There will be 50 free or low-cost activities like bushwalking, bird spotting and tree planting during the bi-annual Peaks to Points Festival in 2024. The festival runs from 20 July to 4 August and includes Ipswich, Brisbane, Redlands and Logan regions.
Read to find out what events are happening in Ipswich…
Bird Spotting at Cameron’s Scrub
On July 20 you can take part in a fun and educational guided tour with Ipswich City Council’s environment team and guest, Cesar Peuchmarin (wildlife photographer, vet student, wildlife vet nurse, writer, podcaster and filmmaker), while exploring Cameron’s Scrub (Kholo Enviroplan Reserve) and learn more about wildlife local to Ipswich.
Take in the large hoop pines, tracts of dry vine rainforest, and Eucalypts while listening and looking out for over 130 different bird species including the Black Breasted Button Quail, the White Bellied Sea Eagle, and the many other birds that call the estate home.
The event is being held at 7am on Saturday July 20 and should go for about two hours. Entry is $10, book here.
PlatypusWatch Walk and Talk
Wildlife Queensland will host a PlatypusWatch morning walking along Opossum Creek on Saturday 20 July. PlatypusWatch ecologist Dr Tamielle Brunt will be speaking about their charismatic biology, conservation, importance in a freshwater system, point out habitat features that sustain them in the area and what you can do to help.
Hopefully you will be able to spot one, but sightings are not guaranteed.
This free event is capped at 30, book here.
Death by Birding – live podcast
If you’re a bird watcher, bird fancier or simply curious this event is for you. Cesar Puechmarin, an award-winning wildlife photographer, ‘vetling’ and professional ‘procrasti-birder’ will be hosting this podocast with guests Steph Tisdell (proud Ydinji woman, actor, writer, comedian and self-confessed ‘bird person’) and Hugh Possingham, (Professor of Ecology, UQ and compulsive bird watcher).
The event will be held at 1 Nicholas Street on Saturday 20 July and is free, but registrations are required.
Bird spotting at Brookwater
Join the local landcare group and take a walk with Peter Gelding who will help you identify birds found along Opossum Creek. Tickets are free for the event on Sunday 21 July, but registrations are required.
Investigating Waterbugs
Greater Springfield’s waterways are under the microscope with this workshop. Dr David Manning will take you to a nearby section of Opossum Creek where Springfield Lakes Nature Care (SLNC) will undertake a Waterbug Blitz. David will collect several samples of water for budding citizen scientists to work together to find waterbugs, photograph and upload the images onto iNaturalist.
Participants will be shown how to collect and identify waterbugs and how to use the Waterbug Blitz App. Then you will have the skills you need to do your own Waterbug Blitz at your local freshwater waterway! All the data will be uploaded to the Waterbug App but participants can photograph any of their waterbug capture and upload their images to iNaturalist.
SLNC will provide tea, coffee, cake and fruit for morning tea. This free event being held on Sunday 21 July is suitable for participants 13 years and over because we are participating in a water way. Register here.
Birdspotting at Hardings Paddock
Join Birds Queensland on a guided walk on the Gamlen Circuit at Hardings Paddock. Expect to see bush birds like honeyeaters, lorikeets, robins and Grey Crowned Babblers. The walk will finish with morning tea at the picnic ground.
The event is being held on Tuesday 23 July 7.30am to 11.30am. The event is free but registrations are essential.
Spring Mountain Ridgetop Hike
Enjoy a 10km return hike (5km each way) from Greenbank to Spring Mountain in the White Rock- Spring Mountain Conservation Estate hosted by Wolston and Centenary Catchments Inc (WaCC) on Thursday 25 July. The hike will ascend a spur to the Spring Mountain ridge and follow the ridge to the Spring Mountain peak itself. The return will follow the same route.
The degree of difficulty is generally moderate to steep so participants should be of moderate endurance fitness. The Spring Mountain upland area is a watershed for many watercourses, including Bundamba, Woogaroo, Mountain, Opossum and Oxley Creeks. The hike takes in outlooks in all directions at various ridge-top locations.
National Tree Day- Community Tree Planting
Join Ipswich City Council along Bundamba Creek and help put over 1,600 native plants in the ground for Planet Ark’s National Tree Day on Saturday 27 July.
This planting activity will help to improve water quality and increase habitat for local native fauna.
Habitat Connections is a strategic waterway rehabilitation program which aims to restore degraded riparian corridors throughout Ipswich and increase their resilience to erosion and flood damage.
Register here for this free event.
National Tree Day – Habitat Planting
Join the Garden of Eden Bushcare group as they work to remove weeds and restore the banks of the Bremer River with native plants on Saturday 27 July.
Help volunteers with their planting activities on the day and enjoy some family time in the scenic Cribb Park, North Ipswich, and learn about topics related to our waterway health.
Weed Workshop
Join Dr David Manning, an Environmental Scientist, to learn how weeds spread, how to identify weeds, how to treat and remove them on Sunday 28 July. David will talk about different methods suitable for certain weeds, from handpulling, digging, cut and paste method, and spraying. Which weeds can or can’t be left on the ground and what tools are useful in removing difficult weeds. A short discussion will be had about the “Bradley Method” and how this is used by many bush and creek care groups to rehabilitate ecosystems.
After the workshop, participants will be given a What Weed is That? sheet to help them identify the weeds found at the bushcare site and will have some hands on experience in how to remove the weeds.
Afternoon tea with coffee, tea, juice, cake and fruit will be provided.
Koala Walk at Opossum Creek
The first ever koala counting survey walk will be held in Opossum Creek, Brookwater on Sunday 28 July.
This event is being held on World Nature Conservation Day as it serves as a reminder of the critical role that nature plays in our lives and the urgent need to protect it. Using your smartphone or camera you can photograph plants, insects, birds, reptiles, aquatic life or native animals that you observe during the walk and upload to the iNaturalist app.
This event is free, register here.
Peaks to Point Spotlight Night
Springfield Lakes Nature Care Inc (SLNC) is holding a Spotlight Night on Saturday 3 August.
The family-friendly walk will be along graded tracks to the observe nocturnal animals that inhabit the Spotted Gum trail in Springfield Lakes. If you are lucky, you will see one or two squirrel gliders that have taken up residence in one of the special rear entry glider boxes. Afterwards enjoy a hot chocolate with marshmallows in the local park beside the lake.
Tickets are $5pp or $12 for a family of four (booking fees apply), register here.
Explore a rural native open garden
Set in rural Tallegalla, the extensive native gardens are home to a collection of rare and wonderful native plants from throughout Australia. Within the gardens visitors will discover an array of rustic and vintage garden art and quirky farm pieces. The day will also feature native plant sales.
This event is being held on Sunday 4 August at Smarty Plants.
Bush Care come and try day
Landcare group, Springfield Lakes Nature Care (SLNC) has been rehabilitating a section of Opossum Creek in Brookwater near Springfield Lakes since 2018.
The area is home to many beautiful birds, such as whipbirds, eastern robins and finches, koalas, phascogayles, powerful owls and wallabies. This Bushcare Come and Try Day has something to suit everyone, from treating weeds, removing tree guards and hammering in stakes.
Members of the Bush Care team will teach you skills on how to cut and treat Lantana, how to remove obnoxious weeds and which weeds can be pulled by hand. SLNC will provide a morning tea with cool drinks, tea/coffee and cake or fruit. All tools are supplied but you may wish to BYO gloves & some small pruning clippers.
This free event is being held on Sunday 4 August, register here to reserve a spot.
