The Australian Land Conservation Alliance (ALCA) conference brings together conservation leaders from across the country, from large national organisations to regional groups and private land managers who protect land and wildlife every day. Each year their national conference gathers people who shape policy, fund land protection, run restoration programs and steward some of Australia’s most important landscapes.
This year, C4 was invited to host one of the end-of-conference field trips. For a remote region like ours, a visit like this is rare, and we knew it was a chance to show people the real work happening in our region.
When we opened the doors to the C4 Environment Centre, it was a seasonably warm October morning. By 9.30 our guests had stepped off the bus and straight into the tropical heat, coffee in one hand, pineapple cake from Shanti Café in the other, ready to see the places they had heard so much about.
We thank ALCA for making the visit possible, Queensland Trust for Nature for their support, Shanti Café for keeping everyone fed, the El Arish Pub for hosting our final stop, and our C4 volunteers and Management Committee who held each part of the day together.
7.30am, Setting off from Cairns
The day began on the road south. The scenery shifted quickly, from city edge to cane fields to rainforest foothills. It offered a quiet introduction to the landscapes we would spend the day exploring.
9.30am, C4 Environment Centre
The air was already warm when the bus pulled in, the kind of heat that settles over Mission Beach even before lunchtime. Inside, trays of pineapple cake and pastries made the morning feel easy. After a short introduction to our work, we led a walk through the nursery, arboretum, coastal vegetation, littoral forest, and of course, the beach.
11.00am, Cassowary Connections Nature Refuge, “Lot 66“
At Lot 66 the conversation shifted toward history and community. This corridor was once headed toward development, and standing there always brings that contrast into focus. We talked through the local campaign to protect it, the buyback, and the importance of securing habitat before pressure makes it impossible. Oh, and a really big spider!
11.30am, Lacey Creek
Lacey Creek offered shade and cool air under the palms. The walk here gave everyone a sense of intact rainforest and showed why stitching these landscapes back together is so important.
12.15pm, Lunch at C4
Lunch at the Environment Centre provided a quiet break, with small groups gathered under ceiling fans discussing restoration challenges, monitoring methods and conservation finane. Days like this create space for honest conversation, and lunch carried that mood.
1.45pm, Gurrbum Nature Refuge
In the afternoon we visited Gurrbum, a former banana and cane property now transforming into rainforest. Delegates walked among young plantings and stepped through dense Miyawaki-style pockets already casting their own shade. The discussion moved naturally to long-term stewardship, the future of the site, and possibilities for training, monitoring and practical restoration at scale.
2.45pm, El Arish Pub
We ended the day at the El Arish Pub. Cold drinks in hand, people compared notes, shared reflections and raised ideas that had surfaced earlier in the day. It was relaxed, constructive and the kind of conversation that lingers on the drive home.
When the bus finally headed back toward Cairns, we were reminded why visits like this matter. Seeing the work on the ground changes how people understand the region. The pressures here are real, but so is the potential. We appreciated the chance to show our visitors the work C4 is going on the ground, and we look forward to where these conversations lead next.