What do you get when 30 community volunteers spend a Sunday morning exploring mangroves, saltmarshes, parks and carparks? A cleaner coastline - and 160kg of rubbish removed from the environment.

The clean-up, organised by North Queensland Conservation Council, NQ Wildlife Care and Healthy Waters Partnership, brought together community members determined to make a difference around the Barnicle Street boat ramp.

Volunteers collected an astonishing amount of litter, including tyres, a fridge door, broken glass, textiles, shoes and more than 18kg of soft plastics. While the clean-up area was relatively small, the volume of rubbish highlights the ongoing challenge facing our waterways and wildlife.

A big thank you to everyone who took part, and to TIDY Up Townsville Group and Earthwatch Australia for joining us on the day and lending a hand.

Every piece of litter removed is one less threat to wildlife and our waterways.

All photos: Jo Hurford.

Scroll through the photos below to see the day in action.

North Queensland is getting hotter, and shade is no longer a nice extra - it’s essential infrastructure for health, liveability, and climate resilience.

We’re calling for smarter greening across our region to create cooler neighbourhoods, healthier communities, and more space for nature.

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Was it the mangrove fever? We’re not entirely sure - but what we do know is that our latest Green Drinks brought a full house together for an evening of connection, learning, and inspiration.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us, and a special shoutout to Lucia Caldas Duran from Earthwatch for sharing her work and insights with the community.

What do you love about living in North Queensland? 
The reef, the hills, the rivers, the wildlife - the places that make this region home.

This April, we’re celebrating those places through Love Where You Live, a month-long community fundraiser hosted by the North Queensland Conservation Council (NQCC).

From March 28 (starting with Earth Hour) to April 30, locals have been taking action for nature — and 15 dedicated fundraisers are already out there making a difference.

Now, we’re inviting you to support them.

The rain had only just eased enough for us to gather for our first Green Drinks of the year. There was something fitting about that - the air still heavy, the ground freshly washed - as new and familiar faces came together in community.

We were honoured to welcome Max Lenoy as our speaker for the evening. Max has recently joined NQCC as a Management Committee member and brings deep experience as a curriculum specialist in Indigenous education.

For National Heat Awareness Day, NQCC spent the morning at the markets talking with the community about something we all know well in North Queensland: heat. A big thank you to our wonderful volunteers who came along and had thoughtful conversations with people about how heat shapes daily life in Townsville.

2026 is off to a fantastic start for the North Queensland Conservation Council, and JCU Market Day set the tone beautifully. The campus was buzzing, the stalls were packed, and we were thrilled to meet so many students eager to get involved.

Five years ago, an independent review of Australia's federal nature laws found that they were failing. This week, the EPBC Act has finally been overhauled, after negotiations between the Labor Government and the Greens resulted in changes that have been labelled "transformative" and "historic". There is still work to be done, but a sigh of relief right now is justified.

While history is being made in federal politics, in the Hinchinbrook Channel, history is set to repeat itself.

Long-term NQCC members might remember the courageous yet ultimately unsuccessful fight against the development of Port Hinchinbrook. Decades of environmental disturbance and decay have ensued. Now, the State Government is looking to revitalise the area and dredge up the past. That can't happen on our watch. Making a submission takes a few minutes, but could make a world of difference. 

Thank you for your support throughout this massive month! It's been exciting, and we love sharing it with you.

- Crystal, NQCC Coordinator

Last Saturday, the Townsville Senior Citizens Centre was buzzing with energy as 111 players across 15 teams battled it out at NQCC’s Trivia Night 2025. It was our biggest trivia night to date — and what a night it was!