Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
Everybody loves the natural beauty of Tamborine Mountain’s native flora. Its stunning rainforests and breathtaking views are one of the biggest draws for people moving to the mountain and the greatest loves of long-time residents. But sometimes, that nature needs a helping hand from people. People like Steve Ward of Barb’s Trees, who for more than 10 years has been working in revegetation to bring the greenery of Tamborine Mountain back to places where it’s been lost. Today he shares with us the fascinating details behind such an important duty.
by Kyle Hitchmough
For those who might not be familiar with your business, can you explain what it is that you do?
We grow and supply native tubestock, mainly for bush revegetation. The business was originally set up as a brokerage to buy plants, and I took it over with a nursery so I could grow as well. If I can’t grow it, I’ll try and find it for that order. Since there’s so many species involved, no one nursery can have them all, so we try to marry up those plants to make orders as diverse as possible.
How did you get started in this business?
I started doing revegetation for an environmental group, and I was doing planting with a nursery. Then I broke away and started doing my own nursery selling to the industry. I used to supply Barb’s Trees with my plants. One day I said “If you ever wanted to sell, I’d be interested!” They were part of the Brisbane City Council panel of providers, which is very hard to get. That’s why I’m still called Barb’s Trees!
Do you think use of native plants has become more popular recently?
Yeah, definitely. I started doing this 25 years ago and it was a very small, niche industry and it’s grown exponentially. There had been a gradual rise in use of native plants for a while and COVID seemed to skyrocket that. We’re still feeling those effects today because a lot of the nurseries are very low in stock. It can be quite challenging.
What are the benefits of using native plants over imports?
The local species are used to our level of rainfall so there’s no need to irrigate them once they’re established. If you buy local, you’re going to get a plant that can live without your help. Plus the wildlife has a big benefit. Every plant that’s grown in the wild has some sort of animal or insect that utilises it, so you are boosting that aspect of your garden.
Do you sell to private buyers as well, or is it mostly council work?
I’d say 80% of my work is paid for by council, but a lot of that filters through to the general public as well. Every council has a land for wildlife scheme or a rural trees scheme. If you own acreage, it’s in council’s interest for you to put endemic species back on that land. They use it for carbon credit. We do private supply as well. A lot of people who get plants through schemes like that see how good they are, they’re growing well, they look out for themselves, and it starts them on a journey down that path. We do get a lot of customers that way. We don’t advertise, so we grow through word of mouth.
Are there any types of native plants that are particularly popular?
Since the big fires when we had a drought a few years back, there’s a lot of money out there for koalas so there’s a lot of programs that are placing big orders for eucalypts. Plus, a lot of eucalypt forests have been destroyed through urbanisation, so there’s a big push to put it back.
Do you grow all your own plants here?
It would be 80%. We try to boost our range by networking with other nurseries. As opposed to other nurseries, we grow everything from seed. You have to come up with that seed yourself. That can be quite challenging.
What goes into the average day here for you?
Being a small nursery, I wear a lot of hats. I’ve got three people that work for me and that’s it. Deliveries is often a component of each day. Oftentimes we get the job because I have a smaller 4WD vehicle with a trailer that can get in those hard-to-reach spots. Then there’s seed collection. It’s very opportunistic. I’m going to a lot of revegetation sites and that’s the best place to collect. Then I’ll get back and there’s paperwork, quotes, and more deliveries and even pest management. It’s a bit of everything!
As a local, what’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?
I love it! We moved here because it’s got that community aspect to it, there’s everything we need here. We’ve lived in rural areas before and there’s no center, no shops. It’s hard to get to know anybody because there’s no social aspect, unlike here. The Land Care up here is very active too, we do a lot of work with them.
What’s your favourite thing to do on the mountain?
I do a lot of bushwalking, which plays into the seed collection. I enjoy it. And socially, I go to the breweries and pubs. It’s all very local.
What do you think Barb’s Trees really provides to the area?
It provides plants that belong here, that’s why I got involved with it in the first place. If you look at pictures of the mountain going back in time to the 50s, it was pretty denuded, and now it’s one of the few places you can go where there are more trees than there were 50 years ago. Because of the community aspect, there’s a lot of emphasis on revegetating it and making it a great place to live.
What do you enjoy most about doing this?
I like the outcome. If I think about since I’ve begun, it’d be at least over a million trees that have gone in since I’ve had my hands in it. If you grow a native plant from seed, it’s going to make seed and have offspring. It’s perpetual, it leaves a legacy. That’s what makes me want to keep doing it.
What’s been your most memorable moment in your time here so far?
We’ve had a lot of hurdles! We’ve had two major floods where I’ve lost everything. But there’s been lots of good jobs that have been very challenging. The 160 000 eucalyptus job has been our largest. I can go back to those places that started as empty fields and they’re like forests now, like they’ve been there forever.
Barb’s Trees
TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN QLD 4272
We are always looking for new topics for our blog. If there’s something you like to see more of, send your suggestions to: social@professionalsserendipity.com.au, or email the writer at kyle.hitchmough@hotmail.com.
