Brisbane Intrepid Landcare‘s yearly wilderness retreat took place at Boreen Point Campground recently. After arriving, setting up their tents and cooking up a storm on the BBQ (all while making introductions), they sat around the fire and settled in for the night.
The retreat organiser, Chris Johnson, said the weekend festivities kicked off properly on Saturday morning.
Chris’ description is as follows.
“We awoke early to the sounds of the bush. The dawn chorus in tune with the leaves rustled by the cool morning breeze – as well as a hot breakfast of bacon, eggs, and snags (not leaving out the all-too-important coffee & tea).
After a short walk along the beach, we arrived at the meeting point of our first activity: kayaking! After a short introduction and safety briefing from our guide, Rob, we launched our watercraft and set course for Cooloothin Creek. Although the round trip took nearly 3 hours to complete, we were treated to calm waters and clear skies, spectacular views of the surrounding landscape, and plenty of up-and-close moments with the local wildlife. No amount of photos could capture this – but our stowaway hitchhiker should give you some indication.
Upon our return, and after a short break to collect ourselves, we were greeted by members from two local environmental groups: Friends of Kinaba and Noosa Integrated Catchment Association. Over the next hour-and-a-half, we listened keenly as they recounted the history of the town, their experience with their local environment, and the many challenges they faced, including refurbishing the Kinaba environment information centre, consulting with developers and government, and engaging with and maintaining their membership. We were pleasantly surprised to discover one of their presenters was in fact an ecologist with a deep and wealthy understanding of the region’s natural history and culture (including fire management). Did you know the First Nations’ meaning for Cootharaba is ‘place where you can find a good war club’? These were crafted from the trunks of the locally abundant orange mangrove. It was truly an insightful, inspiring, and thought-invoking experience, one which gave everyone a newfound appreciation and perspective of the environment.
After parting ways with the local groups, and some much-needed lunch, we spent the afternoon taking in the surroundings once more. One group embarked on an adventure to the local café. Another group pulled up stumps and relaxed about the campfire, sharing even more stories. A third group set off further afield in search of more plants and birds to add to their (growing) list. I am told that conversations and debates continued on from the presentations of our earlier hosts. We later reconvened and descended upon the local pub (the Apollonian Hotel) for some much-needed sustenance and cold beverages. Being the environmentalists we are, we opted to be seated outside and underneath an old and towering pandanus (this decision was unanimous!).
The final part of the night was spent in search of some nocturnal critters (frogs galore!), stargazing (which was spectacular FYI), and in the warm embrace of the campfire (and later our sleeping bags).
But, as is always the case, all good things must come to an end. After feasting on the leftovers on Sunday morning, we packed up our belongings, shared our final goodbyes, and departed for home. The weekend was a huge success – we had a great turnout, thought-invoking discussions and debates, and, most importantly, plenty of downtime to switch off and recharge. BIL has gained new members as a result.
We want to thank the B4C for supporting the Brisbane Intrepid Landcare 2022 Wilderness Retreat, through the Bulimba Creek Environment Fund. We really appreciate it. New and lasting friendships were made and we are all looking forward to catching up with each other again at the next BIL event.”
The Bulimba Creek Environment Fund is proud to support BIL. The group also contributes funding of their own. The group and their activities help young people to develop their environmental leadership skills and become even greater assets for Brisbane’s environment and beyond.
