The Cooloola BioBlitz 2021 is coming up on 14-16 May with lots of new scientists and expert enthusiasts joining the wonderful array of Team Leaders.

So what is a BioBlitz?

A BioBlitz is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area. Groups of scientists, naturalists and volunteers conduct an intensive field study over a continuous time period. 

What happens at the Cooloola BioBlitz?

On Friday afternoon/evening, there will be workshops, dinner, speakers and optional nocturnal field trips (frogs and insects). 

On Saturday and Sunday, participants select their preferred group from an array of scientists and expert enthusiasts, choosing a different group on each day. Some groups will be travelling on 4WD access roads while others will go to sites accessible by 2WD cars. Once on site, everyone will walk into the area and conduct the survey using their phones or pen and paper to record sightings. 

The leaders will have a specialty such as fungi, mosses and lichens, insects, botany or birds but you will also learn more generally about the habitats you’ll encounter. Groups are kept to a maximum of 10 people (except for the special Nature Journaling Art Group which is a group of 15)  

On Friday and Saturday evening, there will be dinner (pre-paid ticket holders only), speakers and optional nocturnal field trips to choose from as well as some short outings (Magical Moments). 

Tickets for registration and meals

It is now time to get your tickets to reserve your place and book your meals. 

You need to arrange your own accommodation for the Cooloola BioBlitz. Don’t delay as weekend accommodation sells out quickly. Rainbow Beach has become even more popular since overseas travel restrictions came into place. There is a wide array of accommodation from affordable National Park Campgrounds just a few kilometres away at Inskip Point, to 5 star luxury apartments and everything in between. The accommodation page on the website will help you find something in your price range either in Rainbow Beach or nearby Tin Can Bay or Cooloola Cove. 

As usual, you can pre-order your brown bag lunches for Saturday and Sunday and “Dinner with the scientists” on Friday and Saturday nights. Don’t forget to answer the questions on the form about your special dietary requirements. If you don’t want to join the team for dinner, you may want to make a booking at one of the many local eateries or prepare your own food at your accommodation. You can come back after dinner for the evening activities.

This year there will be discount registration for students 18 and over, and free registration for 11 to 17 year olds. There are also a number of sponsored tickets for Kabi Kabi and Butchulla participants, so please get in touch with the Coordinator if this applies to you. 

For more information, please download the flier below, or check out the Cooloola BioBlitz 2021 website. If you can’t find the information you are looking for, please contact Dr Lindy Orwin, Coordinator, via Coordinator@CooloolaCoastcare.org.au or call 0478 039 322.