“Absolutely epic!!!” An Annual Community Tree Planting Day (and Decade) to remember.

And so, it ends with hugs, smiles and broken records.

Regenerating Nature is a truly rewarding experience for all involved. On May 17th 2025, just before midday, the final trees were carefully and lovingly planted in the ground at NightWings Rainforest Centre after 10 consecutive years of Rainforest Rescue Annual Community Tree Plantings. Only the hardest-hearted cynic would fail to feel something.

Volunteer planters, conservation and business partners, local friends and the Rainforest Rescue team gathered around Annie Shoenberger (the landowner of NightWings) and Bennett Walker (Julay warra—a person of the Daintree, Eastern Kuku Yalanji Elder and a Traditional Owner of the land being restored), who were each presented with a plant of significance to place into the ground.

“And a new day will dawn for those who stand long, and the forest will echo with laughter. Plant a rainforest!”

Borrowing Led Zeppelin’s famous lyric from ‘Stairway to Heaven’, then Annie planted a native fig, a favourite food of the Spectacled Flying Fox—the animal that inspired her ‘batty vision’ over 10 years ago with the purchase and establishment of NightWings as a place of refuge for threatened bat species.

Bennett, who earlier had shared his emotional story of the deep connection and history between the Walker family and the plant he held, the Black Palm, then carefully placed the young palm in the ground. “I wouldn’t be here without this plant,” he said quietly. A truly poignant moment.

Well over 100,000 young trees later, with the last ones just planted, this restoration story is ‘complete’. Now, it’s Nature who will be enriching this area, as seeds fall, float and find their way through the rainforest to add to the lush swathe of native trees now growing here.

A massive finale

2025 is a pivotal year for Rainforest Rescue, its supporters and the incredible community of partners and locals that it collaborates with to restore precious natural habitat. We’re transitioning into a visionary restoration project, known as the ‘Gateway’, at 110 Cape Tribulation Road. But not before we ensured that our final Tree Planting at NightWings was capped off in a memorable way.

Thanks to the support of more people than we ever anticipated, it was a day to treasure.

Mark Cox, Rainforest Rescue’s Communications Manager, was keen to share the news with the tree planters just before Annie and Bennett planted the final trees.

“You’ve done it—not just one, but three Rainforest Rescue records broken!!!”

A round of applause came up with the announcement. And as a reminder, here are those huge numbers:

183: The most Rescuers in attendance at an Annual Community Tree Planting

3,300: The most trees planted to date at an Annual Community Tree Planting

25 minutes: The astoundingly rapid time it took for all those trees to be planted by our Rescuers!

If you were there, a heartfelt thank you for being a part of this momentous occasion. You are now part of Rainforest Rescue history!

What an incredible achievement to witness— as the ‘Green wave’ of planters began at one end of the bare earth and rippled its way across the gently sloping area towards the Melaleuca swamp planted out nearly 10 years ago, leaving in their wake rows of gently nodding young trees, all vibrant green in the Far North Queensland sunshine.

The setting for the planting provided a visual backdrop that described the evolution of this land. The high ground, dense with mature trees and part of the Dagmar Range, overlooked the planters. The planting site was a former cane paddock that connected with a swampy area which a seasonal creek flowed to from the range. In turn, this wet ground was joined to drier land planted with native species several years earlier—these trees already approached 10 metres high, giving afternoon shade to some of the young trees.

And amongst them, a keen-eyed supporter discovered a fresh Southern Cassowary footprint. Stunning proof that the precious species that once roamed this lowland area were returning at long last.

This year saw 54 native rainforest species planted, with our Land Management team carefully planning the spacing and placement of trees to mimic natural regrowth. Working with our Native Nursery team, thousands of healthy young trees appeared at NightWings late on Friday, ready to settle into their new homes on Saturday morning. An emphasis on pioneer native species means that canopy closure can be achieved more quickly—this approach minimises long-term maintenance and sooner allows Nature to manage the land once again.

A few of the incredible volunteers who came along to get their hands dirty for the Daintree
Credit: Martin Stringer Photography

Community connections

The culmination of 10 years of Annual Community Tree Planting was a chance to take stock of the distance everyone has come. The first plantings, back in 2016, were smaller, intimate gatherings. Now, the date in the calendar feels like the annual return of a favourite festival. Many remarked how happy they were to catch up on conversations and see familiar faces once again, as convivial chatter carried across the late morning breeze.

Conservation and restoration ‘in the field’ is a valuable chance to come together. With that, we cannot thank enough the people who made this day what it was:

Our wonderful supporters, for bringing so much energy and vibrance to the Planting—some of whom were here for the very first time while several had chalked up over a decade of tree planting!

The generosity of local businesses and partners, some of whom donated treats to reward the hard work (thank you Daintree Ice Cream Company!) or provided the soundtrack to the day (thank you to the wonderful Walker Brothers band!) or inspired everyone to look even closer at the creatures around us (thank you Steve and Gone Buggo!).

To our dedicated and wonderful business partners, many of whom made the trip here as a crucial part of their process to ‘put back’ into the planet (including… Ambius, B-Alternative, Canon, Down Under Tours and Intrepid Travel).

To the inspiring conservation and community partners we walk alongside as part of the Wet Tropics Restoration Alliance—including Douglas Shire Council, who granted permission to plant this year’s site.

And of course, to our donors and supporters who make all this possible—you are vital to why our Tree Plantings grow as well as the trees do in the Wet Tropics!

Rainforest Rescue’s CEO, Branden Barber, summed up the spirit and endeavour of the Tree Planting:

“Putting the final puzzle piece into the picture is always a delight – all the more so when it’s the 15th of 14 hectares of restored rainforest! It’s been such a delight to be a part of this event with everyone this year. And we’ve learned so much about restoring rainforest from ex-sugarcane land here. Now, a couple of years of maintenance as we watch the trees grow, the canopy forms, and new rainforest habitat is ready for the critters that need it to move in again. Nature wins!”

Next year the community’s attention turns to planting a rainforest at 110 Cape Tribulation Road, but for now, a decade of getting our hands dirty at NightWings has provided many fond memories. Thank you, Annie and Bennett. And thank you, too. We simply cannot do what we do without you; you make us possible, and you make us successful. We are so much better together.

Before and After

NightWings Rainforest Centre in 2016
Credit: Martin Stringer Photography

#TreesAreTheAnswer

 

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