Friends report documents 4 years of progress at Abattoir Swamp

A 4-year Progress Report had been prepared and was officially presented to Councillors Ross Cardillo and Amy Braes with Mitchell River Chair Fiona Barron congratulating the Friends on their staunch perseverance in the face of significant challenges.

Friends of Abattoir Swamp, or the “Swampies”, are the volunteer management committee looking after the much-loved environmental park called Abattoir Swamp. 

The park is located on the Mount Molloy - Mossman Road and it has enjoyed a glorious past as a jewel on the international birdwatching circuit. The wetland narrowly avoided being bull-dozed and levelled during the cane boom of the early 80s, and (through intense local activism) was eventually donated to Mareeba Shire Council in 1991 to be used for public benefit. By the early 2000s the wetland was choked by the invasive Olive Hymenachne, introduced for the benefit of north Australian pastoralists keen to convert their remnant wetlands into “productive” paddocks.

In 2021 the Shire called for expressions of interest to manage the park and the Mitchell River Watershed Management Group was successful in securing a 5-year lease to caretake and develop the park.

Mitchell River formulated terms of reference and called for volunteers to take on the management role. Thus, the Friends (Swampies!) were formed. The inaugural (and current) convenor is local birdwatching legend Carol Iles. Together with Lindsay Fisher, Carol has kept the Swampies on task. Lindsay described the various achievements of the Friends over the past 4 years, including cleaning and maintenance of the birdhide, gardening the parking lot and amenity area, and securing funding for a series of interpretive signs.