Some years ago Noosa & District Landcare Group (NDLG) did a project at the Pomona transfer station. The project involved planting trees on an old landfill site. We worked with local boy Richard Yeates from Phytolink and a youthful Doug Barnes from the then Noosa Council. It was called 'phytoremediation'.

What happens when a landfill site is full?

It the old days when a landfill site was full, it was covered in clay to a depth of about 8 inches (200mm if you must!). This was then compacted so that water would not reach the buried rubbish and cause leachates of metals and methane. Trouble is that you have to constantly mow the grass cover, and it is not particularly 'environmental'.

Richard had been researching other ways to achieve a similar result by using trees that would take up the water before it got down to the rubbish. Both Doug & I were pretty keen on the idea. The transfer station in Pomona is alongside Six Mile Creek which flows into the mighty Mary River. If we could plant trees here successfully, it would help with water quality and also provide a haven for wildlife, whilst saving money in the long term by reducing maintenance.

How can we deal with this better?

It was a tough job! First we had to 'rip' the soil to allow planting. This bought brought up all sorts of archaeological artefacts... car tyres, car batteries, rusted steel etc. We then spread tons of lime in order to correct the pH of the soil. This was followed by the planting... then the hard bit... maintaining the plants until they were established.

a different approach: Pomona Landfill after planting

two years later: Pomona Landfill a new wildlife haven

Well it worked. When you visit the Pomona Transfer station [It should be on tourist maps, I reckon!] you see a healthy forest that has heaps of wildlife living and moving through it.

Then a funny thing happened a while ago... I was in an airport travelling to do Aquatic weed identification workshops when my phone rang. It was Richard Yeates. He said that he had just been to Pomona and he thought we had had some vandalism... he saw a Eucalypt that looked like it had been cut down. As we don't have vandalism (?) in the Hinterland I was not convinced about this. I said that I thought the 'vandals' might have been birds! I think Richard thought I had lost the plot... a fair assumption.

A new forest vandalised?

So, as soon as I got back I went out to the 'dump' and had a look. I was right, and I was very happy! The damage was caused by Yellow tailed black cockatoos [Calyptorhynchus funereus]. These magnificent birds are seen regularly in the Noosa Biosphere region. They have a raucous call. They are a large bird (over two feet-650mm) that nests in old hollows lined with bark chips. There numbers are in decline due mainly to habitat destruction. They usually only lay two eggs, and it may  take up to 5 months or more for the eggs to hatch.

Their beaks are like can openers and they tear into eucalypt trees searching for the larvae of Giant wood moths. These are large caterpillars that offer plenty of protein and are therefore worth the effort. At my place I have heard the tearing of the wood as the cockatoos search for the larvae. You have to wonder how they know they are in there!

Anyway, I was happy because one of the main reasons we did this work was to encourage the wildlife to return... it worked!

 image by Sheila Bowker