Beachmere Quandamooka Country

The local dynamism

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Tue, 24 May 2022 11:32:00 +0000

This is my neighbourhood.

On the horizon is Moorgumpin -- 'place of sandhills' -- which is the Aboriginal name for Moreton Island. The body of water that forms behind it is Quandamooka country -- aka Moreton Bay.

The POV is from Woorim on Bribie Island.

Both Bribie and Moorgumpin are composed of sand.

Any coastal dweller will relate to the tortuous twirl of clouds offshore. The end point of Moorgumpin -- aka Cape Moreton -- acts like a fulcrum for the weather, such that those clouds seem to pivot towards the shores of Australia to offer their moisture to the land.

The gap between Bribie and Moorgumpin holds the main shipping channel into Brisbane.

Moorgumpin makes for great sun and moon rises as we're looking due east, and when the weather is ruled by thunderstorms there's always a lot of storm cell activity on the other side of those sand hills.

So this spot is very dynamic because nothing is anchored as wind, currents, tide and waves rule

Relentless Surge

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 10:31:00 +0000

This morning's very high and storm tide was choppy -- with enough force to shave the coastline way back and take our beach away. The drains failed to flow against the force of the incoming surge. Three days of this weather has taken its toll on the shoreline.

Living seaweed

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 12:30:00 +0000

Came upon this critter next to a seagrass bed.

Yes it moves and crawls, albeit slowly, along the sandy bottom in shallow water.

My guess is that it is a type of sea cucumber -- although it looks like seaweed.

Now visiting Beachmere : Trichodesmium Algal Bloom

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 09:29:00 +0000

Now visiting our shores: Trichodesmium spp.

Trichdesmium spp. \when washed ashore can appear red, brown or blue ..

Common names: Sea Sawdust; Sea Scum.

If you see what looks like an oil or paint spill on a beach between the months of August and December it is very likely that it is a bloom of Trichodesmium spp. This algae is generally not harmful but can look unsightly and produce a putrid ‘fishy’ odour. Ref.

As Take Action for Pumicestone Passage points out:

“What does stimulate cell division and blooms in Trichodesmium is access to
bioavailable phosphorous, iron and COz. Being a cyanobacterium,
Trichodesmium is not limited by Nitrogen as it can fix that from the air. lt is,
however, limited by available phosphorous and iron, and COZ. Stormwater will, of
course, be a logical source of all of these whenever it drains from urban areas
where houses and fertilized lawns are built on acid sulphate soils. So it makes
sense that the initial inoculum of low density Trichodesmium from offshore would
bloom to extremely high/obnoxious cell densities when it has access to usually
limiting nutrients in stormwater from modified urban areas.”
With all of Golden Beach and surrounding suburbs in an area of Acid Sulphate
Soils, (ASS), this is an important consideration for all residents living in the
immediate catchment of Pumicestone Passage. Don’t use excessive fertiliser on
lawns and gardens and don’t allow water from gardens to run into
stormwater drains. Trichodesmium is most likely to appear between August and
December and that is probably the same time as we are developing our
“springtime” garden. Don’t waste water by allowing it run into the drain.

So go easy on the fertiliser. Given our sandy soil it is sure to run away anyway.The photograph was taken near the first drain north of Beachmere Rd.

Beachmere foreshore defence against coastal erosion with vetiver: project proceeds.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 10:18:00 +0000

Vetiver in Beachmere: along the shoreline.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 12:12:00 +0000

Vetiver is now planted in 4 properties along the Beachmere shoreline.

A lot cheaper than rocks, the Vetiver system is built on the fact that each clump of grass goes down 2 metres.

Trim to 30cm height as required above ground. The plant is sterile so it will not self seed or run.

Vetiver is used all around the world for erosion control, water purification, fodder/forage and various horticulture. applications.

Our Vetiver nursery is located in Beachmere..

More information HERE.

A walk in the 'hood.High high tide after last night's storm.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Sat, 14 Dec 2019 01:27:00 +0000

Coastcare/Landcare for Beachmere?

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 05:22:00 +0000

Anyone interested in forming a local Beachmere Landcare group?

Probably in our case it would be a Coastcare formation.

"Coastcare is a community volunteer group made up of everyday Australians who care passionately about the protection and management of our coastal and marine environments. They identify local environmental problems and work together with government, local businesses and interest groups to achieve practical, sustainable solutions."

We have a threatened shoreline and riverbank -- with mangroves, salt marshes, seagrass beds,catchments and tidal waterways in a state of decline requiring urgent guardianship and renewal.

The Landcare process has proven itself over 30 years through its commitment to sustainable land management.

Any one interested, please Contact Dave Riley by emailing ratbagradio@gmail.com.

Hopefully we can move towards a public meeting and launch early in the New Year.

What we have lost in just the last 10 years: looking south

Frustrated with Beachmere's Sandy Soil? Make Your Vegie or Herb Garden with Milk Crates

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 07:36:00 +0000

We made these today with a few basic materials. Milk crates work really well. Compact. Space efficient. I've been using milk crates for growing herbs for years. I'm not sure how these crates 'insult' each other but if they hugged, they could 'insulate' instead.

Milk crate gardening is a simple, cheap and gradual way to overcome the brutal sandiness of Beachmere 'soil'. Ideal if you are renting.

Here are some sample patterns:

As it is the cheapness and convenience of the crates makes the appealing and very convenient.
Anything bigger is very hard to move -- and even a full crate with moist soil may require a hand trolley to shift.
I think we usually pay $2 per crate from dump shops.

Longara in Brendale sells their milk crates for $6 each,.
Butted together and compared to the cost and the far less moveable metal raised garden beds -- a 200 x 100 x 41cm will set you back close to $100 -- 6 milk crates (36.2mm x 36.2mm x 32.5cm) make for good lego at almost a third the price. And you can elevate them by adding a layer of crates underneath for easy no bend gardening.

At home here we use milk crates in so many ways. I've been collecting them for close to 20 years.

Over time, the soil becomes a bolus and holds itself together as an ecological entity and even if the weed mat frays or splits, there's no leakage of earth.
Some plants I've had colonise the crate next door to the one they were planted in.

Changes in the Brisbane Airport flight path...over Beachmere.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 23:53:00 +0000

That we live between 2 small airports (Redcliffe & Caboolture) makes for buzzing about above us -- especially helicopters -- is one of our locale's quirks.
But there may be more crowding our skies.
Check out the new runway tool for Brisbane airport:TOOL.

Screenshot below:

Sprinter Comes to the Kitchen Garden -- even in Beachmere

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 10:02:00 +0000

After a warmer than usual, a Climate Change, July gives way to August. It looks like we've had our serving of 'Winter'.
Here's a walk around the beds...now bordered by Vetiver hedges.
These hedges are cut for mulch.

The Climate We Live In

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 22:39:00 +0000

Great site for all the information you'll need for the 12 month climate view of your patch here in Brisbane

Temperature

The warm season lasts for 3.8 months, from December 1 to March 26, with an average daily high temperature above 27°C. The hottest day of the year is January 22, with an average high of 28°C and low of 22°C.
The cool season lasts for 2.8 months, from June 1 to August 26, with an average daily high temperature below 22°C. The coldest day of the year is July 29, with an average low of 10°C and high of 20°C.

Use the icon at the top of the page to switch to metric if necessary

Mangroves on the move

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 11:46:00 +0000

If you look to the sand at your feet when you are out walking the tidal flats, you'll notice that the local mangroves have set their seeds which is now floating about.
Tragically few take root and those that do, struggle to survive.
While the beachfront that now is occupied by sea walls has probably been without mangrove cover for a long (as old photographs suggest), we really do need the stands at the northern and southern sections of beach to hold our terrain in place.
Otherwise the widest section of Moreton Bay under prevailing south or north easterly winds reaches our shore with full impact.
So respect the local mangroves. We need them.
Check out this interactiver map of mangrove cover in the Beachmere neighborhood since1955.

Stingrays at Beachmere

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 21:24:00 +0000

Our local lens in the sky looks down upon the stingrays that visit every day with the incoming tide.

References and more info on local stingrays here.

Bungwall Fern

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 04:15:00 +0000

With a ready supply of oysters, poultry, dugong, fish, crab , kangaroo, turtle and more the starchy mainstay of the Gubi Gubi peoples, on whose land resides Beachmere, was the Bungwall Fern.
With so much real estate about, and our sand dune habitat, there aren't many moist niches left for this fern to prosper in the Beachmere neighborhood.
But look to the base of the Malaleucas... and remember that these ferns were tucker for thousands of years.
The images are of one cluster of Bungwall that I've found in the Conservation Park on Bishop Rd.

It is a fishbone fern and it can grow to a meter tall and often forms large stands or colonies around the bases of paperbark trees and the edges of swamps. It can tolerate brackish water. ... The stands provide habitat for frogs, lizards and insects.The fern is very resistant to fire and well established specimens often have a mound of dirt at the base which indicates a well-developed root system. Because they are a fern they do not flower or have fruit, instead they develop spores on the backs of their leaves. Apart from their contribution to the aesthetics of the Melaleuca forest where they can provide a vivid green understory; they also stabilise the soil, trap nutrients and help to protect stands of Melaleuca from intense, high temperature bushfires.Redcliffe Environment Forum.

Cormorants at Beachmere

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 03:49:00 +0000

For reasons that are probably healthy, a large flock of Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) has moved into Beachmere's shores.
Anecdotally, too, there seems more pelicans about.
Let's keep these birds happy in their fly in AirBnB.

Keep your distance. Keep dogs on leash. Take care with your fishing gear hooks and line.

Foraging Little Black Cormorants may occur in flocks of hundreds or possibly thousands, which sometimes feed co-operatively. They have been recorded surrounding schools of fish in open water, and forming a line across marine inlets to catch fish washed out on ebbing tides. Flocks advance across the water’s surface, with birds flying ahead from the rear, alighting and diving in front of the feeding flock.
It catches prey underwater, by diving and swimming using its large, fully webbed feet for propulsion. It has special nictitating membranes that cover and protect the eyes underwater. As their feathers are not waterproof, cormorants are regularly seen perched with their wings outstretched to dry after fishing.

Good Year for Warrigal Greens

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 04:33:00 +0000

You cannot say that Warrigal Greens cover the sand at our feet like a carpet, but they're there along the shoreline sprouting forth at any opportunity.
And today heralds a good year for them.
The clumps are already large -- and there are many of them.
When you are next out walking the coast drop your eyes every now and then. Maybe crouch down to examine these plants which are seriously edible.

I personally prefer them to Silver beet or Spinach. They go well in dishes that combine 'spinach' and feta like Spanakopita. (aka: filo pastry with spinach).
Today they are a specialty produce for chefs but they grow well in the home garden.

The Curse of the Sheoak

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 03:32:00 +0000

Nothing matches the murmur of the wind through a grove of Sheoaks. Indeed, Coastal Sheoak (Casuarina equisetifolia) may be the most common tree in Beachmere bush areas and along the coastline.

But there is a price.
Elsewhere around the world is is treated as a weed.
Sheoaks suppress other plants and don't perform well in the fight against erosion.
A large grove of Sheoaks are usually birdlife hostile. That's why they have been planted around the Brisbane airport.
No one want birdstrike when they're flying off to visit grandma.
But anyone who has walked the beaches of Beachmere, Bribie or Moreton Island knows -- these trees uproot and fall over like so many disheveled dominoes.
If you want to hang onto your share of the sandpit, maybe reconsider and plant the wonderful Pandanus instead.

The Vetiver Community Project, Beachmere

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 10:16:00 +0000

The Vetiver Community Project may be a novice exercise, but the potential is awesome.

Vetiver Grass is a unique bio-engineering tool that could prevent Deception Bay coming ashore -- more than it has -- and stealing our coastline.

Vetiver is a fast growing sterile grass with very deep roots. Resilient to drought and similar extreme conditions with a salt tolerance that should suit planting out along the local coastline and in low lying farms -- as mulch, erosion control or forage.

Research suggests that initial Vetiver plantings serve as a coloniser species that foster the return of native flora. Since Vetiver does not self seed, there is no chance that the plant will become invasive.

I've been experimenting with Vetiver for 4 years and I'm currently running three experimental projects locally and another out west near Chinchilla.

From the POV of my research and experience -- and with reference to professional designers of the Vetiver System -- I think Vetiver has the following potential uses in our immediate region:

Protecting the shoreline from erosion due to the impact of storm surge, sea level rise, human foot traffic and King Tides.
Consolidating the banks of flood mitigation drains that criss-cross the Caboolture River floodplain and hedging swamp areas. Similarly, firming up dam walls from erosion caused by stock access.
In town, serving as a ready mulch supply, specimen plant and kitchen garden push/pull tool impacting insect numbers and soil microbiology.
In horticulture Vetiver also serves as a windbreak and tool to manage insects.
Preserving and protecting the vulnerable northern bank of the Caboolture River to encourage the return of a mangrove and Wallum riparian habitat.

The big challenge long term is supplying enough plant stock at a cost that can enable such usage. This is why the project has to be community based.

The Vetiver Community Project is a plant nursery run by Dave Riley that harvests and grows Vetiver for local community applications and use. It is based in Beachmere -- a township on Moreton Bay -- just north of Brisbane, Australia.

About

Project Gallery

How to order/costs

Contact

'Moorgumpin' -- Clouds over Moreton Island.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 08:46:00 +0000

Clouds over Moreton Island.

'Moorgumpin' ( meaning "place of sandhills").

Country of the Ngugi people.

A lot of activity dilly dallies offshore,in the Coral Sea hugging the coast, and considers becoming

terrestrial. Sometimes will. Sometimes won't.

Looking east toward Moreton --and its weather -- is always magical as 3 large sand islands come into view:“Boorabee”(Bribie Is), "Moorgumpin" (Moreton Is) and "Minjerribah" (North Stradbroke).

Moreton Island -- known as “Moorgumpin” in the Quandamooka language-- is the third largest sand island in the world (after Fraser and North Stradbroke).

The big hill we can see from Beachmere and the highest point on the island is Mount Tempest, which at 280 metres high is reputedly the highest, stabilised, coastal sandhill in the world.

Close to Mount Tempest is another large sandhill—Storm Mountain at 264 metres.

The Indigenous people of Moorgumpin are known as the Ngugi. Moorgumpin lies within the area referred to as Quandamooka. Quandamooka is commonly defined as the Moreton Bay region. Extensive site surveys have established that the Ngugi people lived permanently on the Island, maintaining a marine-based lifestyle for over 2000 years. Fish, shellfish, dugong, turtle and crustaceans formed a major portion of their diet, which was supplemented by the bungwall fern (Blechnum indicum), midyim berries (Austromyrtus dulcis), pandanus and honey.

Bungwall Fern (blechnum indicum)

Midyim Berry (Austromyrtus dulcis)

The School Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 11:20:00 +0000

A bit wet for the children to be gardening at the moment... but the perennials are coming on keenly.

Thanks so much to those who donated bananas and pawpaws to help kick start the new 'chill out' area.

The seats were constructed from timber logged from school trimmings.

We are beginning to drown in passion fruit and the gourds and squashes are seriously away.

Herbs a'plenty. Pumpkins. Dragon fruit....

Waiting on tomatoes.

Coastal Project #1 : April 13th, 2019

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 07:51:00 +0000

I believe Vetiver can play a useful role in the Beachmere region.
An inexpensive alternative to sea walls with probably better bio-engineering logistics given that the roots can potentially reach 2 metres deep.
For hobby farms it can protect dam/pond banks from hoof erosion, serve as stock feed and for frequent hay/fodder harvest.

In the backyard garden, it is a free as-needed mulch harvest, wind break, with many advantages in pest management.
Along our section of the Caboolture River it could be an erosion game changer...enabling the return of native riparian species.
Ultimately, Vetiver coastal plantings could foster the return of mangroves in coastal sections where they no longer thrive -- and mangroves are our best protection against storm surge..
All hypothetical. Proven elsewhere... so locally let's see, what is possible:

Updates here: Vetiver Community Project.

SunFlower Maze

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 06:36:00 +0000

We had an 'official'* opening of the Beachmere State School Sunflower Maze today, with preschooler and kindergarten guests.
The young tourists planted some tomatoes and munched through some of our cucumber harvest.
Maze planted and nursed by the primary school students in the school garden and students from Years 5 and 6 conducted the youngsters through the maze (in case we lost any**).
The Maze will persist as a perennial Vetiver grass maze over the next few years.
Parents can access the Maze on Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings.

* BSS Principal, Brad Geisel, cut the ribbon.
** No children have permanently been lost in the Maze.

Book in. Volunteer at the Beachmere State School. Help grow kids.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 22:57:00 +0000

Here's your chance to help out the young in our community.

Beachmere State School runs a volunteer program that enables folk like you to work with and for the children of our community.

There is a range of volunteer options to choose from and you get to work in a dynamic educational community.

From facilitating the school community garden to helping out with reading or food prep, the volunteer team is an essential element in the school's day to day activities.

Interested?

The next Volunteer Induction will be held on Tuesday 7 February at 2pm.

Ring the school on 5433 9222 to flag your interest and book in.

SPECIAL REQUEST

The school garden project needs keen gardeners. If you have any penchant to green thumbery, each Tuesday (all day) we need adults to work with a succession of nine grades -- from prep up -- planting, harvesting and mucking about growing stuff.

Great kids to work with.

As well as out and about among the beds, we have a very large shade tunnel to work in.

Each year we try to make the program more child friendly and so much of it -- as well as garden maintenance -- relies on the contribution of volunteers For more information about the school garden, please phone Dave Riley on 0499 728 372.

New Walkway along foreshore

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Riley) — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 00:14:00 +0000

Beachmere has got its southern foreshore back after renovations.
We now have an extended paved walkway that stretches north from the dog park and includes more stairs and a fishing/viewing platform....sheoaks and cotton trees.
Just the trick for a promenade.
Access via Kunde Street or Biggs Ave.