Increasing Community Engagement in Townsville Coastal Catchments for Biodiversity Project
Funded by the Australian Government's Caring for our Country program.

Activities and Events

Bluewater Creek | Bohle Northshore | Bohle Riparian | Bohle Wetland | Clemant Wetlands | Cocoa Creek | Community Nurseries | Creekwatch | Cungulla Foreshore | Cungulla Wetland | GBR Habitat | Geoffrey and Alma Bay | Horseshoe Bay Habitat | Horseshoe Bay School | M.I. Weed Awareness | Mundy Creek | Nelly Bay Catchment | Nelly Bay Turtle | Northern Beaches | Oak Valley Finch | Paluma Catchment | Petersen Creek | Rainforest Birds Book | Ross River | Rowes Bay Foreshore | Rowes Bay Wetlands | Saunders Beach | Toomulla Foreshore | Town Common Bike Trail | Town Common Concept | Town Common Volunteers | Townsville Planning Scheme

Short Title: Rowes Bay Wetlands

Title: Native woodland regeneration at the Rowes Bay Wetlands

Location: Rowes Bay

Organisation: Creek to Coral

Project Summary:

Located in the suburb of Rowes Bay the wetlands were once part of a continuous system of wetlands, sand dunes and coastal flats that stretched from Kissing Point to Pallarenda and across to the Bohle River including the Town Common.

The wetlands are now bordered and contained by urban features including the Belgian Gardens cemetery, Townsville airport, part of the Rowes Bay residential area and Cape Pallarenda Road.

As with most natural places next to human settlement there is a range of exotic plants (weeds) on the fringes including some that ‘escape’ from captivity in people’s gardens and public parks. This is on top of the normal weed suspects from rural areas, roadsides and other transport corridors and of course, the blow ins. This is the case with parts of the Rowes Bay wetlands and particularly the freshwater wetland verges on the urban side of the reserve.

We ask community members living near natural areas and waterways to help prevent the spread of invasive exotic species that impact the natural values of these unique places.

[For tips on caring for your country have a look at Townsville Urban Nature]

While difficult to eradicate the majority of weed species can be contained if native vegetation is healthy and has ‘captured’ enough space to start recreating its preferred habitat. To continue habitat management efforts Creek to Coral will coordinate weed retreat activities in affected areas to allow native plants to re-establish and eventually out compete the introduced species. In association with the weed retreat activities Creek to Coral will implement a sandy soil site trial to turn the weeds back into humus to add to the soil carbon stores.

Involved Parties :

• Creek to Coral (Townsville City Council)
• Greening and Waterways Team (Integrated Sustainability Services - Townsville City Council)
• Conservation Volunteers Australia
• QPWS
• WetlandCare Australia

Completed actions and events:

•  Acknowledgement: The activities below were funded through a Caring for our Country Coastcare grant.
• Site assessment and review of the condition of the wetlands and surrounding woodlands. Vegetation and habitat maps produced
• Overfly of the wetlands in 2011 for video footage and still images
• Narrative and images assembled to compile the Rowes Bay Wetlands Interpretive Guide and website pages
• Rowes Bay Wetlands Interpretive Guide printed
• Web pages developed and linked to the Creek to Coral Learnscapes page