West End was once a vibrant rainforest. Vines and flowers dangled in the water’s edge along what is now Riverside Drive. Lush vegetation rose up from the peninsula - hoop pines, red cedars, piccabeen palms, giant ferns, orchids, staghorns, elkhorns, figs and more. Butterflies were everywhere.

When the British invaded, they waged a war against the Yuggera and Turrbal peoples. The colonisers wanted to reshape the country in their image; they cleared the old growth rainforest and tried to destroy any trace of centuries of First Nations stewardship.

Some 150+ years later high density apartments now rise where rainforest once thrived. The riverfront itself has been reclaimed as public parkland and we now have an opportunity to begin revegetating some of what was lost.

As corporate greed drives an ever warming planet, extreme heat and weather events are going to become more frequent and destructive. The inner city is going to need a whole lot more tree cover and vegetation to adapt and remain liveable: urban tree canopies, rain gardens, vegetated swales, greenways, and much less exposed bitumen/concrete.

Come along to this community meeting to learn more about our ideas to turn parts of Riverside Drive into an urban greenway. This will be an opportunity to speak with your neighbours and hear other resident’s perspectives. Let us know what you like about the proposal and any concerns you may have.