Wallum: Our heath - its flora, conservation and ecology

Welcome to the first of our Bush Botany series workshops with Ally Hayes-Hatten: Wallum Heath.

Join us as we explore one of the Sunshine Coast’s most extraordinary and overlooked ecosystems – the wallum heath. This vibrant coastal landscape, rich in history and biodiversity, holds a story that is many, years in the making.

In this introductory presentation, we’ll dive into the heart of the wallum:
🌿 What exactly is wallum, and how did these unique heathlands form?
🌏 Where can you find them, and why are they so special to southeast Queensland?
🌼 We'll uncover the incredible plant diversity of the wallum – including major plant families, their fascinating adaptations, and the surprising beauty of species thriving in sandy, acidic, low-nutrient soils.
⚠️ You'll also learn about the threats facing these ecosystems toda and what’s can be done to conserve them.
🌱 Finally, we’ll spotlight some of the threatened flora that make these landscapes so special.

Through this workshop, we hope to spark a deeper understanding and genuine admiration for our local coastal heath communities – to see the wallum not just as bushland, but as a living, breathing, intricate system worthy of awe, protection, and celebration.

Places limited to 15 people.

About Ally Hayes-Hatten

Ally is a botanist, restoration ecologist, photographer, and avid nature-lover based in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Currently studying a bachelor’s degree in botany at the University of New England she works for Barung Landcare supervising bush regeneration crews and in the native nursery. Her professional background includes training and managing Certificate I to III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management Trainees, managing the Sunshine Coast BioBlitz and leading other citizen science-based botanical and threatened species surveys. She is cofounder of the Wildflower Appreication Association - a South-East Qld based botany group for young people, a tutotor, facilitator and avid wilderness photographer!