Transition The Grove

Balance Between Food Security & Natural Species

As Peak Oil and Climate Change create urgent needs to establish local food growing in The Grove, the focus shifts from regenerating bush with native species to plants which produce food in sufficient quantities and nutritional types to meet community needs.. At the same time, The Grove is blessed with natural features (forests, creeks, species) which have their own needs and values to all of us. There are discussions to be had about how to proceed and where the balance lies. The benefits of carbon capture are equally available through food-producing tree and palm species and native species. There is competition between species for soil, sunlight, nutrients and space, so choice and decision is involved.

Bioregions

The Grove is a natural catchment area, nestled within the D'Aguilar Range. It is a heart-shaped region, and is visible 'from space' - trying looking on Google Maps.

Height above sea level

The Grove is between 56 metres above sea level (where Cedar Creek and Kedron Brook join) and 414 metres above sea level at the top of the range (Camp Mountain 414 metres). A 200 metre contour runs through a large part of Upper Kedron, with one 206m peak in Ferny Grove. Unnamed peaks are at 206m, 215m, 245m, 309m and 300m.

The D'Aguilar Range begins in the western suburbs of Brisbane, and reaches north to the township of Woodford. It is a vast bushland area, including Brisbane Forest Park which reaches into The Grove.

  This map is taken from a contour map of the region, and has been simply coloured to try to identify the mountains and waterways and roads. It is noticeably heart-shaped (on its side).

My Neighbourhood Map
Use this tool to get a contour map with heights above sea level by selecting the Suburb, and checking the Environment map layer. As you can see, The Grove is well above sea level.

Wish list:  For the artists in The Grove to create a pictorial representation of The Grove around the themes of its mountains (on 3 sides), its forests, its waterways and its shape which is even visible from space.

Wish list:  For photos taken within The Grove to add to the website - special views and places, species, waterways, events

Brisbane City Council's Cityplan 2000 includes Ferny Grove and Upper Kedron in Chapter 4.
This plan shows:

• Habitat areas and ecological corridors to be preserved (to Mt Nebo and Brompton Rd)
  
• Landscape trees that must be retained (51 Ross Rd (hoop pines, silky oaks, fig trees, foambark), 458 Levitt Rd (bunya pine), 433 Levitt Rd (crows ash), 298 Levitt Rd (hoop pines), 48 McGinn Rd (hoop pines, bunya pine, silky oak, fig trees)
• Corridor link parks enhancing biodiversity and waterway function (Cedar Creek to Bellbird Grove and Kedron Brook at Keperr Picnic Grounds)
• The very large amount of land in Upper Kedron that is set aside as waterway corridors around Cedar Creek.

Catchment Management

Cedar Creek

Kedron Brook
The photo in the header of Transition The Grove webpages is a photo of Kedron Brook.

Kedron Brook history

Snakes

Queensland Reptile and Amphibian Club Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Queensland, Theatre level 2 every 2nd Wednesday of every second month at 7.30 Contact Secretary Alma Searle +61 7 3200 0266

Snakes are out in force. A record number of snake bites (64 this year in Queensland) has resulted in a warning.

Take extra care to avoid snakes at this time of year. 3 found in Patricks Rd School grounds recently.

If bitten:

• assume venomous and phone 000 immediately
• stay calm, and don't move as movement increases heart rate and causes lymph flow which carries the venom around the body
• avoid washing the wound as hospitals can test the bandage for poison and may be able to identify the type of snake
• bandage over the snake bit firmly and then work the bandage right up the limb
• the more bandages the better
• if possible bind a stick into the bandage to immobilize the limb
  

Pests

Department of Natural Resources and Mines Pest Management and Pest fact sheets

• Freshwater mosquitos
• Cane toads
• Feral cats
• Wild dogs
• European fox
• Red-eared slider turtle
• Contact Department of Natural Resources and Mines 1800 999 367
  
• Rabbits
• Yellow crazy ants
• Common myna birds
• European honey bees
• Deer
• Exotic aquarium fish  (guppies, platys, swordtails, mosquitofish (gambusia), tilapia, carp/goldfish)
• Ring Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries to report or identify 13 25 23
  
• Exotic aquatic weeds (salvinia, senegal tea, alligator weed, water hyacinth, water lettuce, cabomba)

You can help by using only native fish in your aquarium (crimson spotted rainbow fish, pacific blue eye, firetail gudgeon, eel-tailed catfish). They are great for reducing mosquitos.

Local Fauna

What is Biodiversity?

Invertebrates

• Worms
• Shovel-headed garden flatworm Bipalium kewense
• Blue garden flatworm Caenoplana coerulea
• Planarians
• Gordian worms (wireworms, horsehair worms) Gordiuss spp. Chordodes spp.
• Earthworms Oligochaeta, Digaster spp., Amynthas spp., Tubifex spp.
• Leech Chtonobdella whitmani
  
• Land snails and slugs
  
• Fastosarion virens
• Nitor pudibunda
• Sphaerospira mattea
• Xanthomelon pachystylum
• Meridolum gilberti
  
• Papuexul bidwilli
• Triboniophorus graeffei
• Deroceras panormitanum
• Lehmannia nyctelia
• Limax maximus
• Vaginulus plebeius
• Laevicaulis alte
• Bradybaena similaris
• Helix aspersa
  
• Spiders

Spider species in The Grove

• Arachnids and Myriapods

Scorpions

• Large Brown Scorpion Nocturnal. Sting delivered by tail, not known to be dangerous
  
• Small Mottled Scorpion Sting not known to be dangerous

Mites and Ticks

• Mites
• Ticks Dangerous paralysing toxin is released by adult female Scrub Ticks after several days feeding.

Pseudoscorpions

• Pseudoscorpions

Harvestmen

• Harvestmen

Centipedes and Millipedes

• Centipedes Bite causes severe pain which may last for several days. No deaths recorded
  
• Millipedes. Favorite food of funnel-web spiders.
• Pill Millipedes
  

• Dragonflies and damselflies
• Termites
• Cicadas
• Beetles and bugs
• Lacewings
  
• Butterflies and moths

• Wasps and bees

Vertebrates

• Freshwater fish
• Lungfish
• Exotic fish
• Frogs
• Cane Toad Bufo marinus 
  
• Eggs are unlike those of native frogs. They resembel a long string of egg noodles. Tadpoles swim and feed in schools.
  
• Cane Toads are toxic at all stages of life. Care should be taken when handling because of toxic skin secretions.
  

How you can 'grow' Frogs in the Backyard

Would you like to have your own frog pond in your backyard? Jenny from Queensland Frog Society will tell you how. Royal Geographical Society of Queensland, 237 Milton Rd, Milton (UBD 21 L1) 7.30pm Tuesday 23 March 2010

• Freshwater turtles
• Eastern Long-necked Turtle
• Broad-shelled River Turtle
• Saw-shelled Turtle
• Brisbane Short-necked Turtle
  
• Lizards

Geckos

• Asian House Gecko
• Thick-tailed Gecko
• Robust Velvet Gecko
• Spotted Velvet Gecko

Dragons

• Tommy Round-head
• Nobbi Dragon
• Southern Angle-headed Dragon
• Eastern Water Dragon
• Common Bearded Dragon

Lizards

• Burton's Snake Lizard

Goannas

• Gould's Goanna
• Lace Monitor

Skinks

• Verreaux's Skink
• Carlia pectoralis
• Carlia schmeltzii
• Lively Skink
• Ctenotus arcanus
• Eastern Striped Skink
• Copper-tailed Skink
• Wall Skink
• Pink-tongued Skink
• Major Skink
• Land Mullet
• Tree Skink
• Narrow-banded Sand-swimmer
• Broad-banded Sand-swimmer
• Elf Skink
• Martin's Skink
• Tyron's SKink
• Eastern Water Skink
• Bar-sided Skink
• Secretive Skink
• Couper's Skink
• Grass Skink
• Burnett's Skink
• Fire-tailed Skink
• Ophioscincus ophioscincus
• Saproscincus rosei
• Blue-tongued Skink
  

• Snakes
• Birds
• Birds surveys
• A Native Bird Rescue Service is operated in Ferny Hills by Len 3351 4068 or 0417 193 573
  

Bird species identified in The Grove

• Monotremes and marsupials
• Bats
• Rats and mice

Soil Profiles

Hills & Mountains

So far we have not been able to identify names for most of the peaks in The Grove. The most significant one is Camp Mountain (414 metres) at the north-westernmost point of The Grove. Other peaks stand at 206m, 215m, 245m, 309m, and 300m (McAffees Lookout).

Bushcare

• Wahminda Grove Bushcare Group
• Ferny Grove Bushcare Group
• Cedar Creek Bushcare Group
• Queensland Frog Society
  
• Weeds
• Many weeds threaten our local bushlands and waterways. Brisbane City Council has a weed identification tool and information on new and emerging weed species.
• Suspected plants should be sampled by the Queensland Herbarium at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha.
  

• Kedron Brook branch  and the North-West Brisbane branch of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland
• Queensland's Vanishing Wildlife
• What can I do?
  

Fire Management

Geology

The range offers striking contrasts with its diversity of habitats and plant communities, providing sanctuary for around 90 species of reptiles and amphibians, 65 species of mammals and 270 species of birds. There are remote gorges, sheltered pockets of subtropical rainforest, expansive forests and spectacular views.

Around the 1860s gold prospectors staked their claims on quartz-bearing rock in the hope of striking it rich. The mines produced only small amounts of gold and were abandoned in the 1950s.  Old mine shafts and adits are still there along the Golden Boulder track at Bellbird Grove.

The forest is crossed by walking, bike-riding and horse-riding trails, and some wild camping areas (permits needed).

Domestic animals are not permitted in the park.

Carry adequate drinking water and a mobile phone. Drinking water is not provided on park.

Forests, Trees and Plants

The Grove is well-supplied with forests and plant species. There are 3 local bushcare groups.

National Parks

• Brisbane Forest Park
  

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