Neecie is the owner of Rainforest Refuge, a property situated in Topaz, approximately 14kms southeast of Malanda, Queensland. The property is a wildlife sanctuary which was previously logged and used for cattle. Since 2011, owner Neecie has been revegetating the land with local rainforest species, most recently digging up long grass and planting 300 trees.
Rainforest Refuge spans 0.5 hectares of tropical rainforest. Owner Neecie intends to revegetate until most of the land is rainforest. 80% of the rainforest tree plantings include local species such as proteaceae, sapindaceae, rutaceae and myrtaceae.
An extensive and growing number of wildlife is found at Rainforest Refuge including cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius), Lumholtz tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus lumholtzi), pademelons, bandicoots, various rainforest rats, water dragons, tree snakes, Cairns birdwing butterflies (Ornithoptera euphorion) and Ulysses butterflies (Papilio ulysses), petal tail dragonflies (Petalura ingentissima), stick insects (Extatosoma tiaratum), scrub turkeys (Alectura lathami), black butcherbirds (Melloria quoyi), pied butcherbirds (Cracticus nigrogularis), catbirds (Ailuroedus maculosus), pied currawongs (Strepera graculina), kookaburras, kingfishers, brown honeyeaters (Lichmera indistincta), helmeted friarbirds (Philemon buceroides), figbirds (Sphecotheres vieilloti), spangled drongos (Dicrurus bracteatus) and magnificent rifle birds (Ptiloris magnificus), Lewin’s honeyeaters (Meliphaga lewinii), yellow-spotted honeyeaters (Meliphaga notata), bush thicknees (Burhinus grallarius), boobook owls (Ninox boobook), rainbow bee-eaters (Merops ornatus), king parrots (Alisterus scapularis), lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus), white-headed pigeons (Columba leucomela), emerald doves (Chalcophaps longirostris), various other rainforest pigeons, peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) wedge tailed-eagles (Aquila audax) and other birds of prey and since the revegetation-multiple frog species.
