WINGS OF WONDER

THE BRIBIE ISLAND BUTTERFLY HOUSE ISN’T JUST HOME TO THOUSANDS OF LEPIDOPTERA; IT’S ALSO THE BEATING HEART OF A VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY.

- Claire Bickle

The Bribie Island Butterfly House is in sleepy Bongaree, a suburb on the west side of the Island in Queensland’s Moreton Bay. On a sunny day you can expect to see 50,000 to 100,000 butterfly takeoffs and landings.

This fast-growing tourist attraction is the brainchild and passion of Ray and Delphine Archer. It’s run 100 per cent by volunteers and all profits — currently around $10,000 a month — go to charity.

Its objectives are not just about butterfly conservation and education but humanitarian reasons as well, creating a sense of community among local volunteers proud to be part of this wonderful venture. And visitors are responding, with 4000 through the doors in the month before we called in.

ALL ABOUT THE ARCHERS

The Archers sold their successful Olives Australia farming enterprise in the Lockyer Valley in 2012 and headed off to settle on Bribie Island, a favourite holiday location.

Once there, says Ray, they thought they’d “better do something to keep us a little occupied in our retirement”. Married for 51 of their 71 years, Ray and Delphine set about learning all there was to know about the breeding and rearing of butterflies and what they required in the way of host and nectar providing plants.

The project soon outgrew its initial backyard setup but the local council was so impressed with the volunteer-driven project it offered the Archers an 800m2 block of land with a 100-year lease to properly set up a butterfly house and laboratory.

Ray sent out 1000-plus flyers to get community involvement in developing the new location. The response was phenomenal: 160 people, including painters, builders, electricians, gardeners and community folk, all wanting to help.

“It was fantastic,” says Ray, adding that some days were chaotic but it was nonetheless heartening to find so many keen to lend a hand.