Pioneer Catchment & Landcare Group Inc.

16/06/2026

🎉 Grant Success! 🎉

We’re excited to share that Pioneer Catchment Landcare has been awarded a Community Fund Grant from North Queensland Bulk Ports (NQBP)!

This fantastic funding will allow us to repair the bridges around the Wetlands Walkabout, ensuring the site is safe, accessible and ready to welcome visitors for our grand opening in August.

The Wetlands Walkabout is set to become a valuable community space for nature connection, learning and recreation, and this support brings us one step closer to opening its gates.

A huge thank you to NQBP for investing in our community and helping make this project a reality. We can't wait to share the finished result with you all! 🌿💚

10/06/2026

🌿 Protecting Our Beach Scrub Community Field Day 🌿

Did you know that coastal beach scrub is one of Queensland's threatened ecological communities?

Beach scrub is a unique type of coastal rainforest that grows behind our dunes, forming a natural green barrier between the ocean and inland areas. These diverse plant communities provide critical habitat for native birds, reptiles, insects and mammals, protect our coastline from erosion and storm impacts and help stabilise sandy soils.

Unfortunately, beach scrub is under increasing pressure from invasive weeds, habitat fragmentation, vehicle damage, inappropriate clearing and coastal development. Once lost, these complex ecosystems can take decades to recover.

The good news is that everyone can play a role in protecting beach scrub by:
- Staying on designated tracks and pathways
- Keeping vehicles out of sensitive coastal vegetation
- Supporting local conservation and restoration projects

Join Pioneer Catchment Landcare for a FREE community field day and learn how local groups are working together to restore and protect this important ecosystem.

🌱 Hands-on beach scrub restoration advice
🌱 Live forestry mulching demonstrations
🌱 Learn techniques for invasive Leucaena control
🌱 Interactive displays from local organisations
🌱 Pest species education and awareness
🌱 Check out the latest vessel from Marine Rescue Queensland
🌱 Free sausage sizzle

📅 Sunday 21 June
⏰ 10:00am – 12:00pm
📍 Midge Point Road, next to Marine Rescue Queensland

Come along, connect with your community and discover how we can work together to safeguard our coastal environment for future generations. 🌊🌿

All welcome!

05/06/2026

🌏Happy World Environment Day!🌏

Here's a huge thank you for everyone who makes an effort, no matter how small, to look after and improve our environment!

Whether you pick up a bit of litter on your walk, help control invasive weeds, plant native plants in your garden or help with revegetation on a larger scale - know that each little thing you do will help our world be a better place for the future. 💚💚💚

01/06/2026

The power of our regional landcare organisations!!

01/06/2026

Pioneer Catchment Landcare and the MNEC Nursery team recently joined forces for a fantastic propagation morning with students from Mackay Christian College!

The day was packed with hands-on learning as students explored:
🌿 Different watering regimes
🌿 How to create various potting mixes
🌿 Seed preparation techniques
🌿 Propagation using native seeds and cuttings from our beautiful local region

A huge thank you to the students and teachers from Mackay Christian College — your enthusiasm, humour and passion for learning made the morning so much fun. We absolutely loved working with you! 💚

We’d also like to give a heartfelt thank you to the amazing nursery ladies whose knowledge, guidance and stunning Botanic Gardens nursery helped make the experience so educational and inspiring.

👉 We are now taking expressions of interest from schools for next financial year’s visits, excursions and environmental education experiences!

Our environmental education programs are offered FREE to schools, kindergartens and daycares across the Mackay region. If you know a school, teacher or parent who would like more information, we’d love to hear from you — get in touch! 🌏✨

27/05/2026

🌿 Introducing the NEW Junior Landcare Ranger Program! 🌿

Yesterday we officially launched our exciting new Junior Landcare Ranger Program with 5 lucky schools across the Mackay region!

The program gives students their very own Nature Passport packed with 5 hands-on environmental challenges to complete. From planting trees and cleaning up waterways, to learning about pest plants and animals 🐾 and even searching for one of our most iconic local species - the elusive platypus! - students will become real environmental champions in their communities.

Once the activities are completed, students will earn an exclusive Junior Landcare Ranger badge and officially become part of the growing Junior Landcare movement! 🏅🌏

A huge thank you to the incredible schools taking part in the very first round of the program:
👏 Gargett State School
👏 Whitsunday Anglican School
👏 Glenella State School
👏 Chelona State School
👏 Conningsby State School

We can’t wait to see your students out exploring, learning and caring for the environment!

Massive thanks also to M&P Services for generously funding this program and helping bring this exciting opportunity to life for local students and schools. 💚

This is just the beginning… watch this space as the Junior Landcare Ranger Program grows! 🌿🐸🦋

12/05/2026

Still time to register!!!
🖤🐦 Join the Great Glossy Count at Notch Point! 🌿

Pioneer and Sarina Landcare Catchment Management Assoc. are inviting the community to be part of the 2026 Great Glossy Count — a nationwide citizen science event helping protect the vulnerable Glossy Black-Cockatoo.

📍 Notch Point
📅 Sunday 17 May 2026
⏰ Meet at 7:15am at the entry gate to Notch Point Camping Reserve

Spend the morning exploring beautiful coastal bushland while helping survey for Glossy Black-Cockatoos, feeding trees and signs of activity. No experience needed — just a love of nature and adventure!

✔ Learn how to identify Glossies and their habitat
✔ Contribute valuable conservation data
✔ Meet like-minded nature lovers
✔ Enjoy a morning in the field with local Landcare groups

Important info:
🚙 4WD or high-clearance AWD strongly recommended
🚻 Ilbilbie Service Station is the last toilet stop
💧 Bring drinking water, sun protection, closed-in shoes & BYO picnic
📷 Cameras and binoculars encouraged
☕ Light refreshments provided

🎟 FREE event but registrations are essential.
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-great-glossy-count-notch-point-survey-adventure-tickets-1989274564773?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Great Glossy Count is a citizen science event helping collect important data on Glossy Black-Cockatoos and their feeding habitat across eastern Australia.

Help save the vulnerable Glossy Black-Cockatoo by joining this years count - driving recovery planning and conservation work!!

11/05/2026

Mackay Regional Council's 🌳🌳 NATIVE PLANT GIVEAWAY is on this Saturday!!!

The Mackay Natural Environment Centre will be open this Saturday, May 16 from 9am- 12pm for a mini-open day, where ratepayers can collect up to four free plants.

It’s also a chance to have a look around the Natural Environment Centre, see how they grow native plants that are used across the region and chat to our passionate and knowledgeable staff. 👏

Getting your plants is easy! Simply bring along a rates notice. Not a ratepayer, or after extra plants – not a problem! Plants are also available for purchase for just $3 each. EFTPOS only, no cash available.

If you can’t make the open day, you can always do a click and collect through the council's website with regular public opening hours on Wednesdays between 9.30 and 11.30am.

Collection outside of this time can be arranged by contacting [email protected]

🗓 Saturday May 16
🕘 9am - 12pm
📍Mackay Natural Environment Centre, 6 Swayne Street, North Mackay

07/05/2026

06/05/2026

A huge THANK YOU to our incredible PCL volunteers who braved the rain to kick off the first stage of rehabilitating the Wetlands Walkabout! 🌧️💚

Through steady showers (and the occasional lighter patch!), we made our way around the circuit collecting seeds for propagation and taking the time to appreciate this beautiful, special place.

Of course, no Landcare morning is complete without a well-earned break - hot coffee and delicious cakes from K&Co hit the spot perfectly ☕🍰

Refuelled and slightly drier, the team got stuck into removing garden weeds from the hub area… and what a result - a whole trailer full cleared! 🙌 Thanks also to our team from PCL who came and loaded the trailer for us - we couldn't do it without your help Mitch, Levi and Lachy!

These spaces are now almost ready for planting, and we can’t wait to share the next stage with you. Watch this space for our upcoming planting event! 🌱

Thank you to the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation for the funding through the Grassroots Environmental Grants Program