Bulimba Creek and Gregory River

Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee (B4C), Queensland, won the Australian Riverprize in 2005. The area is dominated throughout by residential development. Whilst large scale industrial activities continue in the lower catchment, the upper catchment has some peri-urban areas.

Fed by limestone springs, the immense Gregory River is one of few rivers in this region that flow all year round thanks to a strong groundwater influence from Australia’s largest karst terrain.

The Maga-Kutana, Wakabunga, Nguburinjo, Ganggalida amd Mingin people are the traditional owners of the Gregory River catchment area and maintain strong cultural and spiritual connections with the land and rivers. The traditional ecological knowledge and health of these communities is in turn critical to the ongoing health of this wild river system.

B4C started building relationships in the Gregory in 2006 in collaboration with Southern Gulf Catchments. In 2007, B4C became a founding member of Gregory River Landcare Group and started to work with schools to establish healthy food gardens and facilitate cultural exchanges with students in Brisbane. The first healthy food gardens were established in 2008 at Gregory Downs, Burketown and Doomadgee, and since then members of Bulimba Creek Catchment have visited the region yearly to refurbish the gardens and run workshops with the students. There have been successes, failures and lessons learned. While twinning has been ongoing, 2013 will be a year of new challenges.

Organisations involved:

• Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee
• Gregory River Landcare
• International RiverFoundation
• Burketown State School
• Doomadgee State School
• Gregory Educational Facility
• Southern Gulf Catchments

Focus activities:

• healthy food gardens for local schools
• weed eradication
• establishing landcare
• prevention of waste from travelling tourists entering the river