Guardians of the creeklines
- comms514
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
Coastal Dry Tropics Landcare Inc. have been caring for our waterside vegetation for more than three decades.
In the heart of Townsville, where backyard creeks wind through suburbs to the coast, one group has had boots in the mud and hands in the soil for over 30 years.
Coastal Dry Tropics Landcare Inc. (CDTLI) is deeply rooted in this region. They’ve hauled weeds, restored native vegetation, and nurtured nature’s buffers through fires, floods, and droughts.
At the core of their philosophy? Grow local, thrive local. Because when passionate locals lead the charge, entire communities and catchments benefit.
Preparing for the extremes
Townsville knows how wild a wet season can get, and 2025 was no exception, with more than three metres of rain, a record, testing the limits of our catchments.
But long before the skies opened, CDTLI volunteers were already preparing, and they‘re back at it again before this wet season, clearing priority weeds and shoring up creek banks.
“Maintenance is just as important as tree planting,” said Executive Officer for the Healthy Waters Partnership, Kara-Mae Coulter-Atkins. “These creek side corridors play a quiet yet critical role during heavy river flows.”
“A healthy, well-established native riparian zone slows the speed of water, reduces erosion, filters stormwater and pollution, and improves the overall health of our waterways.”
CDTLI currently care for six sites, spread across the Ross and Bohle sub-basins. Their work dictated by the seasons and the environment.
Goondaloo Creek: A Living Legacy
Tucked beside Townsville University Hospital, Goondaloo Creek is a shining example of what sustained stewardship looks like, although most of CDTLI’s efforts can’t be seen.
Goondaloo site leader and botanist Greg Calvert said, you can’t see the walls of leucaena or the dense thickets of chinee apple.
“Since 2010, we’ve transformed what was once an impenetrable jungle of woody weeds into a growing green corridor,” said Greg.
Over time, metre by metre and many hundreds of volunteer hours later, 24,786 square metres have been revegetated, or about 1.7 NRL fields worth of native habitat.
But it hasn’t been easy.
In 2019, devastating floods scoured the creek, stripping topsoil and wiping out many freshly planted trees. Thanks to recovery funding, extensive bank stabilisation and replanting took place.
“We want to recreate the plant communities native to this creek,” said Greg. “In years to come, you should be able to walk from the original bush into the new site without realising it.”
“Although, I won’t see the saplings that I plant, grow into the trees they will become. But if we don’t plant them, then who will?” asked Greg. “This is our legacy.”
With the wet season upon us, efforts are focused on maintaining the existing plantings and hydromulching to stabilise topsoil. Once the rains trigger regrowth, Greg and his team of volunteers will select the natives, remove the weeds and tackle the next round of challenges brought on by the seasons.
Scroll through to see CDTLI volunteers in action. Tagging natives, removing weeds, planting and maintenance were the focus at a recent working bee at Goondaloo Creek. Photos: Jo Hurford
Mundy Creek: a story of persistence
Near the airport, CDTLI is leading one of its most resilient projects, Mundy Creek. Located in the Bohle sub-basin, this site tells a story of persistence.
Once a meandering wetland, it’s now a fragmented, stormwater-fed system, impacted by development, altered flows, illegal dumping, plant thefts and invasive weeds.
“Para grass, an introduced species, has taken over and blocks water flow, reducing habitat,” says Mundy Creek site leader and artist, Bernadette Boscacci. “But on the plus side, it’s trapping sediment, helping to protect the seagrass meadows downstream in Rowes Bay.”
Mundy Creek is a community-driven site. Locals watch over the space, share updates, and show up after floods and fires to restore what’s lost.
“After flooding, the stormwater brings in rubbish. First, we clean up. Then we cull the weeds. Sometimes the trees can die from too much water, and we replant,” explains Bernadette.
Scroll through to see Mundy Creek today, and some of the challenges the site has faced over the last few years. Photos: Jo Hurford and Bernadette Boscacci.
Arson attacks have taken their toll too, with the most recent in 2024 ripping along the creekbanks and scorching the back of houses in Garbutt, but community care endures.
“It’s the strong volunteering community at Mundy Creek who’s kept me going through the ups and downs,” continues Bernadette. “Projects like this support mental health and well-being. They connect you to place, to purpose and to each other.”
Since 2013, CDTLI’s persistence at Mundy Creek has transformed it into a patchwork of green recovery. Mature trees shelter birds and pollinators. Grasslands meet mangroves, improving habitat connectivity that support wildlife.
Mundy Creek changes with the seasons, but always offers a chance to reconnect with place, and bring new hands into the stewardship fold.
You don’t need to be a botanist to help the bush
CDTLI’s work is about protecting what protects us. Behind every planted tree or weed cleared is a volunteer.
“Every person that helps contributes significant value,” said Kara-Mae.
“With another above-average wet season on the horizon, Townsville’s riparian areas need stewards, before, during and after the rain, to strengthen natural defences and reduce downstream impacts.”
And it doesn’t have to be at a CDTLI site. You can start in your own backyard. CDTLI’s Native Plant Nursery in Rowes Bay offers regionally grown native species, complete with a local planting guide and expert advice.
Whether in your own backyard, or at one of CDTLI’s sites, you don’t have to travel far to be part of the “grow local, thrive local” movement.
Visit CDTLI’s website for more information on sites, or follow them on Facebook for updates on working bees and events.
