The evidence base

Bibliography

The book Same Sky, Different Ground and this whole site rest on published research — 114 sources, grouped by theme below. Every factual claim in the guides is cited, and each citation links straight to its entry here.

Geology, soils & the Cooloola chronosequence

Walker, T.W. & Syers, J.K. (1976). The fate of phosphorus during pedogenesis. Geoderma 15: 1–19.
Thompson, C.H. (1981). Podzol chronosequences on coastal dunes of eastern Australia. Nature 291: 59–61.
Walker, J., Thompson, C.H., Fergus, I.F. & Tunstall, B.R. (1981). Plant succession and soil development in coastal sand dunes of subtropical eastern Australia. In: West, Shugart & Botkin (eds), Forest Succession: Concepts and Application, Springer, pp. 107–131.
Peltzer, D.A., Wardle, D.A., Allison, V.J., et al. (2010). Understanding ecosystem retrogression. Ecological Monographs 80(4): 509–529. DOI 10.1890/09-1552.1.
Wardle, D.A., Walker, L.R. & Bardgett, R.D. (2004). Ecosystem properties and forest decline in contrasting long-term chronosequences. Science 305(5683): 509–513. DOI 10.1126/science.1098778.
Zemunik, G., Turner, B.L., Lambers, H. & Laliberté, E. (2015). Diversity of plant nutrient-acquisition strategies increases during long-term ecosystem development. Nature Plants 1: 15050.
Chen, C.R. et al. (2015). Soil phosphorus fractionation and nutrient dynamics along the Cooloola coastal dune chronosequence, southern Queensland. Geoderma 257–258: 4–13.
Ellerton, D., Rittenour, T., Shulmeister, J. et al. (2020). An 800-kyr record of dune emplacement in relationship to high sea-level forcing, Cooloola Sand Mass. Geomorphology 354: 106999.
Cohen, B.E. et al. (2007). ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar constraints on the timing of Oligocene intraplate volcanism, SE Queensland (incl. the Glass House Mountains). Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 54(1): 105–125.
Davies, D.R. et al. (2015). Lithospheric controls on magma composition along Earth's longest continental hotspot track. Nature 525: 511–514.
Willmott, W. (2007). Rocks and Landscapes of the Sunshine Coast (2nd ed.). Geological Society of Australia.
Rhodes, E.J. (2011). Optically stimulated luminescence dating of sediments over the past 200,000 years. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 39: 461–488.
Walker, J., Lees, B., Olley, J. & Thompson, C. (2018). Dating the Cooloola coastal dunes of South-Eastern Queensland, Australia. Marine Geology 398: 73–85. DOI 10.1016/j.margeo.2017.12.010.

Hydrology & fire

Dooley, M., Lewis, T. & Schmidt, S. (2023). Fire frequency has a contrasting effect on vegetation and topsoil in subcoastal heathland, woodland and forest ecosystems, south-east Queensland. Austral Ecology 48(8): 1865-1887. DOI 10.1111/aec.13427.
Hofmann, H., Newborn, D., Cartwright, I., Cendón, D.I. & Raiber, M. (2020). Groundwater mean residence times of a subtropical barrier sand island. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 24(3): 1293–1318. DOI 10.5194/hess-24-1293-2020.
Bowman, D.M.J.S. (1998). The impact of Aboriginal landscape burning on the Australian biota. New Phytologist 140: 385–410.
Bradstock, R.A., Williams, J.E. & Gill, A.M. (eds). Flammable Australia: The Fire Regimes and Biodiversity of a Continent..
Dyring, M. et al. (2025). A hydrogeochemical approach to coastal groundwater-dependent ecosystem conservation: the Cooloola Sand Mass. Science of the Total Environment 958: 177892.
Junk, W.J., Bayley, P.B. & Sparks, R.E. (1989). The flood-pulse concept in river–floodplain systems. In: Dodge, D.P. (ed.), Proceedings of the International Large River Symposium (LARS). Canadian Special Publication of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 106: 110–127.
Dixon, K.M., Cary, G.J., Worboys, G.L., Seddon, J. & Gibbons, P. (2018). A comparison of fuel hazard in recently burned and long-unburned forests and woodlands. International Journal of Wildland Fire 27(9): 609–622 (article WF18037).
Furlaud, J.M., Prior, L.D., Williamson, G.J. & Bowman, D.M.J.S. (2021). Fire risk and severity decline with stand development in Tasmanian giant Eucalyptus forest. Forest Ecology and Management 502: 119724.
Krishnan, V., Robinson, N., Firn, J., et al. (2019). Without management interventions, endemic wet-sclerophyll forest is transitioning to rainforest in World Heritage listed K'gari (Fraser Island). Ecology and Evolution 9(3): 1378–1393. DOI 10.1002/ece3.4853.
Baker, A.G., Catterall, C., Benkendorff, K. & Fensham, R.J. (2020). Rainforest expansion reduces understorey plant diversity and density in open forest of eastern Australia. Austral Ecology 45(5): 557–571. DOI 10.1111/aec.12871.
Godfree, R.C., Knerr, N., Encinas-Viso, F., et al. (2021). Implications of the 2019–2020 megafires for the biogeography and conservation of Australian vegetation. Nature Communications 12: 1023. DOI 10.1038/s41467-021-21266-5.

Biodiversity & fauna

Gonzalez-Astudillo, V. et al. (2017). 17-year koala mortality, SEQ. Scientific Reports.
Robbins, A. et al. (2018). Koala chlamydial treatment outcomes. PLoS One.
Dissanayake, R.B. et al. (2019). Citizen-science koala monitoring, SEQ. Scientific Reports.
Koala (combined QLD/NSW/ACT population) listed Endangered under the EPBC Act, 12 February 2022 (uplisted from Vulnerable).
Phillips, S., Hanger, J., Grosmaire, J., Mehdi, A., Jelocnik, M., Wong, J. & Timms, P. (2024). Immunisation of koalas against Chlamydia pecorum results in significant protection against chlamydial disease and mortality. npj Vaccines 9(1): 139. DOI 10.1038/s41541-024-00938-5.
Meyer, E.A., Franklin, C.E. & Cramp, R.L. (2021). Physiological and morphological correlates of extreme acid tolerance in larvae of the acidophilic amphibian Litoria cooloolensis. Journal of Comparative Physiology B 191(1): 159–171. DOI 10.1007/s00360-020-01316-y.
Filer, A. et al. (2021). Acoustic competition, wallum sedgefrog. Ecology and Evolution.
Shuker, J.D., Simpkins, C.A. & Hero, J.-M. (2016). Determining environmental limits of threatened species: the example of the wallum sedgefrog Litoria olongburensis. Ecosphere 7(6): e01384. DOI 10.1002/ecs2.1384.
Meyer, E., Hero, J.-M., Shoo, L. & Lewis, B. (2006). National recovery plan for the wallum sedgefrog and other wallum-dependent frog species. Report to the Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Canberra. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service / Environmental Protection Agency, Brisbane. https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/wallum-frogs.pdf.
Glossy black-cockatoo: south-eastern subspecies Calyptorhynchus lathami lathami listed Vulnerable under the EPBC Act, effective 10 August 2022; near-obligate Allocasuarina/Casuarina (she-oak) seed feeder and large-hollow nester (SPRAT taxon 67036).
Sands, D. (2008). Conserving the Richmond birdwing butterfly over two decades: where to next? Ecological Management & Restoration 9(1): 4–16.
Avicennia marina (grey mangrove): dominant SEQ mangrove; cryptoviviparous (cf. truly viviparous Rhizophora).
Moreton Bay Ramsar wetland (designated 22 October 1993, Ramsar Site 631); East Asian–Australasian Flyway.
Lanyon, J.M. (2003). Distribution and abundance of dugongs in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Wildlife Research 30(4): 397–409. DOI 10.1071/WR98082.
Wen, L., Saintilan, N., Reid, J.R.W. & Colloff, M.J. (2016). Changes in distribution of waterbirds following prolonged drought reflect habitat availability in coastal and inland regions. Ecology and Evolution 6(18): 6672–6689. DOI 10.1002/ece3.2091.
Gibbons, P. & Lindenmayer, D. (2002). Tree Hollows and Wildlife Conservation in Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood.
Wormington, K. & Lamb, D. (1999). Tree hollow development in wet and dry sclerophyll eucalypt forest in south-east Queensland, Australia. Australian Forestry 62(4): 336–345.
Booth, D.J., Figueira, W.F., Gregson, M.A., Brown, L. & Beretta, G. (2007). Occurrence of tropical fishes in temperate southeastern Australia: role of the East Australian Current. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 72(1–2): 102–114.
Wallace, C.C., Fellegara, I., Muir, P.R. & Harrison, P.L. (2009). The scleractinian corals of Moreton Bay, eastern Australia: high-latitude, marginal assemblages with increasing species richness. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum — Nature 54(2): 1–118.
Robertson, A.I. & Daniel, P.A. (1989). The influence of crabs on litter processing in high intertidal mangrove forests in tropical Australia. Oecologia 78(2): 191–198. DOI 10.1007/BF00377155.
Bansemer, C.S. & Bennett, M.B. (2009). Reproductive periodicity, localised movements and behavioural segregation of pregnant Carcharias taurus at Wolf Rock, southeast Queensland, Australia. Marine Ecology Progress Series 374: 215–227. DOI 10.3354/meps07741.
Bansemer, C.S. & Bennett, M.B. (2011). Sex- and maturity-based differences in movement and migration patterns of grey nurse shark, Carcharias taurus, along the eastern coast of Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 62(6): 596. DOI 10.1071/MF10152.
Dyer, P.K. (2000). Wedge-tailed shearwaters on Mudjimba Island, Queensland: numbers and breeding success. Corella 24(1/2): 15–18.
Hall, M.J., Martin, J.M., Burns, A.L. & Hochuli, D.F. (2024). The decline, fall, and rise of a large urban colonising bird. Wildlife Research 51(7): WR23156. DOI 10.1071/WR23156.
Australian Brush-turkey (Alectura lathami) species page, Australian Museum (accessed 2026). https://australian.museum/learn/animals/birds/australian-brush-turkey/.
Claridge, A.W. & May, T.W. (1994). Mycophagy among Australian mammals. Australian Journal of Ecology 19(3): 251–275. DOI 10.1111/j.1442-9993.1994.tb00489.x.
Johnson, C.N. (1996). Interactions between mammals and ectomycorrhizal fungi. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 11(12): 503–507. DOI 10.1016/S0169-5347(96)10053-7.
Fleming, P.A., Anderson, H., Prendergast, A.S., Bretz, M.R., Valentine, L.E. & Hardy, G.E.StJ. (2014). Is the loss of Australian digging mammals contributing to a deterioration in ecosystem function? Mammal Review 44(2): 94–108. DOI 10.1111/mam.12014.
Woinarski, J.C.Z., Burbidge, A.A. & Harrison, P.L. (2015). Ongoing unraveling of a continental fauna: decline and extinction of Australian mammals since European settlement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112(15): 4531–4540. DOI 10.1073/pnas.1417301112.
Atlas of Living Australia (2026). Occurrence records within 45 km of the Sunshine Coast (centre −26.65, 153.05), queried 2 September 2026 through the biocache API, e.g. https://biocache.ala.org.au/ws/occurrences/search?q=taxon_name%3A%22Aepyprymnus%20rufescens%22&lat=-26.65&lon=153.05&radius=45.
Welbergen, J.A., Klose, S.M., Markus, N. & Eby, P. (2008). Climate change and the effects of temperature extremes on Australian flying-foxes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 275(1633): 419–425. DOI 10.1098/rspb.2007.1385.
Welbergen, J., Booth, C. & Martin, J. (2014). Killer climate: tens of thousands of flying foxes dead in a day. The Conversation, 25 February 2014. https://theconversation.com/killer-climate-tens-of-thousands-of-flying-foxes-dead-in-a-day-23227.
Eby, P. (1991). Seasonal movements of grey-headed flying-foxes, Pteropus poliocephalus (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae), from two maternity camps in northern New South Wales. Wildlife Research 18(5): 547–559. DOI 10.1071/WR9910547.
DAWE (2021). National Recovery Plan for the Grey-headed Flying-fox Pteropus poliocephalus. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Canberra, March 2021. ISBN 978-1-76003-368-2. https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/recovery-plan-grey-headed-flying-fox.pdf.
NSW Health (2024). Hendra virus fact sheet. Updated 12 March 2024. https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/hendra_virus.aspx.
NSW Health (2025). Rabies and Australian bat lyssavirus infection fact sheet. Updated 27 November 2025. https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/rabies-australian-bat-lyssavirus-infection.aspx.
Gill, R.E., Tibbitts, T.L., Douglas, D.C., Handel, C.M., Mulcahy, D.M., Gottschalck, J.C., Warnock, N., McCaffery, B.J., Battley, P.F. & Piersma, T. (2009). Extreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: ecological corridor rather than barrier? Proceedings of the Royal Society B 276(1656): 447–457. DOI 10.1098/rspb.2008.1142.
Guinness World Records (2022). Longest non-stop migration by a bird. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/86385-longest-non-stop-migration-by-a-bird.
Studds, C.E., Kendall, B.E., Murray, N.J., Wilson, H.B., Rogers, D.I., Clemens, R.S., Gosbell, K., Hassell, C.J., Jessop, R., Melville, D.S., Milton, D.A., Minton, C.D.T., Possingham, H.P., Riegen, A.C., Straw, P., Woehler, E.J. & Fuller, R.A. (2017). Rapid population decline in migratory shorebirds relying on Yellow Sea tidal mudflats as stopover sites. Nature Communications 8: 14895. DOI 10.1038/ncomms14895.
Department of the Environment (2015). Conservation Advice Numenius madagascariensis eastern curlew. Canberra. https://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/847-conservation-advice.pdf.
Knight, J.T. & Arthington, A.H. (2008). Distribution and habitat associations of the endangered Oxleyan pygmy perch, Nannoperca oxleyana Whitley, in eastern Australia. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 18(7): 1240–1254. DOI 10.1002/aqc.936.
Arthington, A.H. & Marshall, C.J. (1995). Threatened fishes of the world: Pseudomugil mellis Allen & Ivantsoff, 1982 (Pseudomugilidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 43(3): 268. DOI 10.1007/BF00005858.
Semple, G.P. (1991). Reproductive behaviour and early development of the honey blue-eye, Pseudomugil mellis Allen and Ivantsoff 1982 (Pisces: Pseudomugilidae), from the North-east Coast Division, south-eastern Queensland, Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 42(3): 277–286. DOI 10.1071/MF9910277.

Plants / ethnobotany

Beadle, N.C.W. (1966). Soil phosphate and its role in molding segments of the Australian flora and vegetation, with special reference to xeromorphy and sclerophylly. Ecology 47(6): 992–1007. DOI 10.2307/1935647.
Schmidt, S., Handley, L.L. & Sangtiean, T. (2006). Effects of nitrogen source and ectomycorrhizal association on growth and δ¹⁵N of two subtropical Eucalyptus species from contrasting ecosystems. Functional Plant Biology 33(4): 367–379. DOI 10.1071/FP05260.
Male, T.D. & Roberts, G.E. (2005). Host associations of the strangler fig Ficus watkinsiana in a subtropical Queensland rain forest. Austral Ecology 30(2): 229–236.
Griffith, S.J. & Rutherford, S. (2020). Flowering of Blandfordia grandiflora (Christmas bells) in response to fire frequency and temperature. Australian Journal of Botany 68(6): 449–457.
Vincent, O., Weißkopf, C., Poppinga, S., et al. (2011). Ultra-fast underwater suction traps. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 278(1720): 2909–2914. DOI 10.1098/rspb.2010.2292.
Gilding, E.K., Jami, S., Deuis, J.R., et al. (2020). Neurotoxic peptides from the venom of the giant Australian stinging tree. Science Advances 6(38): eabb8828. DOI 10.1126/sciadv.abb8828.
Cooke, P., Ens, E., Clarke, P., Chang, H., Rossetto, M., Crayn, D., Turpin, G. & Ferrier, A. (2024). Not all edible nuts are eaten: evidence for continued Aboriginal cultural use and dispersal of bunya pine (Araucaria bidwillii) in southern but not in northern Queensland. Journal of Ethnobiology 44(2): 129–140. DOI 10.1177/02780771241246853.
Fahey, M., Rossetto, M., Ens, E. & Kerkhove, R. (2024). Araucaria bidwillii genomics suggest Indigenous Peoples broadened translocation practices in response to settler colonialism. People and Nature 6(1): 286–300. DOI 10.1002/pan3.10576.
Karst, J., Jones, M.D. & Hoeksema, J.D. (2023). Positive citation bias and overinterpreted results lead to misinformation on common mycorrhizal networks in forests. Nature Ecology & Evolution 7(4): 501–511. DOI 10.1038/s41559-023-01986-1.
Watson, D.M. & Herring, M. (2012). Mistletoe as a keystone resource: an experimental test. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 279(1743): 3853–3860. DOI 10.1098/rspb.2012.0856.
Terry, I., Walter, G.H., Moore, C., Roemer, R. & Hull, C. (2007). Odor-mediated push–pull pollination in cycads. Science 318(5847): 70. DOI 10.1126/science.1145147.
Low, T. (1991). Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus & Robertson.
Cribb, A.B. & J.W. (1981). Useful Wild Plants in Australia. Collins.

Forest health & dieback

Nolan, R.H., Gauthey, A., Losso, A., et al. (2021). Hydraulic failure and tree size linked with canopy die-back in eucalypt forest during extreme drought. New Phytologist 230(4): 1354–1365. DOI 10.1111/nph.17298.
Silver, M.J. & Carnegie, A.J. (2017). An independent review of bell miner associated dieback: report prepared for the Project Steering Committee — Systematic Review of Bell Miner Associated Dieback (BMAD). NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Parramatta. 125 pp.

People, history & restoration

Douglas on behalf of the Kabi Kabi First Nation Traditional Owners Native Title Claim Group v State of Queensland (No 5) [2024] FCA 645 (Collier ACJ, 17 June 2024), Federal Court of Australia, file QUD 20 of 2019 — consent determination under s 87A Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), recognising non-exclusive native title over Part A of the Kabi Kabi claim: 3,450 km² of land plus 202 km² of waters (~365,000 ha). https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2024/2024fca0645.
Kerkhove, R. — commissioned Sunshine Coast Indigenous histories.
Gammage, B. (2011). The Biggest Estate on Earth. Allen & Unwin.
May, D. (2023). Rethinking The Biggest Estate on Earth: a critique of grand unified theories. History Australia 20(1): 154–172.
Steffensen, V. (2020). Fire Country. Hardie Grant Explore.
Bradley, J. (1988). Bringing Back the Bush: The Bradley Method. Lansdowne.
Goosem, S. & Tucker, N.I.J. (1995/2013). Repairing the Rainforest. Wet Tropics Management Authority.
Lindenmayer, D.B. & Fischer, J. (2006). Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change: An Ecological and Conservation Synthesis. CSIRO Publishing.
Blue Heart Sunshine Coast — Maroochy River floodplain (>5,000 ha) flood-storage and tidal-wetland restoration. Partners: Sunshine Coast Council, the Queensland Government's Department of Environment, Unitywater, and the Kabi Kabi Peoples Aboriginal Corporation (KKPAC). DCCEEW Wetlands Australia 33 (2021); Qld Land Restoration Fund case study (blue-carbon potential). Council and Unitywater confirm KKPAC as an official partner (May 2025); program page https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/blueheart.
Cooloola National Park gazetted 1975, following the anti-sand-mining campaign (Kathleen McArthur, Judith Wright and others).
Sunshine Coast Council (2023). Environment Levy land acquisition program (and Environment Levy Annual Report 2022–23). Sunshine Coast Council. https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/environment/environment-levy/land-acquisition-program.
Sunshine Coast Council (accessed 2026). Land for Wildlife. Sunshine Coast Council. https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/environment/get-involved-in-conservation/land-for-wildlife — regional program: Land for Wildlife South East Queensland (LfWSEQ), https://lfwseq.org.au/.
The Nature Conservancy Australia (2022). Noosa River — restoring shellfish reefs (Huon Mundy Reefs). The Nature Conservancy Australia. https://www.natureaustralia.org.au/what-we-do/our-priorities/oceans/ocean-stories/restoring-shellfish-reefs/noosa-river/.
Hrdina, F. & Gordon, G. (2004). The koala and possum trade in Queensland, 1906–1936. Australian Zoologist 32(4): 543–585. DOI 10.7882/AZ.2004.003.
Gillies, C.L., McLeod, I.M., Alleway, H.K., Cook, P., Crawford, C., et al. (2018). Australian shellfish ecosystems: past distribution, current status and future direction. PLOS ONE 13(2): e0190914. DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0190914.
Toona ciliata (red cedar) — colonial Australia's most prized rainforest cabinet timber ("red gold").
Traveston Crossing Dam (Mary River): proposed 2006; rejected by the federal Environment Minister (Garrett) in 2009 under the EPBC Act, on threatened-species grounds (Australian lungfish, Mary River turtle, Mary River cod).
Tangalooma whaling station, Moreton Island, 1952–1962 (6,277 humpbacks taken — verified); east-Australian humpback population driven to a few hundred, protected from 1963, since recovered to ~40,000 and now at/above pre-whaling levels (DCCEEW eastern-Australia humpback assessment).
Taylor-Brown, A. et al. (2019). The impact of human activities on Australian wildlife. PLOS ONE 14(1): e0206958. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0206958.
Wildlife Warriors (accessed 2026). Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Wildlife Warriors Worldwide. https://wildlifewarriors.org.au/conservation-projects/australia-zoo-wildlife-hospital/.
National Museum of Australia (accessed 2026). Introduction of cane toads (Defining Moments in Australian History). https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/introduction-of-cane-toads.
Weeds Australia (accessed 2026). Lantana (Lantana camara) profile. Centre for Invasive Species Solutions. https://weeds.org.au/profiles/lantana-common-kamara/.
Weeds Australia — Camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) profile (accessed 2026). Centre for Invasive Species Solutions. https://weeds.org.au/profiles/camphor-laurel-tree/.
WWF-Australia (accessed 2026). Introduced predators. https://wwf.org.au/what-we-do/species/introduced-predators/.
Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Qld). Queensland Government. https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1992-020.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (accessed 2026). Cooloola (Great Sandy) and Glass House Mountains national parks. parks.qld.gov.au. https://parks.qld.gov.au/parks/glass-house-mountains.

Comparable / model books

Slattery, D. (2025). Australian Alps (3rd ed.). CSIRO Publishing.
Morton, S. (2022). Australian Deserts: Ecology and Landscapes. CSIRO Publishing.
McPhee, D. (2017). Environmental History and Ecology of Moreton Bay. CSIRO Publishing.
Davie, P. (1998). Wild Guide to Moreton Bay. Queensland Museum.
Leiper, G. et al. (2022). Mangroves to Mountains (3rd ed.). Native Plants Queensland.
Haslam, S. Noosa's Native Plants (4th ed.). Noosa Integrated Catchment Association.