Sean and Vanessa Gillen are the owners of Frog Hollow, a property situated in Mungalli, approximately 50km west of Innisfail, Queensland. The property is used as a homestead, bushfood orchard, cattle farm and wildlife sanctuary. Sean and Vanessa plan to maintain and expand the orchard by removing weeds and planting native food plants on cleared areas. They wish to support rainforest expansion on steeper land, working with organisations such as Terrain NRM to manage weeds. The owners are also working towards establishing a 10-hectare cassowary corridor to connect the property to the nearby national park.
Frog Hollow spans 168 hectares, with 70% of the land comprised of rainforest on rich soils in a high-altitude, high-rainfall climate refugium. The property borders Wooroonooran National Park within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Vegetation is characterised as remnant and regrowth rainforest, most of which is in very good condition. Edges of the rainforest are affected by lantana and other weeds, which are currently being managed.
Wildlife is abundant and the owners have identified 6-7 resident southern cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius) as well as bandicoots, red-legged pademelons (Thylogale stigmatica), musky rat-kangaroos (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus), kookaburras (Dacelo spp.), Victoria’s riflebirds (Ptiloris victoriae), spotted catbirds (Ailuroedus maculosus) and kingfishers.
