Springbrook Weedbusters

04/06/2026

Thanks for all those who attended the Australia Bird Monitoring Workshop with Springbrook W**d Busters. What a wonderful afternoon it was! Even with the wet-weather it was amazing to see everyone’s commitment.

In this workshop, participants learnt about:

🦜 Birdata: BirdLife Australia's nation-wide bird monitoring platform

📋 How to conduct standardised bird surveys

🌳 Key Biodiversity Areas within Springbrook National Park

👩🏽‍🌾 How to monitor bird species compositions over time alongside the Springbrook W**d Busters restoration site

🐦 Bird identification tips from local bird specialist, Melissa Whitby

After some afternoon tea, everyone braved the rain and actively surveyed some sites in the National Park including the W**d Buster restoration site. We saw lots of birds including a cute pair of Tawnys nestling together.

Citizen science is essential for conservation as there just isn't enough funding or experts to monitor the diverse range of fauna, flora and ecosystems across Australia. If you are keen to contribute to conservation locally in Springbrook, join the W**d Busters mailing list to hear about upcoming events and opportunities.
👇🏽
📧 springbrookw**[email protected]

25/05/2026

🌱 A small but mighty crew! Never underestimate the power of just a few motivated people. These guys tackled invasive w**ds - making a big dent in our Carricks Creek Restoration site. This work will help free up some of the natural regeneration occuring at the site and pave the way for our spring planting where we can continue our restoration efforts of this threatened ecosystem riddled with w**ds.

💦 And it happened to be the only time the rain stopped - it was meant to be!!

What w**ds are you dealing with in your area?

19/05/2026

Want to learn birding with a purpose? 🐦‍⬛Then don't miss out on this free conservation event in 'Bird monitoring for conservation alongside land care projects' this Sun May 24th. Tickets are free but must be booked. We still have a few tickets left but as we will be doing some bird walking in the National Park after the presentation, numbers are capped.

🐦 BirdLife Australia Workshop: Bird Monitoring for Conservation
Sun May 24th
2-4:30pm
Springbrook Community Hall
Bird monitoring

Learn about:
🪶 Birdata, BirdLife Australia's nation-wide bird monitoring platform
📲 How to conduct bird surveys to contribute to conservation
🍃 Key Biodiversity Areas and how you can support them
🌳 Monitoring of the Springbrook W**d Busters restoration site
🦜 Bird identification tips from local bird specialist, Melissa Whitby

🍰 Afternoon tea will be provided.

BOOK HERE
👇🏽

Join Springbrook W**d Busters, BirdLife Australia and local bird specialist Melissa Whitby for a workshop in bird monitoring, bird ID and survey tips.

16/05/2026

Keen to contribute to conservation? We have the event for you tomorrow.

Part 1 - Glossy Black-Cockatoo bird surveys - 8am

Part 2 - Carricks Creek Restoration Project - Bush regen

For both parts meet at The Settlement Day Use Area

Come to one part or both!

See you there

13/05/2026

🐦 BirdLife Australia Workshop: Incorporating Bird Monitoring into land care projects
Sun May 24th
2-4:30pm
Springbrook Community Hall

‼️ Have you got your tickets yet? ‼️

Curious about birding, bird conservation and how you might monitor changes in bird populations as forests regenerate? Then jump into this exciting workshop and bird survey in Springbrook National Park!

🦉Join Birdata and Springbrook W**d Busters for an afternoon workshop on monitoring birds alongside bush regeneration and restoration. In this workshop you will learn about:

* 🪶 Birdata, BirdLife Australia's nation-wide bird monitoring platform
* 📲 How to conduct standardised bird surveys to contribute to Birdata's database
* 🍃 Key Biodiversity Areas and their significance to bird conservation
* 🌳 Monitoring of the Springbrook W**d Busters restoration site
* 🦜 Bird identification tips from local bird specialist, Melissa Whitby

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in some bird surveys in the Springbrook National Park in both remnant forest and restoration sites.

🍰Afternoon tea will be provided.

What to bring:
* 🐦‍⬛ Binoculars (if possible, though not necessary)
* ☔️ Wet weather gear
* 💦 Water bottle

BOOK HERE
👇🏽
https://events.humanitix.com/birdlife-australia-bird-monitoring-workshop-springbrook

Please note, tickets are free however numbers are capped so you do need to book

Friends of Parks Queensland Watergum

12/05/2026

We have a website page! Thanks to Friends of Parks Queensland, we now have a dedicated page on their website where you can catch our latest events, updates and resources. Check it out today!

And if you aren’t near Springbrook, check out other groups that you can volunteer with near you!

🍀

Springbrook W**dbusters are conservation volunteers in the Gold Coast hinterland. Join them for habitat restoration, citizen science, and more!

11/05/2026

🪏 How to BUST Kahili Ginger!

Last month our Springbrook W**d Busters took on the challenge of a Kahili Ginger Blitz at the Gwongorella Day Use Area at the entry of Purlingbrook Falls. As the entry to our World Heritage listed Springbrook National Park, it is not only important that this invasive species is removed for visual amenity but also to minimise further spread into the National Park. It’s a tough w**d to kill but our W**d Busters gracefully took on the challenge, removing bags of its dense rhizomes and flowers from the park.

In this video you will learn:
🌱 How to distinguish Kahili Ginger from Native Ginger
👩🏽‍🌾 How to remove Kahili Ginger:
- Cut and paint method
- Manual hand removal

Have you worked with Kahili Ginger before? What's worked for you?
Let's share our success stories!

08/05/2026

🍃 Join us for our Birds and Bush Regen Event this month!

🌲 As our regular W**d Buster meetup falls on the weekend of the Great Glossy Count, we'll be starting a little earlier this time to survey up Carricks Rd for Glossy Black-cockatoos to contribute to this east coast-wide annual survey. Data collected during the Great Glossy Count will support vital recovery planning, conservation, and habitat management for these threatened species.

🌱 Some of you may have attended one of our tree plantings or bush regeneration sessions at Carrick Creek last year. If so, you might have noticed we planted some Allocasuarinas (She-oaks) which are the Glossy Black-cockatoos main food source. For those who haven't yet worked in this area, this is our restoration project trying to improve the riparian creek zone and connect and restore a threatened ecosystem. It is full of w**ds and needs our attention! So we are combining bird monitoring and w**d management this month.

Details:

🚙 7:55am - Meet at The Settlement Day Use Area

🕛 8am - Great Glossy Count - Springbrook National Park/ Carricks Rd

🌿 9am - Bush regen at our Carricks Creek Restoration site:
- Poisong privets and large tobaccos
- Clearing around natives being smothered by w**ds
- Removing invasives including African Boxhorn, Easter Cassia, and Lillium Formosas

🍰 11am - Morning tea

What to bring:
👩🏽‍🌾 Gloves
💦 Water bottle
🧢 Hat
🦺 Long sleeve shirts and pants
🥾Closed in toe shoes
🐦‍⬛ Binoculars (if you have)

See you there!

Friends of Parks Queensland

06/05/2026

‼️ May Event Alert! 🔔

We have two bird-related events happening this month linking bird monitoring in with land care projects. So get your binoculars out and join us for some fun!

1️⃣ May Catch up: Carricks Creek Restoration Project + Glossy Black-Cockatoo Count
Sun 17th May, 8-11am
🚙 Meet at The Settlement Day Use Area

Alongside our Carricks Creek Restoration Project, we'll also be surveying for Glossy Black-cockatoos to contribute to this east coast-wide annual survey. Data collected during the Great Glossy Count will support vital recovery planning, conservation, and habitat management for these threatened species.

2️⃣ 🐦 BirdLife Australia Workshop: Incorporating Bird Monitoring into land care projects
Sun May 24th, 2-4:30pm
🏡 Springbrook Community Hall

Join BirdLife Australia and local bird specialist Melissa Whitby for a wonderful afternoon of birding and bird surveying. At this event, we'll also be announcing a new 'Monitoring and Maintenance team' (the M+M crew 😎) opportunity for volunteers.... more about that soon.

Please note, tickets are free however numbers are capped so you need to book via this link
👇🏽
https://events.humanitix.com/birdlife-australia-bird-monitoring-workshop-springbrook

What bird are you hoping to see this month?

Watergum Friends of Parks Queensland

17/04/2026

Horror story or friendly nature spotlighting fun?
If you thought Springbrook had no nightlife, then think again! Last week some of our W**d Busters enjoyed a night out at Twin Falls exploring the natural nightlife. It was quite magical with Short-eared Brush Possums, Leaf Tailed Geckos, bioluminescent fungi and the sounds of Twin Falls raging after wet weather.

Why the red torches? Many species cannot perceive red light or are less sensitive than white light which can interfere with circadian rhythms and make some species more vulnerable to prey. Have you tried walking via red torch?