A project led by Annie Schoenberger and Rainforest Rescue has restored 18 hectares in Queensland, planting more than 119,000 native trees and bringing wildlife back to the former farmland.
Work began in 2015 on a former sugarcane property near Wonga Beach. Over the next decade, hundreds of volunteers helped plant more than 119,000 trees from over 150 native species. The effort also restored a wetland area and linked forest fragments that had been separated by the plantation.
A young southern cassowary spotted on the property in 2018 was one sign of returning wildlife. Rainforest Rescue said it was the first record of the species south of the Daintree River in more than 40 years. Another juvenile was seen in 2022. The site has also attracted flying foxes and other native animals.
In May 2026, Queensland’s government recognized the property as an area of high conservation value, strengthening protections against clearing. The last large planting event took place in May 2025, when 183 participants planted 3,300 trees in 25 minutes.