Episode 8: Holloways Beach Environmental Education Centre

Episode 8: Holloways Beach Environmental Education Centre

Author: James Donaldson, Wet Tropics Waterways February 5, 2019 Duration: 11:38

The Holloways Beach Environmental Education Centre is a Queensland Education Department facility nestled between the mangrove-lined banks of Thomatis Creek and the beautiful Holloways Beach, a few kilometres north of Cairns.

Around 3000 primary and secondary school students from the Wet Tropics and Cape York regions attend programs and camps at the centre each year. Activities include waterway health monitoring, ecological studies and leadership programs.


There's a vital, living connection between the lush, rainforested rivers of Far North Queensland and the vast blue expanse of the Great Barrier Reef. What happens in one profoundly affects the other. Hosted by James Donaldson from Wet Tropics Waterways, the Reef And Rivers Podcast explores this intricate relationship by giving a voice to the people who know it best. Each conversation moves beyond abstract science to ground-level stories, offering a direct line to farmers, Traditional Owners, researchers, and community volunteers who are actively engaged with the landscape. You'll hear about the specific critters-from tiny insects to majestic fish-that indicate a waterway's health, and learn about the practical, often ingenious projects aimed at protecting them. This isn't just a series of interviews; it's an ongoing audio documentary about the interdependence of an entire region's lifestyle, economy, and environment. By tuning into this podcast, you gain an understanding of how everyday actions on land ripple out to the reef, and more importantly, how collective effort is working to ensure both these iconic systems thrive for generations to come. The discussions are grounded, hopeful, and filled with the kind of specific details that only come from firsthand experience.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 72

Reef And Rivers Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Episode 12: Tablelands Roundup With Mayor Joe Paronella [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:29
The Atherton Tablelands contains the headwaters for a number of significant Wet Tropics river systems, including the Herbert, Johnstone and Barron rivers. The tablelands has a growing urban and rural population and boast…
Episode 11: CAREFISH and Sustainable Fishing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:06
Cairns Recreational Fishing Industry Stakeholders (CAREFISH) is the peak body representing the recreational fishing industry in the WEet Tropics region and is a partner of Wet Tropics Waterways. In this episode CAREFISH…
Episode 6: Lucy Friend On Airports And Mangroves [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:13
The Cairns Airport is nestled behind an extensive mangrove wetland to the south and bordered by the Barron River and Redden Island to the north. This system is home to multiple species of mangroves and provides habitat f…
Episode 5: The AMPTO Crown Of Thorns Starfish (COTS) Program [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:56
The Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) is a natural predator of coral on the Great Barrier Reef and is thought to have been present in low numbers for thousands of years. As a result of human induced influxes such as nutrie…
Episode 4: Rod Marti, Barron River Sediment And Riparian Management [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:14
In Episode 4 Greg talks to Rod Marti from Barron Catchment Care about the influence of urbanisation on waterway health and the initiatives being implemented in the Upper Barron area to reduce sediment loads from urban ar…
Mangrove Watch cairns With Bess Murphy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:30
Greg talks to Bess about the importance of mangroves to our waterways and reef and what Magrove Watch does to monitor the health of mangrove communities.
Episode 2: Prof Steve Turton - 2018 Waterway Health Results [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:43
Subscribe To Reef And Rivers iTunes | Stitcher | Google Podcast | Spotify | iHeart | Download This Episode Episode Description In Episode 2 of "Reef and Rivers" Greg Vinall chats with the Independent Chairman of the Wet…