been built here fragment the rainforest and occupation brings domestic dogs and exotic plants. This has damaged one of the most significant areas of tropical rainforests in Australia.

Together, we can ensure this development won’t go any further. All we need to do is buy this freehold property and add protect it in the Daintree National Park estate.

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 18 Daley Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Clearing in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest 

We have exchanged a contract to buy this property so the land can be protected in the Daintree National Park estate. However, we only have until the 15th of November so I absolutely must raise the funds by that date. We have purchased sixteen Daintree Rainforest properties in the past two years, we cannot stop now. If we don't keep up the pace, many more properties will be lost to development. 

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 18 Daley Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

You can donate now online or if you want to donate with a cheque/money order or through a direct deposit please see our Ways to Donate page.

If you have any questions about the purchase and protection of Lot 18 Daley Close, please email me at [email protected] or call Kelvin Davies during business hours at 0437 423 119.

THANK YOU TO HALFCUT

This project to purchase and protect land in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is a partnership involving the Rainforest 4 Foundation, Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation, and fellow non-profit HalfCut.

Thanks to HalfCut and their wonderful supporters. The fundraising success of HalfCut 2021 has enabled us to purchase multiple properties and to pay a deposit on Lot 18 Daley Road at Kimberley in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Jimmy HalfCut 

Background information on the Daintree Lowland Rainforest 

The Daintree Lowland Rainforest is one of the oldest rainforests on Earth having survived undisturbed for over 120 million years. It holds exceptionally high biodiversity and conservation value and is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest remaining in Australia.

Rainforests once covered much of eastern Australia, however, as conditions became drier the rainforest contracted and today the Daintree provides a refuge for many unique species. The Bennett’s Tree-kangaroo, Musky Rat-kangaroo, and the Southern Cassowary can be found here, as well a number of endemic plant species that have retained the same primitive characteristics of their ancestors. The flora of the Daintree contains an almost complete record of the evolution of plant life on Earth, including extremely ancient flowering plant families found nowhere else.

In 1982 the Queensland government approved an 1,137-lot rural residential subdivision in the Daintree. This resulted in two-thirds of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest being excluded from protection in the Daintree National Park and Wet Tropics World Heritage Area that was declared in 1988. The development that followed has resulted in fragmentation of the rainforest with the construction of roads and the building of hundreds of houses. Settlement has introduced exotic plants that have become weeds and domestic dogs and traffic that are a threat to wildlife. Because the land in question is in private ownership, the only option to resolve the issue has been the purchase and protection of additional lands to expand Daintree National Park.

Our vision for the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is to buy back land to remove the threat of further development and to address the impact of past development while supporting the Traditional Owners, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people in caring for country.

While we purchase land at risk of development for housing we also purchase other freehold properties without development approvals to reverse the impacts of the disastrous subdivision by closing and revegetating obsolete roads.

Since 1992 non-profit organisations have purchased seventy-five properties for conservation. 

Threat to Wildlife, Climate People and Planet

Daintree Rainforest is regarded as an iconic national treasure for its unique evolutionary history and tremendous conservation value. A number of rare and endangered species are found within Daintree National Park, including the Southern Cassowary, large flightless birds that in Australia are found only in the wet tropical rainforests of Queensland. Southern Cassowaries consume over 150 different fruits and play a vital role as seed dispersers in the rainforest. Due to the destruction and fragmentation of their rainforest habitats, these large charismatic birds are classified as Vulnerable to extinction.

More than 430 other bird species have also been recorded in Daintree National Park, including rare or range-restricted species like the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher and the Lesser Sooty Owl, making the Daintree a Globally Important Bird Area. Many unique marsupials, reptiles, and amphibians are also found in the Daintree Rainforest including the Bennett’s Tree-kangaroo, Musky Rat-kangaroo, Spotted-tailed Quoll, and Boyd’s Forest Dragon.

A risk to the Daintree comes from development for housing and fragmentation of the rainforest, which jeopardises the integrity of the ecosystem with increased human traffic and the introduction of exotic species. Expanding settlement results in the spread of exotic plants that become weeds and stress to wildlife from human traffic and introduced dogs. Further buyback of land for conservation is required urgently as there are calls for an upgrade to Cape Tribulation Road, to build a bridge over the Daintree River, and to provide a reticulated electricity supply that would all lead to further development.

The purchase of additional properties will prevent further development to these sensitive areas while protecting and restoring critical habitat for wildlife. It will also allow for winding back past development through the closing of roads and the revegetation of land as habitat for Threatened species.

Solution

We have identified this property at Lot 18 Daley Close at Kimberley as a priority acquisition. We are working to purchase and transfer ownership of land to the Daintree National Park. This will strengthen protection for the Daintree Lowland Rainforest, help reverse the negative impacts of rural residential development, and offer the best path forward for ensuring the world’s most ancient rainforest continues to thrive for generations to come.

Buying land in the Daintree helps us to reverse the impacts of the disastrous 1980’s rural residential subdivision. All donations are tax-deductible, and receipts will be issued.

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 18 Daley Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Action: Purchase and protection of Lot 176 Quandong Road (Lot 2 RP 738519)

Area: 1.17-hectares

Location: Forest Creek, Daintree Lowland Rainforest, Queensland

Vegetation type: Regional Ecosystem 7.3.20e listed as “Of Concern” under the Vegetation Management Act 1999.

Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary, Noah's Walnut

Our ecologist surveyed Lot 176 Quandong Road and found remnant vegetation with little human interference. The property has 152 native species as well as an ecosystem with dominant Sclerophyll elements.

Lot 176 Quandong Road, Cow Bay

The vegetation on Lot 176 is experiencing change in the absence of fire. The canopy consists of Brown Salwood (Acacia celsa), Blue Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis), Acacia polystachya, Red Mahogany (Eucalyptus pellita), Narrow leaved Ironbark (Eucalyptus crebra) and Pink Bloodwood (Corymbia intermedia).

These trees are all estimated to be 80-100 years old indicating the last fire occurred at this time. The majority of the vegetation is significantly denser being a diverse rainforest understorey. Since fire is now seldom experienced in the Daintree lowlands it is assumed that this forest habitat will omit Sclerophyll species as time lengthens.

Noah's Walnut (Endiandra microneura) occurs at this site. It is listed as Near Threatened on the Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act (1992). This species is only found within the Daintree Lowland Rainforest predominately north of the Daintree River and south of Cape Tribulation. It produces a vibrant display of limp, red, new leaves as well as large, yellow, oblong-shaped fruits that are dispersed by the Southern Cassowary.

The local endemic tree, Queensland Golden Showers (Cassia queenslandica) is seldomly encountered in this area. It was identified from one tree onsite which was fruiting at the time of this assessment.

This property provides important habitat for the Endangered Southern Cassowary with many species of plants producing fleshy fruits.  

Cassowary Plum (Cerbera floribunda), is one Endangered Southern Cassowary’s favourite foods. This tree species occurs in tropical rainforest in Far North Queensland and PNG and grows to about 30 metres. At the age of three years, it begins to produce large, smooth, and blue fruits. The Cassowary and the Cassowary plum have a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship. The plum provides food for the Cassowary and the Cassowary spreads the seeds of the tree throughout the rainforest.

The purchase of Lot 176 compliments the buyback of land in Cow Bay that has occurred over the past three decades. We purchased Lot 124 Quandong Road and six other Cow Bay properties in 2020 and 2021.

Cassowary and chick in the Daintree Rainforest

Lot 176 Quandong Road, Cow Bay

Large Fruited Red Mahogany (Eucalyptus pellita) 

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Action: Purchase and protection of Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive (Lot 2 RP 738519)

Area: 1.17-hectares

Location: Forest Creek, Daintree Lowland Rainforest, Queensland

Vegetation type: Lot 2 comprises two distinct ecosystems by changes in soil/drainage conditions. One a Sclerophyll open woodland and the other a closed canopy Rainforest habitat

Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary, Noah's Walnut, China Camp Laurel, Thornton Aspen, Ant Plant

Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest

Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive is 1.17ha of critical habitat for native wildlife and plants. A small creek runs through the rainforest where the presence of the Southern Cassowary has been observed. The rare Bennetts Tree-kangaroo has also been sighted nearby.

Fan Palms (Licuala ramsayii) occur on the property and the species delineates the two main types of vegetation: sclerophyll vegetation which are generally dominated by plants that have hard leaves adapted to drought and fire; and mesophyll vine forest, which is tropical rainforest featuring these Fan Palms in abundance.

Fan Palms on Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive

Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive is located at Forest Creek in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. Buying land in this location helps us to reverse the impacts of the disastrous 1980’s rural residential subdivision and prevents another house from being built in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive is a freehold property and could have been developed for housing just as nearby properties have been in the past. 

Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive adjoins Lot 3, a property that we purchased for conservation in January 2020. This consolidates the area protected for conservation as these two properties also share a boundary with the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area.

During our survey, the presence of Cassowaries was noted from scats within the rainforest habitat near the creek in the eastern portions of the property.

Some 230 species of native plants were recorded in our ecological survey of the site. Four species are listed under the Queensland’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1992). Noah’s Walnut, China Camp Laurel, Thornton Aspen and the Ant plant.

Noah's Walnut (Endiandra microneura) occurs at this site. It is listed as Near Threatened on the Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act (1992). This species is only found within the Daintree Lowland Rainforest predominately north of the Daintree River and south of Cape Tribulation. It produces a vibrant display of limp, red, new leaves as well as large, yellow, oblong-shaped fruits that are dispersed by the Southern Cassowary.

China Camp Laurel (Beilschmiedia castrisinensis) is Near Threatened and was found growing within cassowary droppings which is no surprise as its fruits – which are the size of tennis balls – are only dispersed by the Endangered Southern Cassowary.

Thornton Aspen (Acronychia acuminata) is Near Threatened and is now found only in the rainforests surrounding Thornton Peak, the highest mountain in the Daintree. It was previously found at only six locations between the Daintree River and Bloomfield to the North.

Ant Plant (Myrmecodia beccarii) is one of the Daintree’s most fascinating plants (there are many to choose from). The Ant Plant is epiphytic, growing harmlessly on Melaleucas and other plants with spongy bark, yet it is not parasitic. It has a special association with the Golden Ant (Iridomyrmex cordatus) which lives in the chambers of its tuber. What’s more, the Apollo Butterfly lays its eggs on this plant. The Golden Ants carry the butterfly eggs into the tuber chambers where they develop as butterflies. The Ant Plant’s flowers are white and tubular, to 10mm, and the fruit is white/translucent containing a single seed. These single seeds are transported to other trees by the Mistletoe bird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum).

Thornton Aspen (Acronychia acuminata) on Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive

Ant Plant (Myrmecodia beccarii) on Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive

A small creek occurs on Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive

Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive provides habitat for the Southern Cassowary

Lot 2 comprises two distinct ecosystems. A Sclerophyll open woodland and a Rainforest habitat. 

Tropical Rainforest on Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Rainforest

Action: Purchase and protection of Lot 21 Camelot Close (Lot 21 RP 733182) 

Area: 2.306 hectares  

Location: Cape Tribulation, Daintree Lowland Rainforest, Queensland

Vegetation type: Complex mesophyll vine forest classified as Regional Ecosystem 7.11.23b

Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary, Bennett’s Tree-Kangaroo, Noah’s Walnut, Gray’s Walnut

Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest

The high biodiversity and spectacular old-growth rainforest at Lot 21 Camelot Close at Cape Tribulation justify its purchase and protection. A survey by our ecologist found tropical rainforest on the entirety of the 2.306 hectares. The survey also found 215 species of native plants including threatened species and others that are regionally endemic. The rainforest on Lot 21 Camelot Close is one of the best examples of undisturbed Lowland Tropical Rainforest remaining in Australia. 

Kelvin Davies and the old-growth rainforest on Lot 21 Camelot Close

The rainforest on Lot 21 Camelot Close contains many enormous trees with specimens of Papuan Rosewoods (Dysoxylum papuanum), Cassowary Satinash (Syzygium graveolens), Cairns Hickory (Ganophyllum falcatum), Cairns Pencil Cedar (Palaquium galactoxylon), Tulip Oak (Argyrodendron peralatum), Spur Mahogany (Dysoxylum pettigrewianum), Damson Plum (Terminalia microcarpa) and Northern Silky Oak (Cardwellia sublimis). In the south of Lot 21, the rainforest is even grander with many large tall straight buttressed trees suggesting little disturbance and deep fertile well drained soil.

The native Nutmeg (Myristica spp.) dominate the mid-canopy with the understorey layer having many Hope’s Cycad (Lepidozamia hopei), Walking Stick Palms (Linospadix minor), Polyalthia xanthocarpa, Glossy Laurel (Cryptocarya laevigata), Rambling Spearflower (Ardisia brevipedata), Tapeinosperma (Tapeinosperma pallidum) and the ubiquitous Rattan (Calamus spp.) thickets.  The ground is nearly absent of grasses, sedges or forbs.

Subtle changes in the habitat can be found along the streams of Lot 21. There is an increased abundance of Alexander Palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) and also is where Mulgrave Satinash (Syzygium xerampelinum) is dominate. Bordering the stream on steep terrain are ferns such as Adiantum, Crepidomanes and Marattia salicina.  

The Daintree Lowland Rainforest is a living museum and Lot 21 Camelot Close is an important refuge for biodiversity. The undisturbed rainforest provides excellent habitat for the rare Bennetts Tree-kangaroo and there have been a number of sightings in recent years on or near the property. The property provides excellent habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary.

The Southern Cassowary in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest

Great numbers of species occur on Lot 21 within the Lauraceae, Meliaceae, Moraceae, Rubiaceae and Sapindaceae plant families. All these species are food for rainforest frugivorous birds. The larger fruiting Lauraceae, Endiandra grayi and E. microneura are important food for Cassowaries. Native Nutmeg (Myristica globosa ssp. muelleri) is common throughout the site and a favoured food of rainforest avifauna.

Greys Walnut (Endiandra grayi) and Noah’s Walnut (Endiandra microneura) are listed as Threatened species.

Four locally endemic plants are found on the property. Daintree Cleistanthus Cooper Creek Haplostichanthus, Walters False Uvaria, and Daintree Satinash.

Lot 21 has many examples of Hope’s Cycad. This species of Cycad is the largest growing in the world and was once utilised by Aboriginal people as a food source. It has evolutionary links dating back some 200 million years and along with other ancient species form some of the reasons why the Wet Tropics World Heritage area has been afforded protection within the National Parks estate.

Our survey also identified the Boyd's Forest Dragon (Lophosaurus boydii) on Lot 21 Camelot Close. They are a species of arboreal agamid lizard only found in rainforests in the Wet Tropics region of northern Queensland, Australia. Boyd's Forest Dragon spend the majority of their time perched on the trunks of trees, usually at around head height. Boyd's forest dragons are sit-and-wait predators, catching prey that they spy from their perches, although once on the ground, they will frequently move over a wider area, catching prey as they go.

Lot 21 Camelot Close is a freehold property and was at risk of development. Subject to approval by Douglas Shire Council it could have been developed for housing just as nearby properties have been in the past. Protecting Lot 21 Camelot Close at Cape Tribulation is a fantastic outcome for conservation as it will prevent another house from being built in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.  

In 1988 the Daintree National Park was expanded and was included in the Wet Tropics Work Heritage Area. This should have seen the rainforest at Lot 21 Camelot Close protected forever. However, two-thirds of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest, the land between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation had been carved up for a rural residential subdivision in 1982 and was excluded from World Heritage listing. 

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the purchase and protection of Lot 21 Camelot Close at Cape Tribulation. 

Old-growth tropical rainforest on Lot 21 Camelot Close 

THANK YOU TO HALFCUT

The project to purchase and protect land is a partnership involving the Rainforest 4 Foundation, Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation, and fellow nonprofit HalfCut.  

Thanks to Jimmy and Jess and all the HalfCut supporters for their important contribution to the purchase and protection of Lot 21 Camelot Close. 

Please make a donation to purchase and protect the next property in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

The end of the financial year is coming up fast. As June 30 approaches, please take the opportunity to make a tax-deductible gift and save the Daintree from the threat of development.

Project Snapshot

Action: Purchase and protection of Oakey Scrub (Lot on plan BK157115) 

Area: 69 hectares (690,000 sqm) 

Location: 10 km southwest of Cooktown, Cape York, Queensland

Vegetation type: Monsoon Rainforest (21 hectares of semi-deciduous notophyll vine forest) and Savannah (48 hectares of mixed woodland-grassland ecosystem)

Threatened Species: Northern Quoll, Southern Cassowary, Bennett’s Tree-Kangaroo, Large-eared Horseshoe Bat, Semons Leaf-nosed Bat.

There are also numerous other species including estuarine crocodiles, lizards, frogs and marsupials.

Fundraising for the purchase of Oakey Scrub was achieved on the 23rd of September 2021. Thank you to all of the generous donors.  

Help us protect the Northern Quoll population

Northern Quolls are in trouble and need our help. Northern Quolls are under threat from habitat destruction and poisoning from the introduced cane toad, which the Quolls eat without realising the danger. Oakey Scrub and the surrounding area has the highest known population of Northern Quolls on Cape York Peninsula however this important property is privately owned and not managed for conservation. Without our intervention Quolls at Oakey Scrub remain at risk from fires and overgrazing. 

The solution is to buy Oakey Scrub and add it to the adjoining Caloola Nature Refuge (18,100 hectares). Fortunately, we have an agreement in place that will allow this property to be acquired and protected provided we raise the funds by the 24th of September 2021. Please, donate now to help purchase and protect Oakey Scrub. 

A curious Northern Quoll is captured with a motion-triggered camera on Oakey Scrub. 

Oakey Scrub is 69 hectares. The purchase price is $110,000 and we require just $400 for acquisition expenses making the total cost to acquire Oakey Scrub $110,400. That makes the cost per hectare to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub only $1,600. 

Every $4 we raise will help save 25 square metres of Oakey Scrub. This is exceptional value for your investment in nature conservation. 

Please, will you help save the Northern Quoll with a donation to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub before the 24th of September. When you donate $40 you will help save 250 square metres of essential habitat for Northern Quolls! A donation of $80 will help save 500 square metres and $160 will help save 1,000 square metres. A gift of $400 will save 2,500 sqm and a gift of $800 will save 5,000 sqm.  

Oakey Creek Scrub is recovering from past overgrazing and too frequent fire. The vegetation is showing positive signs of recovery, however, much more needs to be done to secure the important wildlife habitat on this property. If we cant secure the property for conservation it could be on-sold and used for cattle grazing like so many other properties on Cape York. If we can't meet the deadline to raise $55,000 by the 30th of June we'll lose the option to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub. 

To purchase and protect Oakey Scrub we have partnered with South Endeavour Trust and we are both contributing $55,000. South Endeavour Trust was established in 2007 as an independent, not for profit, charitable trust with the sole purpose of contributing to nature conservation in Australia. South Endeavour currently owns and manages nineteen conservation reserves including Caloola Nature Refuge (18,100 hectares) which adjoins Oakey Scrub. Upon acquisition, Oakey Scrub will be added to the Caloola Nature Refuge. 

Please, will you help save the Northern Quoll with a donation to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub before the 24th of September. When you donate $40 you will help save 250 square meters of essential habitat for Northern Quolls! A donation of $80 will help save 500 square metres and $160 will help save 1,000 square metres. A gift of $400 will save 2,500 sqm and a gift of $800 will save 5,000 sqm.  

Oakey Scrub is located 10km southwest of Cooktown at the intersection of the Wet Tropics and Cape York bioregions in Far North Queensland and the Einasleigh Uplands. It has two adjoining ecosystems, Monsoon Rainforest (21 hectares of semi-deciduous notophyll vine forest) and Savannah (48 hectares of mixed woodland-grassland ecosystem). These two ecosystems provide habitat for a diverse range of flora and fauna including the endangered Northern Quoll and other Threatened species including the Southern Cassowary, Bennett’s Tree-Kangaroo, Large-eared Horseshoe Bat, Semons Leaf-nosed Bat.

Cassowaries live in and around the property of Oakey Scrub and neighbouring Caloola Nature Refuge, and act as vital seed distribution for the local plants.

White-lipped tree frog found at Oakey Scrub.

Northern Spotted Velvet Gecko (Oedura coggeri)

The property also has one kilometre of Oakey Creek frontage. As you can see from this aerial footage of a helicopter flyover.

Oakey Scrub ecosystems and biodiversity. 

Oakey Scrub is a of 69 hectares, 21 hectares of which is Monsoon Rainforest (semi-deciduous notophyll vine forest) the remaining are being savannah (mixed woodland-grassland ecosystem). In the canopy dominant evergreen species are Black Bean (Castanospermum australe), Candlenut (Aleurites moluccanus, Milky Pine (Alstonia scholaris), Brown Tulip Oak (Argyrodendron polyandrum), Black Walnut (Beilschmiedia obtusifolia), Native Mango (Buchanania arborescens) and Buff Walnut (Endiandra longipedicellata). Figwood (Ficus albipila var. albipila) are an emergent tree species. Common deciduous species are Leichhardt Tree (Nauclea orientalis), Tar Tree (Semecarpus australiensis), Sovereignwood (Terminalia sericocarpa) and White Cheesewood (Wrightia laevis). 

A sparse to very dense sub-canopy often includes Red Kamala (Mallotus philippensis), Kamala (M. polyadenos, Queensland Nutmeg (Myristica globosa subsp. muelleri), Rose Tamarind (Arytera divaricata), Cabbage Wood (Pisonia umbellifera), Cape Tamarind (Toechima daemelianum) and Ebony (Diospyros maritima). The sparse to mid-dense shrub layer can include Weeping Cleistanthus (Cleistanthus apodus), Glycosmis trifoliata, False Gardenia (Atractocarpus sessilis), Bandicoot Berry (Leea novoguineensis), Lunasia amara var. amara, Brown Ebony (Diospyros laurina) and Northern Laurel (Cryptocarya hypospodia). The ground layer is very sparse and composed mainly of seedlings. This mainly occurs in catchments on loamy alluvia, riverine wetland, or fringing riverine wetland. 

Please, will you help save the Northern Quoll with a donation to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub before the 24th of September. When you donate $40 you will help save 250 square meters of essential habitat for Northern Quolls! A donation of $80 will help save 500 square meters and $160 will help save 1,000 square meters. A gift of $400 will save 2,500 sqm and a gift of $800 will save 5,000 sqm.  

Please, will you help save the Northern Quoll with a donation to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub before the 24th of September. When you donate $40 you will help save 250 square meters of essential habitat for Northern Quolls! A donation of $80 will help save 500 square meters and $160 will help save 1,000 square meters. A gift of $400 will save 2,500 sqm and a gift of $800 will save 5,000 sqm.  

Current condition

Fortunately, Lot 1 Oakey Creek Scrub is in good to moderate condition. It is recovering from past overgrazing and too frequent fire, with the vegetation showing positive signs. Overgrazing and fire have not been issues over the past three years but there is still much recovery to happen on this property.

Proposed management

Upon acquisition, Oakey Scrub will be added to the Caloola Nature Refuge. 

Particular focuses of management will include:

• The exclusion of fire from the rainforest and the rainforest margin to provide continuous improvement in the condition of the rainforest and for an expansion of the rainforest area.
• The exclusion and/or active management of feral animals.
• Maintenance of strict weed quarantine to maintain its largely weed-free state. 

Please, will you help save the Northern Quoll with a donation to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub before the 24th of September. When you donate $40 you will help save 250 square meters of essential habitat for Northern Quolls! A donation of $80 will help save 500 square meters and $160 will help save 1,000 square meters. A gift of $400 will save 2,500 sqm and a gift of $800 will save 5,000 sqm.  

We've provided answers to frequently asked questions here.

For more images of Oakey Scrub, please visit our Facebook album here.

The Cassowary is so iconic to this part of Queensland, that the local government is named Cassowary Coast Regional Council. Yet that hasn’t stopped this authority from approving a controversial new heliport development that will significantly impact the already-endangered cassowaries of Mission Beach.

Our efforts to tackle ‘highly-flammable’ exotic bamboo to protect koala and rainforest habitat from future bushfire has received a financial boost from WIRES and Landcare Australia. 

Partnership with Kuku Yalanji people, Rainforest Reserves Australia, AUSTROP, HalfCut and Rainforest 4 has protected a piece of ancient landscape which is home to more than 170 species of plant and endangered animals like the Southern Cassowary,

Volunteers are helping grow 100,000 rainforest trees by propagating seed and growing them on until they are ready for planting. This is helping to keep costs down and ensure more trees get in the ground.