Sunshine Coast Hinterland Times

A Helping Hand in the Forest

Did you know that Barung has a range of brochures which can help you to decide which species or groups of species will be most useful for your planting needs? A recent arrival on the shelves is a little publication titled “The important role of birds and bats in rainforest regeneration” and is based on [...]

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In the Wild

Spreading Your Seed When it comes to seed dispersal you may invariably think of those gaudy members of the plant kingdom who use birds to spread their seed by hiding them in a fruit. It could be said that these plants were the first beings to master the art of advertising. That is to say – [...]

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Maleny Jobseekers get Green skills for the workplace

EIGHT Hinterland jobseekers have graduated from Queensland’s Green Army after completing 16 weeks paid work on a state government funded employment program. Four of the participants worked in national parks alongside DERM rangers, three were placed with Barung Landcare at their Landsborough nursery and the Maleny Wood Expo, and one worked at the Hinterland Business Centre. Business [...]

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HANS ERKEN’s… Passion for Bamboo

Hans Erken has maintained a passion for bamboo for more than 20 years. It has provided his living and a source of endless ideas for using this astonishing natural product. Hans, who has a propagating nursery in Maleny and a 5 acre farm at Crystal Waters, spoke to HT editor Michael Berry about bamboo and his [...]

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Caring for our Waterways

LANDCARE is of course about more than planting trees and protecting biodiversity. It is also about sustainable production, involving the community, and looking after our waterways. It’s quite incredible the amount and types of rubbish which dedicated volunteers periodically remove from our creeks and rivers. Now that the rain has eased off to some extent, although [...]

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In the Wild with Spencer Shaw

The War on Weeds – Winter campaign IT’S THAT time of year when the thermometer takes a dive and the cool winds the Blackall Range is famous (or infamous) for can howl across the hinterland. In spite of, or perhaps because of this, I reckon now is the best time of year for getting stuck into [...]

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PESTS BEWARE!

THIS NURSERY IS … Very Clean and Green AUSTRALIA’S AGRICULTURAL industries are beset by pests and disease which take constant vigil to control. But a fruit tree nursery in Woombye on the Sunshine Coast hinterland has just been awarded an international biosecure creditation – creditation based on the international Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) risk management [...]

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Becoming botanically literate

A Plant Pathology Professor has assured us that the Myrtle Rust which is now established in our region should really be called Eucalyptus Rust but that would scare the politicians too much, given the value of our eucalypts. Regardless of the name, we will have to think longer and harder about what we plant, and maximise diversity. [...]

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In the Wild with Spencer Shaw

Myrtle Rust Update… IN LAST month’s Hinterland Times, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to raise awareness of the rapid spread of Myrtle Rust (Uredo rangelii) across the Blackall Range. This plant disease had only been officially recorded for the first time in central coast New South Wales in April 2010, but had [...]

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What’s Flowering Now?

Loors Landscaping GARDEN DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND CONSULTANCY Odontonema Strictum Common name – firespike THIS SEMITROPICAL shrub from Central America can grow to 2m tall with large, lush, shiny leaves. Plumes of blood red glossy spikes of flowers are borne in late summer to Autumn. In beautiful contrast is the purplish black flower stalk. A shady protected position is best with a [...]

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