This Sunday 26th July, Friends of Pine Ridge Conservation Park is relaunching under new leader Mitch, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome the group into this new chapter. Located on Kombumerri Country, tucked in among the residential streets of Runaway Bay, just a few kilometres north of Surfers Paradise as the honeyeater flies, Pine Ridge is one of those places most locals drive past without knowing what they’re missing. But this small, 112 hectare park protects something genuinely unique: one of the last fragments of wallum habitat left on the Gold Coast. It is also the site of an incredible community-led koala habitat planting program.
What is Wallum?
If you haven’t heard of it before, “wallum” describes the distinctive coastal heath, banksia woodland and paperbark swamp that once covered most of South East Queensland’s sand plains. Almost all of it has been cleared in the Gold Coast region for housing and development. Pine Ridge is one of the last places on the mainland Gold Coast where you can still find it, and that makes it a critical refuge for species that have nowhere else to go, including the endangered Christmas bells (Blandfordia grandiflora) and lesser swamp orchid (Phiaus australis), the vulnerable tiny wattle (Acacia baueri), and fauna species like koalas and grey-headed flying-foxes that rely on the surrounding woodland. Other notable species include Boronia, trigger-plants (Stylidium), and many other spectacular, heath-associated wildflowers that are rare on the Gold Coast mainland.
An Ancient Coastline Frozen in the Sand
Pine Ridge also has an origin story that is just as fascinating as its wildlife. The sandy ridges that shape the park are remnants of an old beach dune system that was formed around 120,000 years ago when sea levels were higher than they are now. Back then, the coastline was roughly where Pine Ridge is today, and the Broadwater and South Stradbroke Island didn’t even exist yet. As sand built up behind the ancient beach, ridge after ridge formed, then were stranded as sea levels fell and the coast shifted east. What’s left is a landscape of old eroded dune ridges and the wet swales in between, which is exactly why the park is home to two very different habitats side by side: drier heathland and woodland on the ridges and the swampy melaleuca forest in low-lying areas.
This ancient landscape is also the site of an extensive shell midden, a reminder of the long-standing connection the Kombumerri people have with this Country, and just how long people have valued this small pocket of coast.
Bouncing Back After Fire
Pine Ridge has recently been impacted by an uncontrolled wildfire, with parts of the park now in recovery mode. It’s a timely reminder of how important the right fire management is for wallum habitats, which need a careful balance of burning to stay healthy but suffer when fires are too frequent, too hot or poorly timed. The upside is that recovering heath is a wonderful thing to learn from, and there’s rarely a better time to get out and see how a landscape bounces back after fire, from the first green shoots on burnt banksias to the wildflowers that follow.
Weeds: The Park’s Biggest Threat
This is exactly where the newest iteration of the Friends of Pine Ridge Conservation Park can make a real difference. Weeds are the biggest threats facing the park right now, with species such as Madeira vine, cat’s claw creeper and mile-a-minute spreading from old incursion sites and garden escapes along the boundary and threatening to smother the heath and melaleuca habitats that threatened species depend on. Regular monitoring, weeding and keeping an eye on how the park’s plants and animals respond to the fire will all be vital jobs for the new group, and there’s a role for volunteers of every skill level and experience.
Come Along This Sunday
Come along this Sunday to meet Mitch, hear what’s planned for the group, and find out how you can get involved, whether that’s removing weeds, learning to identify wallum wildflowers, keeping a lookout for koalas, or simply lending a hand. If you’ve ever wanted a way to support threatened species and healthy habitats close to home, this is it. Get in touch with Friends of Parks Queensland to find out more about Sunday’s launch, and come help make sure this last little pocket of wallum keeps bouncing back for future generations to enjoy.