Reconnect with nature and embrace sustainable choices

After a month of welcoming the community back to the new IndigiScapes Centre, it was disappointing when the doors were closed again due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

It was eerily quiet at the centre after the initial busy month however the phones were running hot as many residents spent their extra time at home enhancing the green spaces on their property. The Environmental Partnerships team alone provided more than 5248 native plants to their participants between the months of March to June.

With the easing of restrictions, IndigiScapes has reopened to the public with a few minor changes. Under the centre’s COVID-19 management plan there is increased cleaning, social distancing procedures and bookings are now required to secure a table at the IndigiCafe. This hasn’t interrupted the steady flow of visitors returning to the new centre.

Lee and Lois Collinge, who bought their property close to IndigiScapes after visiting one of their past IndigiDay Out events, were thrilled to visit the centre with their grandchildren.

“We just bought more plants from the native nursery and it’s been lovely watching the grandkids interact alongside other children in the natural playspace again,” Lois said. IndigiScapes has seen many familiar faces return but they have also noticed a jump in new visitors, like Melissa, her mother Helen and son Kai. “My mother has never been to IndigiScapes before and Kia and I haven’t been here in years,” she said. “I was thrilled to see how much has changed. There is so much more to see and do. The discovery centre has been a real hit with Kai and he’s learning a lot about the local native plants and wildlife." IndigiScapes is Redland City Council’s environmental education Centre situated on 14.5 hectares of serene natural bushland on Redlands Coast. It offers native botanical gardens, a native nursery, bush trails, a nature playground and café specialising in local cuisine with a bush tucker twist. The IndigiScapes team are here to help you reconnect with nature in their beautiful grounds, learn how to support the natural environment on your property and find practical solutions to help you make sustainable choices every day. IndigiScapes would like to welcome you back. So, if you haven’t had the opportunity to visit the centre since its reopening, be sure to drop in with friends or family and enjoy what the new centre has on offer.

Check the website for opening hours and be sure to book a table at the Café to try their famous IndigiCake.

CONNECTING: Lee and Lois Collinge with grandchildren Quinn and Kia.

Taste of our bush

How’s crispy bush-spiced chicken washed down with lemon myrtle tea sound? Or maybe a slice of IndigiCake or Ketjera damper? There’s a real bush tucker twist to the menu at the awardwinning IndigiCafe at Council’s IndigiScapes Environmental Centre, where the aroma of myrtle, lillypilly, wild lemongrass and bush spices abound.

Set within 14.5 hectares of natural bushland, you can even take a guided bush tucker tour or visit the gift shop and take some of the flavor home with you.

The IndigiCafe is open from 10am to 3pm seven days and bookings are essential.

With your safety in mind, there are three session times:

Morning tea, 10am–11.30am

Lunch, 12 noon–1.30pm

Afternoon tea - 2pm–3pm

Find out more and see the new menu at indigiscapes.redland.qld.gov.au.

6 things every Redlander should do (and now’s a good time!)

1. Immerse in a Quandamooka experience

Our area’s traditional heritage and culture is rich indeed and something we should all get to know better. Go to quandamookacoast.com.au for details of guided cultural tours on North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah). You can also book a Goompi Trail experience with a Quandamooka guide from Stradbroke Ferries which explores Dunwich and covers aspects of Aboriginal life such as the fish ring, bush medicines, local food and how artefacts are made. Complete the experience with a visit to Salt Water Murris' Quandamooka Aboriginal Art Gallery (9am-2pm, Tuesday-Friday, 8.30am-12.30pm weekends) and the Island Arts Gallery (open every day 9am-2pm). Talk to the helpful crew at the Redlands Coast Visitor Information Centre on 1300 667 386 about the options available.

2. Go land-based whale watching

While you are on Straddie, head to picturesque North Gorge Walk and see who can spot the first whale (or a heap of other marine creatures). It is rated one of the best land-based whale-watching spots on the east coast. If you get the taste for it, you can also get fresh seafood straight from the trawler at Amity Point. Travel to and around the island costs about $30 for an adult (water taxi return ticket + bus pass) and $16 for a child (water taxi return ticket + bus pass). Alternatively, Stradbroke Ferries are running specials on selected dates that allow you to take a car over at a discounted rate, so check their website.

3. Get to Coochie

Taking the short water taxi ride over to Coochiemudlo Island (Goochie Mudlo) from Victoria Point really is one of the best little escapes around yet many Redlanders never get there. The sheltered beach is a little piece of paradise with plenty of barbecue and picnic spots. Or you can hire a pontoon barbecue boat or head off on the island’s awesome coastal walking trails. There are two cafes near the jetty (one even has its own art gallery) where you can buy light meals and refreshments. Adults can travel on the water taxi for $10 return and children only $5 return.

4. Hit the tracks

Warm up with a hike to Mount Cotton summit for views out to Moreton and Stradbroke Islands (it’s particularly beautiful at sunrise or sunset). You can begin at 640 West Mount Cotton Road near the roundabout (opposite the quarry entrance and lookout for the signed entry). If that isn’t enough, why not walk or cycle Eddie Santagiuliana Way from Cleveland to Thornlands (wheelchair and pram friendly) or take in the wild surrounds of Redlands Track Park, Bay View Conservation Park, Venman’s National Park, Don and Christine Burnett Conservation Area or the Southern Moreton Bay islands.

5. Connect with nature

If the story opposite isn’t a big enough hint, you really can’t call yourself a Redlander unless you can wax lyrical about everything that Capalaba’s IndigiScapes has to offer. It is an awesome place for kids, go for a wander to learn about our naturally wonderful environment, have a bush tucker experience at the cafe or simply meet up with friends. You’ll find all the details at indigiscapes.redland.qld.

6. Go island hopping

Catch the water taxi and make your way around the Southern Moreton Bay Islands. Karragarra Island is the first stop, just 15 minutes from the Weinam Creek ferry terminal at Redland Bay, and a great spot for a picnic on the foreshore and maybe a visit to the community gardens. Next is Macleay Island where a meal at the bowls club with its stunning views and the Macleay Island Arts Complex (10am-3pm, Tuesday-Sunday; art classes available). It is then on to Lamb Island where you can walk the heritage trail, then another seven-minute ferry ride to Russell Island where there are plenty of top-notch cafes and you can enjoy views over Canaipa Passage out to North Stradbroke Island. On the water taxi, inter-island travel is free so you can do the whole trip for $16 return for an adult paper ticket and $8 return for children (even cheaper if you use your gocard). The SMBI Little Bus is available on Macleay, Lamb and Russell Islands so visitors can get around the island with ease. They also provide tours of Macleay Island.