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QUT Samford Ecological Research Facility

Engaging Science Trail

SERF TERN

Stop 10 of 12

Rainforest transition

Riparian zone and pedestrian bridge

A creek crossing where visitors step from dry sclerophyll forest into a gallery rainforest riparian zone.

Look forLook for the pedestrian bridge over the creek, with denser canopy, higher humidity and a shift into the riparian zone.

What this is

  • This and two other pedestrian bridges have been built to prevent erosion to the gully banks from the many hundreds of people who visit SERF each year.
  • This bridge is downstream from the first creek crossing and is a continuation of the spring-fed gully, which joins Samford Creek about 50 metres to your left.
Why it matters
  • You feel an environmental change here: denser canopy, lower light, richer earthy smell and higher humidity.
  • This is the transition from Dry Sclerophyll Forest or Open Woodland into a Gallery Rainforest or Notophyll Vine Forest (a riparian zone), which has not been disturbed since European settlement.
  • Riparian zones support birds, mammals, invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians, act as movement corridors, mitigate flooding, moderate water temperatures and reduce erosion. Riparian plants such as Lomandra hystrix filter nutrients, sediments, fertilisers and pesticides from runoff.
What to notice
  • Lomandra hystrix (strappy long green grasses) along the gully bank.
  • The shift in canopy density, light and humidity as you cross the bridge.
Research connection

The riparian zone is a research reference for undisturbed gallery rainforest at the interface between land and water habitats.

Source: QUT Engaging Science Trail, Stop 10

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Next on the trail

Stop 11: TERN Flux station

Stops 11 and 12 sit at the furthest point of the trail. Continue to the research infrastructure stops before returning toward The Barracks.

Orientation assist

The next stop is roughly west from here. Use the trail map and site signs or markers where available to stay oriented.

When you arrive, look forLook for the flux tower rising above the vegetation canopy, at the edge of pasture and forest.

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Follow the numbered trail overview and site signs or markers where available.

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Return to the trail map and check the nearest on-site marker or sign. Stay on marked public paths and do not rely on this prototype for turn-by-turn navigation.

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