They’re all natural, buff and beautiful.
The Hunks of Mullum are twelve ‘hunks’ of native Tallowwood that have been lovingly reshaped into tree hollows to provide shelter for a huge range of native animals. They’re being installed this week at various locations along a path that starts at Mullumbimby Public School and finishes at Mullumbimby High School.
Hunks of Mullum is a Wildlife Safe Havens Project that has come about thanks to a partnership between Byron Shire Council, Brunswick Valley Landcare and Wildbnb Wildlife Habitat.
“The idea for this project came about earlier this year when eight large Tallowwood trees were legally removed at Mullumbimby Public School due to safety concerns. Council’s arborist team saw an opportunity to take the felled trees and turn them into hunks of tree-hollow habitat that could be used to benefit Mullumbimby’s wildlife,” Council’s Biodiversity Team Leader Liz Caddick said.
“Working with Brunswick Valley Landcare, the felled trunks were collected by Wildbnb’s arborist team who transported them back to HQ and set to work crafting them into the Hunks of Trunks as they’re affectionately known.
“The hunks of native timber replicate the natural properties of real tree hollows, including smell, texture and thermal properties. Many native animals use them for shelter and breeding, including possums, gliders, parrots, owls, insects and goannas,” Ms Caddick said.
“The hunks are beautiful to look at and ultimately we hope they’ll teach people more about our local critters and make people more aware of the pathways used by our native animals and plants to breed, disperse and forage.
“This is also the aim of Council’s new Draft Wildlife Corridor System which is going to Council this week – to map out the pathways our native animals and plants use so that we can all be better informed when it comes to restoring wildlife corridors in our own back yards,” she said.
When you’re next in Mullumbimby, take a walk through Brunswick Valley Heritage Park and the Mullumbimby Sculpture Walk, look up and see if you can spot any of the ‘hunks.’
