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BREAKING NEWS: New bird sighting in Brookfield

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On April 17th, a native bird which has never been seen in our Catchment was sighted at Adavale Street Brookfield!

This wonderful occurrence is described by Jim Butler, a local birdwatcher, in his “Feather Fascination” column in the June issue of “The Local Bulletin“.

From now on, you can also read Jim’s stories online right here on our website.

Click here to read this article and others published during 2016, and stay tuned to our Media Centre for more of Jim’s remarkable snippets about our wondrous local birdlife.  

BRIGHT RED LADYBIRDS …

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KIDS’ DAY AT THE COTTAGE – SUNDAY 12 JUNE!

10am-1pm. 
Join us at the Cottage on the Gold Creek Dam Reserve at the very end of Gold Creek Road, Brookfield for a day of FUN!

You can create beautiful bright red ladybirds for mum and dad’s fridge! 

Just one of the many activities you can enjoy on Kids’ Day!   

There is SO much for kids to make and do and enjoy, and it’s FREE! 


 Choose from the following or do them all! 

* Art and Craft activities    * Make jewellery to wear  
* Pot a seedling to take home   *ID the leaf shape of plants
* Talk to the Snail Whisperer!   * Look for camouflaged insects
* See a native bee hive working   * See display of local Dung Beetles

Or see furry, feathery or leathery native creatures in one of Martin Fingland’s three Geckoes Wildlife sessions, which will be held at approximately:

  • 10am -10.40am, 11am – 11.40am and 12noon – 12.40pm

For more info, please email Dale Borgelt : [email protected]

                    
       

MCCG is proud to offer Kids’ Day at the Cottage with all its attractions and activities for young people FREE, thanks to volunteers and expert presenters, supported by the Lord Mayor’s Suburban Initiative fund, the Pullenvale Ward Councillor and the BCC Creek Catchment Program. 

Calling all strategic thinkers

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(members and non members alike)

The MCCG is undertaking a vital strategic planning process over the next few months to determine our priorities for future activities.

Based on last review (published in 2011) and an evaluation of the impacts of our activities since then, our aim is to assess how effective we have been in our programs. We will seek to identify new challenges and concerns which have arisen in the last five years.
We will also be canvassing the views of our members and other people and groups who work with us or who have a keen interest in what we do. 

From this, we will develop our strategies and actions/projects for the future.
It is vitally important for us to continuously review our activities so we can prioritise how to best use our available time, resources and volunteer energies in the future.  We will post details on the website as we progress.

If you wish to participate in any part of the process, comment on one or more of the activities we are undertaking (listed below),  or if you believe  there are opportunities/issues which you think have been overlooked, please let us know!

Feel free to email  your views to our chairman Warren Hoey, or to any of the other committee members listed on our Contact Details page. We’re waiting to hear from you!

You are welcome to view our 2011 review and other relevant documents – please click here. 

MCCG projects and activities:

  • Kids Day at the Cottage
  • Photography competition
  • Nursery
  • Landcare services
  • Newsletter
  • Cottage talks
  • Bushcare group actions on public land
  • Riparian restoration in Rowena Park
  • Bird project
  • Creek Health Monitoring Program
  • Water Quality Monitoring
  • Platypus survey
  • Cat`s Claw Creeper control
  • Become a Committee Member

Come see us at the Brookfield Show!

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The Brookfield Show runs from 13 to 15 May at the Brookfield Showground this year.
Why not drop in for a chat?

We’re in a new spot down by the Cookery Pavilion.  Hope to see you there!

Click here to see more info about the show.

Flying Fur !!! The Secrets of Microbats -Postponed from 21April to later date

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This talk has had to be postponed to a later date – various permits and equipment required will not be available until later, and Dr Cole has also had to make changes to his scedule.  Watch this space for a new date.
Elusive secrets about the life of bats will be revealed by Dr Roger Coles from the School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences at QUT.

The life of these animals is cryptic and shrouded in mystery. They are the only mammals capable of true flight – a shared ability that has evolved completely differently from birds.
 
Dr Coles will explain the prowess of ‘microbats’ at flying, navigating and catching prey in the dark using a precision, radar-like method called echolocation. He will demonstrate how the local forest bats do it and in real time, by tuning in to bats flying around the MCCG Cottage during the talk with the use of fancy electronics and colourful computer screens. As we cannot normally see or hear these small creatures hunting in the dark, some of their secrets can be revealed by using electronic ‘bat detectors’ and night vision scopes to make their sensory world audible and visible to us. Methods used to catch bats will be demonstrated as well.

When: TBA

Where: MCCG Cottage at Gold Creek Reservoir
Organiser: Dale Borgelt
Contact: [email protected] or ph: 3374 1035

Bushcare

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Thanks to the passion of our volunteers and the unwavering support of Habitat Brisbane, the MCCG is proud to dig in and get our hands dirty for a few hours each month to protect our local waterways. It’s what we’re all about!

These activities help to retain the abundant landscapes that are the hallmark of our catchment.

The creekside areas and parklands West of Kenmore may seem peaceful and quiet, but when you look deeper there is an amazing amount of hidden activity in and around our waterways that we need to protect!

PROOF: Our catchment boasted a 11 platypus sightings in 2016!

And, although they’re
elusive, we’ve seen koalas in Mt Coot-tha Forest, Gap Creek Reserve, Deerhurst Road and Haven Road.

Our creeks are teeming with marine life that most people aren’t even aware of … 

… and our most visible residents are some of the most beautiful birds in Queensland! In the small (1000m x 60m) space of Deerhurst Park in Brookfield alone, we’ve spotted 58 different bird species!

We simply must protect this. Which means putting in a bit of effort. We invite you to join us.

It’s really not so hard. It’s not a big commitment.

Each month, the good people of our catchment donate just a couple of hours to help pull out a few weeds, plant some natives and keep a check on our replanted zones. It’s rewarding because we see a difference from month to month. And it’s an opportunity for downtime, enjoying the company of people from a variety of backgrounds who share a concern about preserving the vistas we all currently love and enjoy. 

 

We have 12 sites. If you can spare some time and there is an area that suits or interests you, please check with the nominated Section Leader. They can confirm the precise location and activities for that particular site. And they’re waiting to hear from YOU!

Click here to see a map of our working bee sites

Click here to see dates for working bees

Working bees at a glance

Section Area Section Leader Contact
2 Lower Moggill Creek:3rd Sunday Judy Petroeschevsky 3378 3348
  We meet at Fortrose Street Kenmore (Lower Moggill) on the third Sunday of each month. We start at 7.30am during the hotter months and 8.30am during cooler months, for around 3 hours. We plant trees, weed and maintain existing sections. Morning tea and tree resources are supplied courtesy of the MCCG and Brisbane City Council/Habitat Brisbane.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fortrosestreetcatchmentgroup/
3 Huntington: Last Sunday,starting 8.30am Jim Pope 3374 4181
  Note: If there is a flood we may send out an SOS for volunteers to rescue any damaged plantings.
4 Showgrounds: always the last Sunday, starting at 8.30am

 Damien Egan 3378 5199
5 Haven Road

 Richard Woodhead 3374 4691
6 Upper Brookfield Kate McVicar 3374 1471
 
We don’t have formal working bees. We are a small group and generally we wander down individually to the site whenever we can. Give Kate a call if you’d like to pitch in! 
8 Wonga Creek: 3rd Sunday John Crowley 3374 0723
  Starting time is generally 08.30am and we will advise the location by email.
9 Upper Gold Creek: 3rd Sunday, starting 8.30am Gordon Grigg 3374 1737
  2016 was our 20th year! But we need more people if we’re going to retain the natural appeal of Gold Creek. Please read Gordon’s letter for more info.
 
11 McKay Brook: 1st Saturday, starting at 2pm
                      3rd Sunday, starting 8.30am		 Bryan Hacker 3374 1468
  Times and locations are subject to change so please check the website or give Bryan a call the week before to confirm. Refreshments are provided.
12 Gap Creek: 4th Sunday Michael Humphreys 3374 1467
  Occasionally we change the date so please check with Mike before the day!
  Upper Brookfield: starting at 7.00am  Phil Bird  [email protected]
  Our mission is to clear weeds and replace them with native plants from the riparian zone of the upper reaches of Moggill Creek near Galvin Road.

Connect to your Catchment Day Out

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Location: New Farm Park (next to the Powerhouse)
Type: Event
Organiser: Brisbane Catchments Network (BCN)
Contact:

The Connect to Your Catchment event is part of Connect to Your Creek Week (9-17 April).

For more info visit the SEQ Catchments website.