Bushcare Groups
Volunteering
PPCG warmly invites community volunteers to come along to bushcare sessions at Anstead Bushland Reserve and Pullenvale Forest Park, where you can learn about our current activities and contribute to our regeneration efforts. To receive reminders about the bushcare mornings, you can sign up for the PPCG newsletter by becoming a member or following us on Facebook.
Please bring a water bottle, sun-smart clothing (including sunscreen, hat etc) and a keenness to learn about our local environment. We will ask you to sign a volunteer form and adhere to any COVID-19 sign-in requirements or restrictions that are in place at the time.
Anstead Bushland Reserve
Anstead Bushland Reserve, at over 130 hectares, is Brisbane City Council’s largest nature reserve on the river. It is comprised of several different regional ecosystems and provides habitat for a number of threatened species including koalas. The Reserve has excellent sheltered BBQ and picnic facilities and is a popular location for recreational users. There is a network of short-distance walking tracks, regularly used by bushwalkers, dog walkers, bird watchers and horse riders.
A highlight is the Quarry Lookout, a 1-kilometre walk from the main carpark, which offers views of the Brisbane River and west to the D’Aguilar Range. Located at the historically significant site of the old Moggill Quarry, this area still retains relics and reminders of the past. There is a history display panel at the Lookout which illustrates aspects of the local area’s (and particularly the quarry’s) history. At the base of the quarry, there is another lookout closer to the banks of the Brisbane River. It can be accessed via a walk down a steep track, which must be used with caution. There is another panel near the lower lookout with additional historical information.
The main entrance to the Anstead Reserve is from Hawkesbury Road, a short distance from the Mount Crosby Road intersection (UBD 195 N4).
Bushcare Activities
The enhancement of ecosystems within Anstead Bushland Reserve has been actively pursued over many years by Anstead bushcare groups with support from the Brisbane City Council and assistance from the local community. The current group, Friends of Anstead Bushland (FOAB), has three projects in train in the Reserve. These are elaborated in a Site Plan devised in collaboration with Brisbane City Council. They include:
(1) Enhancing ecosystems through natural bush regeneration;
(2) Maintaining and enhancing previously replanted high visibility areas;
(3) Improving habitat for the vulnerable Delma torquata (a small legless lizard that has been observed in the Reserve).
Come along to a bushcare session and join the Friends of Anstead Bushland in putting their projects into action. Bushcare sessions are held on the first Sunday of each month except January, from 7-9:30am in the summer months (from October to March) and from 8:30-11:00am from April to September, with morning tea provided. Additional sessions (on Saturday afternoons and Friday mornings) are also held during the year. For more information on bushcare sessions and other events in Anstead Bushland Reserve see our Events Calendar, or contact Friends of Anstead Bushland coordinator, Gillian Whitehouse by emailing contactus@pullenpullencatchments.org.au or gillianmw1949@icloud.com.
Pullenvale Forest Park
Pullenvale Forest Park has a large open grassed area with shaded picnic and BBQ facilities, popular with families and recreational users. For the nature enthusiasts, there are walking tracks that extend deeper into the 12 hectare park, through rainforest, vine forest and eucalypt forests.
A highlight of the park is a newly constructed boardwalk along Pullen Pullen Creek providing a place to sit and enjoy the beauty of the park. This boardwalk is ideally suited for wheelchair visitors. Entry to Pullenvale Forest Park is from Pullenvale Rd, 400m from Grandview Rd Intersection, and from Fisher Place, Woodcrest Estate (UBD 176 H14).
Bushcare Activities
The protection and restoration of the park’s forests is in large part thanks to the PFP Bushcare Group and community members undertaking tree planting and bush regeneration activities. We warmly welcome community members to come along to bushcare mornings and help plant a few trees or pull out a few weeds.
PFP bushcare activites are the second Sunday of each month from 7:30-9:30am in the summer months (from October to March) and from 8:30-11:00am from April to September, with morning tea provided. To confirm details, contact the bushcare co-ordinator, Lynn Brown by emailing contactus@pullenpullencatchments.org.au or phone 0417 648 050.