Photography and words by Charles Hunter I am in the ancient Big Scrub rainforest of Nightcap National Park near Nimbin in the Byron Bay Hinterland, north-eastern NSW. It’s 5.00am and I’ve just crossed shallow Rocky Creek. I start walking up Gibbergunyah Range Road. The air becomes thick with moisture and the temperature drops. It’s still dark but...
By Chris Byrne, Communications Manager, Big Scrub Landcare. Original version of story published in Byron Magazine. In 1989, Pamela and Martin Brook purchased a run-down dairy farm in the Byron Bay hinterland to live their dream of moving to the country. Over the decades since, they tirelessly converted the desolate farm into a thriving orchard,...
A personal contribution from Big Scrub Landcare member, Mike Delaney. I’ve been fortunate enough to spend the past 43 years living where the Big Scrub once stood. I came to the North Coast of NSW with a friend to start a native plant nursery and a different life. It wasn’t until I picked up a booklet...
A personal contribution from Big Scrub Landcare member, Ken Dorey. While there are many who find fault with Byron Bay, there are few who don’t appreciate the historic charm and community spirit of Bangalow; good food, good vibes, good people. Amazingly, our Bangalow has appeared, and is evolving, all within our lifetimes – a virtual...
A personal contribution from Big Scrub Landcare member, Dr Kristin den Exter. Bruce Pascoe and Vicky Shukuroglou recently wrote that we can better learn to love our country – I agree. This is one reason why I am so committed to the community landcare movement. Studying environmental science in the 1990’s it was clear to me that...
This year has started with some exciting activity for Big Scrub Landcare, with site preparations officially starting on our genetically diverse rainforest seed plantation at Wollongbar. The last few weeks have seen a flurry of activity, with works familiar to us including arborist works and woody weed control and other activities not so familiar including soil...
Land holders and property owners across the state are being asked to keep their eyes peeled for scrub turpentine and native guava on their properties as the NSW Government Saving our Species program establishes an emergency seedbank for these critically endangered native shrubs. Saving our Species Senior Threatened Species Officer Craig Stehn said populations of...
Big Scrub Landcare wish our members, volunteers and supporters a Happy New Year after the year that was 2020. Through the many challenges experienced – bushfires followed by a global pandemic – with your support, we continue to deliver important works to save our critically endangered rainforests and their incredible biodiversity. 2019-20 was another excellent...
In the past, I’ve presented a tongue-in-cheek argument for teak trees being a “good, solid tree”. In this article, I would like to make the more objective case that teaks were much more than the diminished paddock tree we see today. There is a very impressive paddock tree at Richmond Hill whose tall straight trunk,...
Southern Pink Underwing Moth (Phyllodes imperialis subsp. smithersi) – a message from our friends at Tweed Landcare – The Carronia you will want to get! (The native rainforest vine Carronia multisepalea that is!) Are you on a property that has pockets of native rainforest? Then you could be part of an exciting new project that aims to save the...
