Darling Heights is a suburb of Toowoomba which welcomes and supports migrants and refugee families. The local state school is one of the most ethnically diverse schools in Australia with over 40 languages spoken by the students, many of whom have come to Australia as refugees. Classes are in English, but when the students go home, no one speaks English. Ricky Adams is a teacher-aid and says this situation can be incredibly isolating for the students and their families, especially mothers who are often illiterate in their language. The school runs English classes for all the family, and Ricky says this has a positive impact on parents and the students. But English classes are just the tip of the iceberg. Ricky is proud of the Darling Heights Community Hub, which runs sewing, parenting, and gardening classes. There is a hub food bank and strong links with the local Men’s Shed. Other community groups provide volunteer and in-kind support.
Ricky Adams talks about how the Darling Heights State School hub hubs supports community
Ricky tells the story of a woman she met one day who had very little English; her husband was ill, and she had to put him into care. The woman was isolated and did not know where to get support. Ricky says within 20 minutes, she had the woman signed up for English, sewing, and parenting classes. Over time the woman gained more English and more confidence. She became part of the community and is now a supervisor of the sowing group and regularly donates food to the hub food bank to give to less well off families. Ricky smiles as she tells this story and says it is an example of how the hub can empower people and positively uplift families.
The Bunya Mountains are home to the largest stand of bunya pines in the world
Bunya Mountains sunset
I wonder the age of these giants in the Bunya Mountains rain forest.
Looking west from Mt Kiangarow, Bunya Mountains
This little fella is feeding on a grass tree, so abundant on Mt Kiangarow, Bunya Mountains
Summit restaurant on Mt Kiangarow, Bunya Mountains
fire is critical to conserve endangered grasses in the Bunya Mountains
It’s like magical cave
Hey mum, I am a bit nervous.
Don’t speed says the wallaby
Strangler vines, Bunya Mountains
Hop pine harvested its quality timber
Bunya pine bleeding sap
The bark of the hoop pine reflects its name
The red cedar was a much sort after timber in the Bunya Mountains
It could be a murder scene
Waterfall calling out for a decent fall of rain
Despite drought the maidenhair survives in the Bunya Mountains
Leaving after a good feed from the grass tree, Bunya Mountains
The delights of grass tree flowers
The birdlife in the Bunya Mountains is prolific
Looking up is mesmerising in the Bunya Mountains
A youthful Kookaburra resting in the Bunya rainforest
A watchful Goanna
Getting ready to run
I am watching
On the western side of the Bunyas, the grass trees abound
Golden orchid nestled in the rocks Bunya Mountains
Hey mum, have you heard this one?
Rare and endangered grasses are conserved using fire on the Bunya Mountains
Are these strangler vines parasitic on symbiotic with trees in the bunya Mountains
Ambling through the Bunya rainforest
Time for a feed on grass tree pollen and nectar, Bunya Mountains.
Mt Kiangarow, the highest point in the Bunya Mountains
Sunset Bunya Mountains, Fishers Lookout
Light fading as sunsets in the Bunya Moutains
Sunset silhouette bunya pines Bunya Mountains
Fishers Lookout sunset, Bunya Mountains
Sunset Fishers Lookout.
A visit to the Bunya Mountains 200km NW of Brisbane is a must if you like bushwalking in the world’s largest stand of bunya pines, birdlife, cool air and learning a little bit about country special to Australia’s first people.
A Queensland high school student has found her connection to farm animals has helped her through the anxiety she’s felt during the coronavirus lockdown. Bella Schilf is a finalist in the Queensland Rural Regional and Remote Women’s Network Strong Women’s Leaders Award. Despite the lockdown and time away from school Bella is determined to become a vet and a spokesperson for agriculture. She is one of 48 award nominees and finalists announced on October 15, the UN’s International Day of Rural Women.
Kids love picture books, so imagine how they feel when they write and illustrate their own story and it is published for the world to read!
I was lucky enough to catch up with children’s author, publisher and founder of the Child Writes Fund Emma Mactaggart as she worked with primary school students at the Darling Heights State School in Toowoomba.
Emma’s journey as an author, illustrator and publisher started 15 years ago, when as a mum with three young children she decided to give writing ago. She registered her publishing business Boogie Books and the adventure was underway!
Emma Mactaggart with budding authors at Darling HeightsListen to Emma Mactaggart tell the Child Writes story
From little things big things grow and Boogie Books has grown to become the the largest publisher in the world on Amazon of children’s picture books written by children for children.
Emma has honed her craft and has been teaching writing and illustrating to children and adults for the last fifteen years via her Child Writes program. The success of this program was the inspiration for the formation of the registered charity THE CHILD WRITES FUND which is supported by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR).
“The Child Writes Fund is about empowering children to navigate their future through story,” said Emma.
The Garden City Zonta club donated funds to support a Child Writes project at the Darling Heights State School in Toowoomba with the theme of ‘harmony in the garden city’.
Darling Heights is Queensland’s most ethnically diverse primary school with students speaking over 40 different languages. The school is known for its English language programs and support for refugee families.
Making a colour palate for harmony story
Emma worked with the students to develop and illustrate a story around the harmony theme. Her unique methods draw all the students into the project, developing characters, building a story and then illustrating it.
In the Darling Heights story, four friends from different countries and backgrounds go in search of a place to hide a very precious necklace . They encounter many challenges but in the end find the safest place to keep the necklace it as at home.
It’s a rollicking story, with many twists and turns and will be a terrific picture book for youngsters once Emma’s team of put a professional touch to the work before publication by Boogie Books.
Four friends on a mission
The book will be released on Harmony Day 2021 and you will find out what the story is called
The Bunya Mountains are part of the Great Dividing Range and an easy three hour drive (200km) NW of Brisbane. There are a number of routes from Brisbane, but I wanted to be away from the main highway so drove from Bris via Esk and Yarraman and then up into the hills. You certainly know you are climbing as the temperature drops noticeably, so do not forget warm clothing for the evenings. The Bunya Mountains National Park is home to the world’s largest stand of bunya pines, it was a meeting place for Aboriginal people, the centre of a timber industry and these days a perfect destination for bushwalking and a family holiday. I rented a little house but plenty of people camp in one of three well appointed campsites.
The first thing you notice in the Bunya village are the wallabies, they are everywhere. They have free range on the grasslands and I had a few dozen that called my garden home. They are unfazed by people but you need to drive slowly in case they dart across the road.
Bunya Mountains from Fishers Loookiut
The next thing that grabs your attention is the birdlife. There are a couple of hundred species in the park and as you slow down a little and stroll through the forest, the bush becomes alive with bird calls. It is like an orchestra practising and the more you listen, the easier it becomes to pick out the different instruments, or birds. The whip bird and the cat bird are two that spring to mind. I was lucky enough to spot a whip bird poking around in the undergrowth. The cat bird produces a call that sounds like a cat in agony!!
Before I tell you about the wonderful bush walks, do not forget to try the bunya nut scones and jam at the coffee house. They are delicious and the magpies agree. People just don’t seem to pay any attention to the signs that say ‘don’t feed the birds’ and the magpie at my table clearly thought my scones were his scones… so beware!
The bushwalking is worth the effort. There are around 40 km of marked tracks and the degree of difficulty is ‘pretty easy’. I loved wandering through the cool rainforest on the eastern side of the Park. You are dwarfed by the massive bunya and hoop pines and the strangler figs give the forest an eerie feel especially as the light fades. The climbing steps carved into the trunks of the giant bunya pines remind you how important the bunya nut was to aboriginal groups. They traveled hundreds of kilometres along traditional pathways to climb the pines, harvest the nuts and hold special gatherings. The well made tracks constructed by timber getter and the few remaining red cedars are evidence that the Bunya Mountains were a rich source of timber.
Bunya Pine
On the western side of the Park between Paradise and Westcott, then up to Cherry Plain and further on to Burton’s Well, you are walking along the side of the Great Divide and the view across the plains is fabulous. But what caught my attention were the grass trees, they formed an avenue of honour in many places. Being spring, the grass tree spikes were in flower and the birds were having a field day gathering nectar. I was told to keep a look out for golden orchids and was lucky enough to spot a few small clumps.
But I was disappointed to see so much prickly pear. This aggressive cactus-like plant is a menace and it must be an ongoing job to keep it under control. Back in the early 1900’s this weed took over parts of Queensland. In the worst affected areas the prickly pear forests were impenetrable and made farming impossible. But thanks to scientists at the CSIRO an insect was introduced that effectively killed the prickly pear without harming native flora. It was the first successful biological control agent introduced into Australia. But it would seem, probably due to a lack of funding, things are out of control at the moment!
Late in the afternoon or early in the morning is the time to head up to Mt Kiangarow, the highest point in the Park. It is an easy walk, the birdlife seems energised and noisy, and you might even see a paddy melon. At the summit I was entranced but the way the grass trees framed the view to the west.
Grass tree in flower
I love a good sunset and Fishers Lookout is the place to watch the sun sink below the horizon.
It is 2020 and the area is in desperate need of rain. I am determined to return after the drought breaks, I can’t wait to see the creeks flowing and the waterfalls gushing. I’d also like to come in winter, I am told the area gets the occasional snowfall.
