Dawn Road Reserve's no place for trail bikes

Why you should leave your trail bike at home when you come to the Dawn Road Reserve

• Fire risk is very high, year-round, in the reserve. It only takes one spark from a trail bike’s exhaust pipe to light a blaze that may quickly destroy the reserve, its native animals and even the properties that adjoin the reserve (that’s homes, parks and sportsgrounds in the Albany Parkside, Woodlands and Country Club estates in the Moreton Bay Regional Council area and Bridgeman Downs in Brisbane City Council area)
• There are areas of high conservation values throughout the reserve. Trail bikes cause damage to those areas as well as to undergrowth, clearings, fire and walking trails
• You risk harming native animals, birds as well as a variety of nesting areas or other habitat
• Loud noises not only annoy those living in neighbouring properties they also frighten native animals and birds, especially their young
• If you are hurt, it’s very difficult to locate where you are and get help to you
• It’s against the law to ride bikes in the reserve and, if caught, you may face a stiff fine

Come instead on foot or your pushbike and you are more likely to

• See and hear an amazing array of undisturbed flora and fauna as the seasons unfold
• Appreciate and leave undisturbed areas of great beauty and diversity
• Learn more about native animal and plant species local to your area as well as introduced and weed species of plants
• Grow to love, respect and protect the reserve as much as many others in the community already do

Things you can do to stay safe while in the reserve

• Bring a water bottle (may sure to take it home with you) because there are no taps
• Having a mobile phone is wise in case you need to summons help
• Stick to the established fire and walking trails
• Remember to watch where you put your feet and to look up ... avoid stopping/sitting underneath damaged trees, dangling branches or other overhead dangers
• Be careful when moving around the edges of the creek, where surfaces can be slippery and sometimes prone to collapse, especially after heavy rains
• If you bring stuff into the reserve (i.e., hats, bags, soft drink cans, chip packets, etc.), take it out when you leave ... there are no rubbish bins
• Look out for permanent features that you can use as landmarks (in case you need to call for help or return to a favourite spot)
• Don’t chase/approach native wildlife, appreciate it from a distance and, if you’ve a camera with you, take photos instead

Want to learn more about the reserve?

• Read on! There’s a growing collection of blog entries to explore. Click on the comment button to add your own observations or ask a question.
• Join in the Moreton Bay Regional Council’s monthly Bushcare activities to learn more about the plants and animals that populate your Dawn Road Reserve. The group meets for a two-hour working bee on the second or third Sunday of the month. For details, call Adam Christison or Wendy Heath on 07 3205 0555.

Happy exploring

TrinaMcL

Where's our ark?

WELL it's been a hectic few months at our place but the intermittant - and sometimes even torrential - rain has been rather welcome after too many dry years.

All that rain has meant lots of growth and plenty of wildlife activity in the Dawn Road Reserve and, as Easter rolled around again, the Reserve has come alive with blooms ... sadly the most prominent ones were the bright yellow escapees from local gardens, the Easter Cassia, which are becoming a real invasive nuisance in the Reserve. If you happen to have one in your yard, it would be great if you could remove it as the birds love its seeds and broadcast them far and wide.

All the rain has certainly got the ants on the move and a few other creatures, too, including this Eastern Long-Necked Turtle (sometimes known as the snake-necked turtle for obvious reasons) which appeared in our yard on Monday at lunchtime, just before the latest downpour!

We wondered whether nature was telling us it was time to acquire an ark because it's the first time in the 10 years since we moved here that we've seen a turtle at all, let alone in our yard.

This fellow's carapace (it's hard shell) was about the size of a small dinner plate and his neck was almost as long as his shell was wide. We're only assuming it's a he, because we're not experts at determining the gender of such shy creatures.

Over the recent past we've also been visited by a juvenile Eastern Water Dragon (who took a little treat from my fingers, so we're assuming he's not too wild). We've also continued to see fresh Lace Monitor markings on their favourite tree, just adjacent to our block, and the Black-Striped Wallabies are still around at night, their calling cards in evidence on our open front lawn and nearby grassy verges of the Reserve the next morning.

Have you had any special wildlife sightings at your place in the past few months? If so, share them. If not, why not enjoy a stroll through the Reserve ... there are plenty of walking trails (about 6km in total) and lots of interesting flora and fauna to see if you look around carefully.

In places, you can still see the aftermath of that destructive storm that hit Brisbane's northern suburbs back in November, but in addition to clean up work done by the council, already the Reserve has reclaimed much of the downed branches and foliage, with many damaged trees already sprouting healthy new growth.

A quick reminder - if you live in the Albany Parkside, Woodlands or Country Club estates - that our local Bushcare group that has been working on rejuvenating two key areas of the Reserve is always looking for volunteers, once a month, for two hours.

The next two Bushcare days will be Sunday, May 17 (8-10am) at the southern end of Hengis Court and then on Sunday, June 14, (8-10am) at the south-eastern end of Fred Campbell Drive. See below for what to wear/bring. In the meantime, you can checkout the latest Moreton Bay Regional Council's Bushcare newsletter, Understory, online.

Happy wanderings.

TrinaMcL