Volunteers travelled from far and wide to take part in Rainforest Rescue’s Lot 46 Community Planting weekend.

We felt privileged to welcome people from Melbourne, Sydney, the northern rivers of NSW, and even overseas students visiting the Daintree popped in, to help revegetate rainforest in the Daintree.

The Saturday event was a very significant day for Rainforest Rescue – we began planting the final 2000 trees on Lot 46 Cape Tribulation Road. This was the culmination of over five years of hard work and 37,000 trees planted. Our 26 volunteers powered hard and planted 1030 trees. The final thousand will be planted by our Daintree crew after we have some consistent rainfall to help nurture the seedlings.

On Sunday 32 adult and four kids planted 1151 trees – this was also a significant location – we were actually planting over an old gravel road dating from the days of the Daintree Blockade (1983-4) that cut through the Daintree National Park and its rainforest. This road was left abandoned to the weeds after a new bitumen road was created on a different route.

Our ambitious goal to plant 3000 trees was slowed by the energy-sapping heat and a sun that refused to stay behind the clouds!

Thank you to everyone who travelled from far and wide to help rectify some of the past wrongs inflicted on the Daintree rainforest – we would also like to say a special “thank you” to two of our corporate partners Readsoft and Koskela who sent four and three staff respectively from their Sydney offices.

It’s now over to our Daintree crew to complete the plantings and water and weed the seedlings for the next two years.

Quotes from participants:

“A lot of people say they saw the rainforest – but I can say that I help create it!”
– Connor from Canada

“We believe in the importance of your work, and you’re such a lovely, infectious and passionate group of people. Grow, little tree, grow!”
– Ashley Jones (Koskela)

“I have now attended two tree planting weekend with these guys in the Daintree and they have the GREATEST team imaginable! No wonder Rainforest Rescue is such a raging success with what they do! I love coming along and literally helping regenerate the Daintree rainforest surrounded by awesome people who have taught me so much and who are so passionate about what they do! And I swear, none of them actually look their age . . . .really goes to show it must be a great organisation to work for! ;)”
– Simone (and no – we did not pay her!)

 The nursery was pretty much empty after two days of planting!