Hi and welcome to Ironbark Springs - Munbilla QLD.
Our home
Our home was crafted from a dream to live in the country, but still be relatively close to Brisbane and Ipswich to maintain a work life balance. Built in 2002, it was a combination of a typically looking rural house with a few modern (technology) aspects to it. Not quite a traditional Queenslander, however it is still a weatherboard home with large verandas perched on about 5 acres of "managed" yard. Our property encompasses over 77 acres in total.
Our property
Late in 2024, after many years of contemplating, we became a part of the Land for Wildlife (Scenic Rim) culture. Our aim is to better manage our property now and into the future. We have diverse plant species and vegetation layers (e.g. groundcovers, vines, grasses, trees) located in a variety of land formations (grassed areas from past cultivations, wooded forest area and a flood creek paddock). We have an ideal habitat with a diversity of wildlife - kangaroos, walabies, birds, snakes and lizards. And we want to be able to manage threats such as weeds - as we have an emerging growth of the typical nasties (Lantana, Celtus and Asparagus).
Back in the early days, after spotting koalas in our creek paddock, we embarked on a revegetation effort to help our koalas. We planted the traditional koala food trees - Tallowwood eucalypts, plus a few others in our creek paddock and lower cultivation paddock. And that was it for a very long time. We did plant various exotic and/or native plants in our house yard and immediate surrounds. And continued to get on with our work life balance.
In early/mid 2019 we both 'retired' from the workforce. 2020 saw us start to take advantage of our Scenic Rim councils 1 Million Trees project and we got our first 200 trees. We planted mainly in the creek paddock (with 70 Lomandras alone to help with the creek bank erosion effort). Life and family health took over our lives more so around this time, so planting trees dropped down on our priorities.
In late 2024, we decided to get involved in the Scenic Rim councils 1 Million Trees project again and secured another 200 plants - predominantly natives belonging naturally in our area. We planted frantically and then sat back and admired our effort. The trees went throughout our property. Then we got another 200 plants in early 2025 and planted those out too. And another 200 plants collected and mostly planted out (some 40 plants left to go out). We have also got another 200 plants 'on order' which we plan on looking after over winter ready for another planting effort in spring. And lastly, we have a current request in for a final 400 plants with the council awaiting approval.