Bribie Island Brochure - Moreton Bay Regional Council

History of the catchment
The Gubbi Gubbi people were the original inhabitants of
Bribie Island. Aboriginal artefacts still found today include
the remains of bora grounds, fish traps and shell middens.
Aboriginal artefacts are protected under the Queensland
Aboriginal Cultural Act 2003.
Matthew Flinders came to the Pumicestone Passage in
1799. However, the first European settlement was not until
1822. More recent events include:
► 1860s: pastoralists and timber-getters moved onto the
island
► Late 1960s: pine plantations established
► 1963: toll bridge opened and started Bribie Island on a
course of increased urban development
► Late 1970s and 1980s: development of the island's first
canal estate
Recreational options on Bribie Island
► Windsurfing or catamaran sailing on Pumicestone
Passage and the open waters off Woorim Beach
► The patrolled surf beach at Woorim is a venue for
regular surf carnivals, attracting swimmers and board
riders
► Water skiing and jet skiing in the calmer waters of the
Passage
► Surf fishing is popular at Skirmish Point, Woorim and
along the expanse of
the ocean beach
► Visit the bird hide at
Buckley's Hole, south
Bongaree, where
you will see some of
the 350 species of Fishing in Pumicestone Passage
birds that inhabit this
environmental park
► Follow walking tracks at White Patch to wild flowers that
are in season from July to November
Caboolture Catchments: Bribie Island
► Bicentennial Gardens, located near the Community Arts
Centre on Sunderland Drive, is wheelchair accessible.
A map of the walks is available
from the Arts Centre for a small
charge. For bird watchers, about
90 species of birds have been
sighted in this small area
► Camping in the Recreation
Reserve on the eastern side of
the island. Contact Queensland
Parks and Wildlife Service for a
permit to camp or four wheeldrive
permit to access these areas
Plants and wildlife
Park signage
The Pumicestone Passage became part of the Moreton
Bay Marine Park in 1986 to protect the fish breeding areas
around Tripcony Bight. Under the Marine Parks (Moreton
Bay) Zoning Plan 1997, Tripcony Bight is closed to fishing
and all forms of extractive use. Areas of Pumicestone
Passage and the eastern coastal rim of Bribie Island are
also identified under the state government Fisheries Act
(1994) as fish habitat, so approval is needed for any works
that could disturb, destroy or damage marine plants.
Bribie Island vegetation communities include heathlands,
coastal dunes, beach ridge vegetation, and freshwater/
estuarine wetlands of fringing mangroves. Fauna include
Dugong (Dugong dugon) and the Wallum Froglet (Crinia
tinnula). The Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis)
is one of over 30 migratory shorebirds of international
significance.
Melaleuca wetlands on the island tend to be acidic and
support three species of acid frogs not known to occur
together anywhere else in the world. These frogs now reside
in the coastal lowlands, which are in demand for residential
development.
Callitris columellaris, or Bribie Island Pine is one of three
native Callitris spp. It is not a member of the pine family,
although it resembles many of the exotic pines. Endemic to
the Sunshine Coast region, it is found across the island and
adjacent coastal areas.
Spring wildflowers create a visual feast of colour and
texture, plus a hive of activity for the birds and insects of
the region. Local groups on the island conduct wildflower
walks in these times. Swamp wallabies and squirrel gliders
can also be seen regularly.
Issues affecting Bribie Island catchments
Population growth and urban development has increased
stormwater runoff and disturbance to Acid Sulfate Soils.
Other environmental threats include wild fires, loss of
natural ecosystems (e.g. Melaleuca wetland and heath
communities) and increased demand for access to
groundwater.
Introduced exotic pine plantations
in the 1960s changed the
northern half of the island.
However, the central swale and
perimeter dune are part of the
“Bribie Island Recreation Area”.
Water supply
Coastal dunes
Caboolture Shire Council has operated a water treatment
plant on Bribie Island since 1961. This was upgraded in
1972 and again in 1981. The plant now draws water from
the freshwater aquifer on the island at between four and
five megalitres per day. Council regularly monitors the
water extraction to minimise environmental impacts. The
exclusion of seawater from the system is important to the
management of the island's freshwater aquifer.
CABOOLTURE SHIRE COUNCIL www.caboolture.qld.gov.au