Find out more about the great results achieved by our riparian restoration project which has restored and brought back balance to Enoggera Creek.

A site of historical and botanical importance, Enoggera Creek was once an area of lush lowland subtropical rainforest. A highly successful four-year project targeting riparian restoration along a targeted reach of Enoggera Creek recently drew to completion. We call it the Three Mile Scrub project, and it has revived 9.5 hectares of riparian habitat with vibrant native species, thanks to community involvement, some serious invasive weed control, and ambitious revegetation efforts.

But that's not all. Bank restoration works helped to increase the creek’s resilience against erosion, reducing sediment to downstream environments including the lower Brisbane River and the internationally significant Moreton Bay Ramsar Wetland.

It stems from a battle against erosion

Stormwater runoff from the surrounding urban area is laden with nutrients, sediment, and litter. It travels down Enoggera Creek to the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay, where it reduces water quality and endangers the ecosystems of aquatic species.

Water-sensitive community action was needed to repair the creek banks, restore the riparian ecosystems, and reduce threats to Enoggera Creek. Our project included work to protect areas across which the original vegetation remained and tackled invasive vine weeds that were threatening the integrity of the riparian canopy. Canopy is paramount for the creek ecosystem’s survival as it provides habitat for wildlife, stabilises creekbanks, and shades and cools the creek water.

Championship community stewardship and involvement

The project managers say that insights from the community proved key in informing a bespoke, naturally integrated site. Community groups including Save Our Waterways Now (SOWN), Habitat Brisbane, Oxley Creek Catchment Association, and Wirrinyah First Nations Conservation Services were integral project partners who helped inform, design, install, and maintain the project sites. Schools and local businesses, including Marist College Ashgrove and the Ashgrove Golf Course, also lent a hand on planting days.

Through collaborative co-design and engaging events, the project empowered community groups through workshops on topics such as GIS mapping tools, revegetation techniques, and saltmarsh restoration, as well as several community planting days.

Bringing back nature

This project has implemented various measures to breathe life back into the riparian corridor of Enoggera Creek.

The science and community focussed approach achieved some amazing results, including:

• Co-designed waterway restoration with the local community.
• Restoration of 9.5 ha along 5 km of creekbank, returning it to the pre-existing ecosystem (i.e. what was there before clearing).
• Weeding out invasive plant species, like relentless vine weeds.
• Replacing them with over 10,000 local native species (plants, trees, shrubs, and groundcovers along the creek).
• Improving riparian condition and connectivity.
• Stabilising creekbanks and helping reduce sediment pollution to Enoggera Creek and downstream environments including the Moreton Bay Ramsar Wetland.
• Improving water quality and resilience to flood.

Acknowledgments
We would like to thank our project partners Brisbane City Council, Habitat Brisbane, Save Our Waterways Now (SOWN), Brisbane Catchments Network, Oxley Creek Catchment Association, Wirrinyah First Nations Conservation Services, Marist College Ashgrove, and Ashgrove Golf Course.

This project was funded through the Australian Government National Landcare Program.