Written by Callum Rawlins – 24 April 2025
Seventeen years ago, B4C formed a lasting partnership with Gulf Rivers Landcare, a committed catchment group based in north-west Queensland. What began with the Twin Rivers project has grown into a valuable exchange of knowledge and skills between urban and remote landcare communities.
Thanks to support from the Bulimba Creek Environment Fund, two B4C volunteers travel to Mt Isa each year to join Southern Gulf Landcare in a variety of hands-on projects. These have included establishing school vegetable gardens, running kids’ fishing days, supporting local heritage and community events, and helping to manage invasive weeds of national significance.
This year, I had the privilege of joining Amie Wimberly from B4C’s Landcare Services Unit for the journey. Over the course of a week, we worked alongside Southern Gulf Landcare to target four high-priority weeds in remote areas around Mt Isa and Cloncurry.
Most people imagine Queensland’s north-west as dry and barren—but thanks to recent rainfall, the landscape was alive with colour. The deep red soil was dotted with lush greenery, and we came across both familiar and new species of plants and animals. The stunning scenery made the hard work feel easier.
Southern Gulf Landcare often operates in remote locations, camping on large cattle stations and working across rivers, creeks, dams and lakes. Our hosts—Mark, Charles and Paul—have been managing invasive weeds in these vast landscapes for years. Uncontrolled, these weeds can reduce the productivity of pastoral land and crowd out native species.
During our time there, we covered roughly 30km of creeks and red-dirt country, focusing on the following weed species.
🌿 Belly Ache Bush (Jatropha gossypiifolia)
We camped for three days on the Corella River, hand-pulling around 3,500 plants. This site has been managed for 17 years. The weed grows thickly and spreads easily, even up cliffsides.
🌿 Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)
A thorny tree that forms dense thickets. We treated mature, seeding plants using a basal bark method. These trees limit access to waterways and compete with native vegetation.
🌿 Rubber Vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora)
Found along sandy creek beds, its wind-blown seeds spread rapidly. Mature vines can collapse native tree canopies, drastically altering the landscape.
🌿 Coral Cactus (Cylindropuntia fulgida var. mamillata)
This slow-growing cactus doesn’t reproduce by seed, but by segments that break off and re-root elsewhere. It’s often found near old mine sites where it was planted as a security measure. The team has released a biological control agent—cochineal insects—to manage its spread.
Lessons from the Outback
Spending time with Southern Gulf Landcare reminded us that while urban and remote landcare differ in many ways, they also share important similarities. Many invasive species began as ornamental plants, regardless of setting. But in remote regions, controlling them is far more challenging due to limited access, fewer volunteers, and the sheer size of properties—some rival the size of suburbs in South East Queensland.
As I swam in the creeks at our campsite, I thought about conversations I’ve had with landholders in Brisbane. They remember swimming in the creeks of their youth and hope their children can do the same—but now those waterways are often choked with litter and pollution.
While we work to restore our urban waterways, it’s just as important to protect the remote, pristine creeks still flowing in Queensland’s outback.
Another striking difference is how the creeks behave. In Brisbane, our creeks flow year-round. But in the north-west, many creeks stay dry until the wet season hits—when they can suddenly surge, carrying away rocks and sediment in dramatic, short-lived floods.
This “twinning” experience was a powerful reminder of how landcare connects people, places and purpose—no matter the landscape.
