Work has officially begun on C4’s new Fenby Gap revegetation project along the El Arish–Mission Beach Road, with crews now underway preparing the site for planting later this year.
The project focuses on restoring an important roadside section within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, helping stabilise degraded road edges and strengthen the rainforest corridor through Fenby Gap.
At the moment, progress is slow and very hands-on. Large sections of the site are heavily infested with dense guinea grass, which requires repeated manual brushcutting and targeted spraying before any planting can begin safely and effectively.
Guinea grass is one of the biggest challenges for rainforest restoration in our region. It grows aggressively in disturbed areas, competes heavily with native seedlings and creates ongoing maintenance issues along road corridors. Before we can get native plants into the ground, crews first need to gradually knock back the grass load and prepare the site for long-term establishment.
Once the site preparation works are complete, the area will be revegetated with native shrubs and roadside species selected specifically for the conditions at Fenby Gap. Along the road edge, low-profile native species will help maintain safe driver visibility while still strengthening habitat values and reducing erosion along the steep roadside slopes.
Over time, the goal is for the site to transition from a grass-dominated roadside edge into a more stable native planting zone that better supports the surrounding rainforest ecosystem.
This project is being delivered by C4 in partnership with the Department of Transport and Main Roads.