Bringing Back the Bruns - Mullumbimby Riverbank Rehabilitation

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This consultation has concluded.

For more information please visit Bringing back the Bruns on the Byron Shire Council website. 

Council has recently been successful in receiving a grant from NSW Fisheries to rehabilitate the 1.8km reach of the Brunswick River bank from the Mullumbimby Showground, downstream to the eastern end of Riverside Drive, Mullumbimby. The project area is both Council road reserve and community land.

Over the years, the river bank (riparian zone) has become weedy and eroded in places, which has reduced its habitat value for native wildlife, including fish. It is affected by weeds such as Cats claw vine, Umbrella tree, Golden Rain tree, Coral tree, Camphor laurel and bamboo as well as numerous other garden escapees. We are fulfilling our landholder Biosecurity obligation by rehabilitating this land we manage in an on-going staged process.

Project area

The project rehabilitation area is shown in yellow on the below map, being the 1.8km reach of the Brunswick River bank from the Mullumbimby Showground, downstream to the eastern end of Riverside Drive, Mullumbimby.

The project rehabilitation area shown in yellow of the the 1.8km reach of the Brunswick River bank from the Mullumbimby Showground, downstream to the eastern end of Riverside Drive, Mullumbimby.
You can help by

  • Once works commence, keeping safe by staying away from the contractors and the area they are working in (but of course you can say hello)
  • Using your green waste bins for disposal of all garden waste and clippings. If thrown onto the river bank, this waste spreads garden weeds and hinders bush regeneration efforts
  • Not poisoning camphors or other trees along the river bank. Dead standing trees can be a safety hazard.

What works are planned?

See below for information about our planned works


Council has recently been successful in receiving a grant from NSW Fisheries to rehabilitate the 1.8km reach of the Brunswick River bank from the Mullumbimby Showground, downstream to the eastern end of Riverside Drive, Mullumbimby. The project area is both Council road reserve and community land.

Over the years, the river bank (riparian zone) has become weedy and eroded in places, which has reduced its habitat value for native wildlife, including fish. It is affected by weeds such as Cats claw vine, Umbrella tree, Golden Rain tree, Coral tree, Camphor laurel and bamboo as well as numerous other garden escapees. We are fulfilling our landholder Biosecurity obligation by rehabilitating this land we manage in an on-going staged process.

Project area

The project rehabilitation area is shown in yellow on the below map, being the 1.8km reach of the Brunswick River bank from the Mullumbimby Showground, downstream to the eastern end of Riverside Drive, Mullumbimby.

The project rehabilitation area shown in yellow of the the 1.8km reach of the Brunswick River bank from the Mullumbimby Showground, downstream to the eastern end of Riverside Drive, Mullumbimby.
You can help by

  • Once works commence, keeping safe by staying away from the contractors and the area they are working in (but of course you can say hello)
  • Using your green waste bins for disposal of all garden waste and clippings. If thrown onto the river bank, this waste spreads garden weeds and hinders bush regeneration efforts
  • Not poisoning camphors or other trees along the river bank. Dead standing trees can be a safety hazard.

What works are planned?

See below for information about our planned works


This consultation has concluded.

For more information please visit Bringing back the Bruns on the Byron Shire Council website. 

  • What works are planned?

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    Bush Regeneration

    From August to October 2020, a team of professional bush regeneration contractors will be working their way along the riverbank, controlling the weeds along the project area, assisting the regeneration of local native riparian vegetation. Bush regeneration will be carried out using best practice methods that comply with Australian Standards to minimise chemical use to protect the community and protect the health of the River.

    Due to considerable costs involved, the control and removal of large camphor laurel trees and giant bamboo is not included this project.

    Replanting

    In some areas where the banks are bare, local native riparian plants will be planted to enhance the riparian zone and stabilise erosion areas. Around 400 plants will be planted including lomandra, lilli pillis, and sandpaper fig.

  • What is the benefit of the river bank rehabilitation?

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    A healthy river bank, including the vegetation along it (riparian zone) contributes greatly to the overall health of the river by providing shade, leaves, twigs and fruits to feed the aquatic animals and insects, as well as providing large woody debris (logs and branches) for instream fish habitat.

    A healthy functioning riparian zone also contributes to good water quality by stabilising river banks and providing filtration for overbank runoff.

    Most non-native plants compete with our native vegetation. They don’t usually supply the right nutrients for the river and weedy vines often pull down our trees reducing shade and don’t help the river. Also, the weed roots don’t grow down below the water level like our native plants do. This means they don’t stabilise the river bank and trees tend to fall in as the bank erodes underneath them.