Carindale’s hidden enchanted forest
Have you ever driven past Carindale and wondered if there was more to the area than just suburban homes, beautiful parks and roads? Well, it turns out that there is, and it's in the form of an enchanted forest.
Located on Belmont Hill, this section of private property covers a large proportion of the area and is home to a variety of flora and fauna that you may have only seen in the movies. During my recent visit, I was able to spot a yellow breasted robin, a black falcon, swamp wallabies, and even a net casting spider.
What's even more remarkable is that this forest wasn't always here. In fact, it was a former pineapple farm before Nancy Cramond and her family took it upon themselves to regenerate the land and create an oasis for nature to thrive. Since the 1960s, the Cramonds have been working hard to preserve the area between Ewer St and Scrub Rd and transform it into a beautiful reserve.
Evidence of the earthing up technique can still be seen on the floor of the reserve.
Evidence of the old pineapple farm can still be seen (as above), with sections of land near Ewer St still showing signs of a farming technique called “earthing up”, involving mounding soil around the base of a plant.
Post-farming days, the land sat disused and started collecting many non-native pests and weed species. 30 years ago, the site was infested with lantana, dutchman’s pip and corky passion vine. Gradually it took over and covered much of the current property.
Nancy has worked tirelessly to remove these weeds from the property, with the invasive plants now only confined to pockets of the property. This has allowed native grass, shrubs and scrubs (for which Scrub Rd is named after!) to return and thrive to create our own dry scrub rainforest in Carindale.
The rainforest here consists of hoop pines, crows ash trees, ironbarks and other smaller patches of native trees like eucalypts.
More than half of Brisbane’s wildlife habitat is on privately-owned land under Council’s Wildlife Conservation Partnership program (WCPP). The program offers five agreement types that offer different levels of protection and assistance and can only be signed voluntarily.
Nancy’s land was originally designated Future Urban and could have been developed into housing or other types of urban infrastructure. However, in the late 1990s, Nancy signed a Higher Voluntary Conservation Agreement with the Council in order to ensure that the area would be preserved for generations to come. This agreement means that the Council provides financial and in-kind assistance to help protect and preserve the natural values of the property.
The agreement also means that the area is reclassified to ‘conservation’ zoning, which continues to protect the habitat area from development, regardless of future ownership. The best part though?
When the land is eventually sold, the Council has the first right to purchase it, which means that the public will one day have access to this amazing forest. So next time you're driving through Carindale, take a moment to appreciate the natural beauty that surrounds you and know that there's an enchanted forest waiting to be explored.
