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We're a wildlife sanctuary!

A number of people in the area have agreed to join the Wildlife Land Trust in protecting the local flora and fauna. Since we’ve heard koalas in our canyon during mating season and enjoyed countless varieties of birds, wildlife, and flora — we have been accepted as a member sanctuary.



About the Wildlife Land Trust
In 2007 Humane Society International launched the Wildlife Land Trust (WLT) Australia in an effort to preserve and protect our vital native habitats and the animals that depend on them, in a network of sanctuaries both throughout the country and internationally.
Working under the guiding principle of "humane stewardship", the Wildlife Land Trust protects not only vast and impressive landscapes but also the smaller, humbler places that provide for the needs of all wildlife, rare and common species alike. Our members make up a community of wildlife carers, conservation enthusiasts and environmentally responsible landowners around Australia. We encourage our members to practice sustainable and eco-friendly land management whilst preserving the valuable ecosystems and native species on their land.
Since being initiated by The Humane Society of the United States in 1993, the WLT has grown to protect more than 1.8 million acres of habitat in Australia, Canada, South Africa, USA, Belize, Romania, Jamaica, India and Indonesia. Our goal is to see the protection of one million acres of wildlife habitat across Australia and to expand Wildlife Land Trust sanctuary partnerships throughout Africa, India and south-east Asia.

Feel free to check out our YUNDA listing on the Wildlife Land Trust website.
P.S. don’t worry about snakes… they are few and far between. ;<)

New year and new attractions

While Nick and his trusting PA (pet assistant) Jaffa toil away…

Brett and Rambaud helped our Sistas prepare their hen house for new chooks.

While the evening sunsets have been fantastic — the early morning fog has been great too. The grass is drying due to incredibly hot and sunny days yet its keeping things fairly green.

Weekend away to Brisbane

Nick and I seldom leave the property for much time together so a trip to Brisbane for a friend’s birthday party and catching up with a few others was a great mini-holiday!

So while Jaffa enjoyed a sleep-over with his best mate Andy… and while our helper Rambaud from France watched over our place…

 

We enjoyed markets, musicians, antique trucks, and even some beach time.

 

We caught up with our friends Ken and Maria and enjoyed a feast prepared by her celebrity chef Mother (thanks again!) After an hour or so we could not help ourselves and enjoyed a splash and play in their pool.

Welcoming Entrance and season.

The regular rain propelled the grass and maintained a lovely green. Even the Frangipani orchard is greening up and the trees are shooting many new leaves. It promises to be a wonderful season.

Looking into the forest we find the floor also alive with activity.

Can you spot the butterfly? (some might call it a moth)

Speaking of Bees...

We’ve had our first hive since September and though its a smaller 9 frame unit — it seems too full as the bees are hyper active. The FlowHive makes extracting honey pretty simple for us and low-impact for our bees and its made locally near Brisbane. Isn’t it the cutest hive?

To make room for more honey - it was time to collect our first batch of golden delicious organic honey which the bees have been busy creating from the many plants and trees on our place. The smell was tremendous!

Sadly, during the process they swarmed again and stayed away from the hive for a full day. That means it’s time to capture and re-home them.

Lucky I found them the nearby tree and was able to knock them into a box from the branch they were clung to. The hive stayed there in the shade while I dashed to Yandina and got our second hive.

Capturing them was easy… getting them (mostly) into their new hive was okay…yet they swarmed yet again and flew to another Hoop Pine far out of reach yet still fairly close-by.

So back to the original hive honey harvest… all told, we got 18 litres (~18 quarts) of honey! We’ll sell some yet keep plenty for us ardour many guests. There is an amazing difference in taste in each frame as each worker bee stays on a frame and is fed by drones that work certain plants. Pretty amazing are bees!

First visitors of 2019 and a flower filled season

Ange and her family came through while on a Queensland holiday and we enjoyed lunch together. She and Nick always stick a pose and do a jig!

This time of year also sees many Wattles blossom and plenty of pollen in the air. While it’s difficult sometimes for those with hay fever — it really is a wonderful time to enjoy the flowers and fragrances.

This time of year (much like Spring) is also a time of activity with our bees. Between hot days and many flowers — they are swarming pretty regularly — yet luckily, are returning back to their hive.

 

Always much to do!

It may be end of year but there is plenty to do! Nick and Jaffa dug the large Johnson Grass from around the frangipani orchard. Okay… Jaffa really was just a watch dog!

When there are breaks between projects — there is always cleaning up after the chooks.

Yet the end of each day we take time to enjoy the season.

Holiday visitors

Our dearest Annandale friends (like family) came to Queensland for a wedding and joined us for a few days including Christmas lunch. Our sistas fromBlack Mountain also joined in the merriment.

Jan was our inspiration for leaving Sydney and finding our very own place to raise chickens. She has long dreamed of doing so herself so I carved this wooden sign for her (which she left for us to look after until she returns). It’s a lovely reminder of the influence and impact of the kindness of cherished friends.

 

Just a few days later we had Mark up from Brisbane with Jose from Columbia. Between beach, sight-seeing, and hiking — we found some time to relax and enjoy a break.

But only after a hike along the Black Mountain Canyon trail to the creek below. Mark was determined to walkover this pool — and luckily stayed dry (and well stretched! ;<)

Forest and Friends

Our forest area has really come to life with the many Bromeliads we’ve planted and the Glass House (our tiny house) is perfectly placed to enjoy the gardens.

What garden would be complete without a garden troll -er gnome… -er scare crow? This rather scary ceramic statue watched over the forest and in fact seems to keep bush turkey and came toads at alert!

We’re always pleased to have friends, family, and guests stay with us… my mate Lasso came up from Byron Bay and enjoyed several hikes, much conversation, and wonderful meals together. From Frank’s Lookout, you can see we’ve enjoyed regular rain and overcast conditions which has allowed things to green and thrive.

One of my most enjoyable outings is Mount Tinbeerwah Lookout — every visit it’s different and each time it captivating. What a magical place to share with friends!

Watching over us all...

When helping Phillip move from Cooran, we saved an old tree which resembled a bird.

Last week when my Grandfather Carmack passed away, I knew the perfect place for it… by our spring, just beside our beloved Deo’s Leopard tree I planted it as a memorial to Carmack and our much loved ancestors both present and past. It’s facing due North and stands out as a reminder of where we’ve come from and inspires us forward while watching over us.

 

On a lighter note, with an abundance of rain lately, not only is the spring full — but the tree frogs and all other living things are active and flourishing. After a few warm and sunny days we had fungi popping up all over… what a good sign healthy soil!

Verandah table and a useful trailer

It didn’t take long… that new trailer has already come in handy.

Brett built a custom steel and Merbau bench set and matching table for a place in Noosaville.

With B B Q season fast approaching — time to build a few of these too!

With the beach SO close by...

Its important to take time relax, enjoy, and contemplate…

and when you’re done with that — there is always people watching and pondering that next wave!

Big move done -- now about that U-Haul...

Earlier in the month we moved thousands of Bromeliads and Frangipanis with a U-Haul cage trailer. It was a quite handy to load, close and go — and since we had some square steel and parts from several trailers — Brett decided to make a trailer with the parts. An even better, more versatile version than we had hired — our’s will be a flatbed trailer with removable cage with a fold down ramp to allow transport of bikes, mowers and easier loading (without stepping up each time).

 

So the frame was done (with Jaffa stopping by to check my welds regularly!) Thank goodness for the shelter between the containers — as we’ve had regular showers and some hot sunny days too! (Thanks again Lockie! ;<)

The trailer which was the inspiration is behind the ute and here the new frame has been painted and ready for decking.

Here we are a week later, all finished and regularly used. The top of the cage corners are extended to allow long things to be carried — and it already worked a treat for new stormwater pipe and long timber. Not bad for a few hundred $ in new mesh an a new LED light kit!

Storm season, don't forget!

While Summer is full of sunny warm days and thriving plants — we too have storms.

BIG STORMS — the most severe part (in magenta near Cooroy) is directly above us. I was out dancing in the rain!

We got over 40mm (near 2 inches) of much needed rain overnight. This is the garden area the next day…

The creek in the canyon flows for several days after each down pour and revitalises all.