In 2006 Moggill Creek Catchment Group (MCCG) received a grant from Australia’s Open Garden
Scheme to establish a ‘Bush Tucker’ Garden behind the Brookfield Produce Store at the end of
Rafting Ground Road. With the permission of the then owners of the store, two 20,000 litre water
tanks were in stalled at the back of the store to provide water, both for the garden and for MCCGs
bushcare groups. The idea of the ‘Bush Tucker’ Garden was to provide an opportunity for MCCG
members and local residents to become familiar with a range of plant species that were used to
provide food for the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land. Unfortunately, in recent years, due to
lack of maintenance, the garden had become overgrown with exotic vines such as glycine, Madeira
vine and balloon vine, as well as other weeds.

Having learned only recently of the existence of this ‘Bush Tucker’ Garden, MCCG Chairman Jim Pope
decided to organise a special working bee to start to clear out the weeds and clean up the site. On
Sunday 9 th August, a group of 22 volunteers gathered at the site (with appropriate ‘social
distancing’), to start the work. About half the group were young people from a local Baha’i youth
group called the ‘Brookfield Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program (Brookfield JYSEP)’, who
despite little previous experience of bushcare work, proved of great assistance in the task. The area
is now largely clear of weeds, but will require some ongoing support to replace species that had
been smothered by the weeds and to maintain it weed-free in future. With the agreement of the
current management of the Brookfield Produce Store it is hoped to restore it to its former glory and
encourage local residents and school groups etc. to visit the area and learn more about foodstuffs
that the first Australians included in their diet.

If anyone would like to volunteer to assist with the upkeep of the ‘Bush Tucker’ Garden please
contact Jim Pope ([email protected]). We need 3-4 people to meet at the site for 2-3 hours once a
month to re-plant the missing species and keep the area well maintained. No previous experience is
necessary and tools etc. will be provided.

Plaque commemorating establishment of the ‘Bush Tucker’ Garden in 2006

Volunteers at the working bee on 9 th August

Before                                                                                                     After

Before                                                                                                    After

THECA will be holding a wildlife show run by well-known wildlife expert Martin Fingland, of “Geckoes Wildlife”, on Sunday 16 August. Come and meet a range of Australian native animals, and learn fascinating things about them.

Martin will run 2 consecutive one-hour sessions, the first starting at 9.30am, the second at 10.45am.  Book for one or both. This event is great for families, especially children.

As COVID19 means that numbers are an issue, booking is essential. Please RSVP to Margaret Palmer on [email protected], stating which session you wish to attend, and providing the number of people coming and their contact details. Please note that the event is subject to rules surrounding gatherings, which may change without warning.

THIS EVENT IS FREE FOR THECA MEMBERS. For others, please pay $10 per family at the door. For further information on Geckoes Wildlife, please go to their website at www.geckoeswildlife.com.au.

Cold mornings and the pandemic haven’t stopped MCCG member Ed Frazer from getting out to monitor platypus populations in Gold Creek!

Ed has been monitoring the platypus in two big pools on his property for the past twelve months.

You may recall his articles from late last year about a family with two babies.

Ed has continued to observe the youngsters and you’ll be pleased to know the wounds on the one which was attacked have now repaired.

At one point Ed was so concerned he consulted with Dr Chris Hosking. Her advice was to monitor the platypus closely and fortunately this has paid off.

But: are the youngsters still there?

To find out more and for a marvellous read about Ed’s platypus families, please head to our latest Bush Bites feature:  Platypus watch August 2020

Our sincere thanks to Ed for his ongoing contributions to the website, and to the MCCG in general.

Don’t forget to sign up to join Dr Hosking’s Platypus Survey on Sunday 13 September.

For more info, please click here.

© Ed Frazer 

Test your skills each month with  Jim Butler’s Wildlife Identification Quiz!

You’ll find Know Your Wildlife towards the back of every month’s The Local Bulletin.

We will provide the answers to each quiz right here in the first or second week of every month!

So, do you have your answers ready for the August quiz?  The correct answers is:

Number 3, Channel-billed Cuckoo.

ps: If you need some help, we’d recommend searching our digital field guides! Open them from the side menu:

These alphabetical lists provide a wealth of local information about wildlife. They feature thumb-nail images which expand to a larger view when you click upon them.

Keep an eye out for next month’s quiz!

Australian birds of prey such as owls and raptors can be killed by internal bleeding when they eat rodents who have ingested rat bait.

In 2018 a Western Australian study found that 73% of southern boobook owls which were found dead had anticoagulant rodenticides in their systems.

Small mammals such as possums, antechinus and bandicoots can also fall victim to bait that has been laid out to attract and kill rats and mice, and even larger mammals like wallabies and kangaroos have been known to suffer from rodenticide poisoning.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is currently asking Australians for their views about the regulation of rodent poisons.

On their website, Birdlife Australia offers advice about minimising our use of rodenticides. They also invite you to take a pledge to leave Second Generation rodent poisons on the shelf.

For more information, please visit their website.

MCCG members have an advantage when it comes to planting out their properties. We provide free plants for our members, mostly grown at our Nursery from seed collected by volunteers, all year round.

Brisbane City Council also offers a variety of native plants to eligible residents, who can claim two free native plants each financial year (July to June).

Residents who have purchased a newly built home or moved into their owner-built home within the past 12 months in targeted suburbs in the West can claim four free plants.

For more information, head to the Brisbane City Council website.

If you’re a MCCG member, don’t forget our Nursery is stocked with a wide range of trees, shrubs and understorey plants all looking for a good home, and free to members.

A list of available plants is available here: Grasses and other Herbaceous Plants

For more info please email Bryan Hacker at:  [email protected]

AND HAPPY PLANTING!!!