Workshop targets invasive species threatening rural communities
Published on 20 August 2026
Gympie Regional Council will host a free community workshop at Booubyjan next month to help rural landholders identify and manage invasive weeds and pest animals affecting their properties.
The Booubyjan Priority Species Workshop at Booubyjan Community Hall on Wednesday 2 September continues Council’s targeted invasive species education program, providing practical information and support to landholders from surrounding rural communities.
Landholders will learn how to identify and control a variety of weed species including honey locust, rubber vine, giant rat’s tail grass and parthenium, as well as how Council can assist with the management of wild dogs, foxes, feral pigs, feral deer and rabbits. A hands-on feral pig trapping demonstration will also form part of the workshop.
Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig said invasive weeds and pest animals continued to have serious economic and environmental impacts on landholders and rural communities across the Gympie Region.
“Every part of our region faces its own challenges when it comes to invasive weeds and pest animals, and as a landholder myself, I know the damage they can cause when they’re not properly managed,” Mayor Hartwig said.
“Invasive weeds can reduce productive pasture, damage crops and spread through our waterways and bushland, while pest animals can prey on livestock and native animals and cause significant damage to properties and the environment.
“Managing these species is a shared responsibility, and the earlier we can identify a problem and take action, the better chance we have of stopping it from spreading and causing further damage.
“That’s why Council has committed more than $110,000 through the 2026–27 Budget towards education, monitoring and pest management programs across the region, helping give landholders the knowledge and support they need to manage these issues on their properties.”
Mayor Hartwig said the Booubyjan workshop continued Council’s targeted approach to invasive species education across the Gympie Region.
“We’ve had a fantastic response to workshops held this year focusing on some of the key invasive species affecting different parts of our region, including wild dogs and Indian myna birds in our coastal communities and invasive vines in the Mary Valley,” he said.
“Each community faces different challenges, so we tailor the topics covered at these workshops to the invasive species of greatest concern in that area, giving residents and landholders practical information they can use to manage those species on their properties.”
Division 6 Councillor Warren McEwan said a key focus of the workshop would be Council’s efforts to understand the spread of invasive weeds along Boonara Creek following the 2025 floods.
“Floodwaters can rapidly spread invasive weeds by carrying seeds and plant material downstream and across properties, allowing them to establish well beyond where they were originally found,” Cr McEwan said.
“Council has been monitoring and mapping several priority weed species along Boonara Creek, including honey locust, rubber vine, giant rat’s tail grass and parthenium, to understand how far they may have spread following last year’s floods.
“That work has given us a better understanding of where these weeds have spread along the creek, but we need local landholders to help us complete the picture by checking their own properties, particularly areas affected by flooding.
“That’s where this workshop is really important. Landholders will learn how to identify these weeds, where to look for them on their properties and how to report what they find to Council.
“The more we know and the more we work together, the better chance we have of controlling these species and reducing their impact across our rural communities.”
EVENT DETAILS
Booubyjan Priority Species Workshop
- Date: Wednesday 2 September 2026
- Time: 10am–1pm
- Location: Booubyjan Community Hall - 36 Booubyjan Hall Road, Booubyjan
- Cost: Free
- Morning tea provided
- Registration required
For more information and to register: Booubyjan Priority Species Workshop | Gympie Regional Council