2020 Far North Queensland
 

Mackay - Wed 22/07/2020

2020 Far North Queensland
Twenty Kms down the road from Townsville, we stop at the Billabong Sanctuary. We've left the wet tropics and we're in the dry tropics where the bushland is more typically outback Australian (or sclerophyll - more later). "The sanctuary is a permanent home to over 100 species of Australian mammals and reptiles such as kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, wombats, crocodiles, and birds including parrots and cassowaries. In addition, the natural billabong (lake) at the centre of the sanctuary is host to many visiting animals, some of which will breed and raise their young at the sanctuary. Visitors to the sanctuary can take guided or self-guided tours through the 11-hectare (27-acre) natural tropical bush." Visitors need to be reminded that crocodiles are actually dangerous animals. Have these people never seen a Tarzan movie? The story of the sanctuary is amazing: "Thirty years ago, Bob and Del Flemming stood at the edge of a bare paddock, and dared to dream about building their own wildlife park. After teaching primary school in Sydney for 15 years, Bob was ready for a change. He and Del sold up and moved north with the goal of establishing a sanctuary for native animals in their natural habitats."
"With their 5 year-old son Brett in tow, Bob and Del pitched a tent at the edge of White’s Creek and set about building their dream. Over the next two years the family worked 18-hours days. They excavated a large permanent lagoon, planted thousands of native trees, laid 3 kilometers of irrigation pipe, built enclosures, and designed the Queenslander-style building to house the reception area and shop." "Locals came forward with offers of native animals. First to arrive were Todd and Judy, a pair of dingoes. The collection soon included an olive python, kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, crocodiles and an emu with attitude, named Gonzo. In March 1985 the dream became reality when Billabong Sanctuary opened to the public." The ducks are Plumed Whistling-Ducks. Its distinctive, high-pitched whistling calls were once confined to northern Australia, but after floods in the 1950s the species expanded its range into the Riverina region of NSW, and from there it colonised northern and western Victoria as well. This is a wombat. They look staid and boring but a wombat named "Tonka", that died in 2016, loved to be cuddled and was a crowd favourite.
Red bellied black snake. We have these in Sydney as well. We enter the koala area. The word "Koala" derives from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘no drink’. Because Koalas so seldom venture down onto the ground, it was thought that they have no need to drink water. But they do. The sanctuary is an actual sanctuary that cares for injured wild life. The sanctuary is the only dedicated koala rehabilitation clinic in North Queensland. Before rehabilitated koalas are released back into the wild, they are tagged to assist research. "Koalas are found only in eucalyptus forests in the eastern states of Australia, from the tropics of Queensland south to New South Wales and Victoria, with limited, patchy distribution in South Australia. Southern Koalas are much larger than those found in the north, with thicker, woolly fur. Male Koalas in Queensland average 6.5 kg (14.3 lb) while those in Victoria may weigh twice as much. Female Koalas average 5.1 kg in weight (11.2 lb) in Queensland, and about 7.9 kg (17.4 lb) in Victoria."
As luck would have it, we arrive just after the koalas have been fed. This means they are busy eating leaves and peeing instead of sleeping and peeing. I take some "live action" movies of the koalas chomping, chewing and climbing around the branches. This is an echidna. This is one of the strangest, most improbable creatures in the world because, like the duck-billed platypus, the echidna is a monotreme, an egg laying mammal. Not very cuddly either. This is a Mertens Water Monitor. They are found in coastal and inland waters across far northern Australia, from Broome to the western side of Cape York peninsula. They’re always near water, where they bask on rocks or overhanging branches, or amongst aquatic plants. This is another species of lizard that Australians call goannas. We have goannas in the National Park behind us. They avoid us as much as we avoid them.
This is a wombat in a pen. When it sees me, it walks over and pushes its nose against the glass. I really enjoy it when animals interact with me. They look unhappy but they probably don't have the "smile" facial muscles. This was great. An aboriginal guys gives a very humorous talk about the cassowaries behind the fence. Look at all these trees, ferns and plants; all had been planted back over 30 years ago.
The sad story is that these birds are native to the northern Queensland tropics but the tropical forests on which they depend have mostly been destroyed and they are extinct in many areas. It doesn't seem much of a deal to me to turn tropical forest into dairy pastures, but that's progress. In fact, there are road signs across the tablelands asking road users to notify the Qld Govt if they see a cassowary so that steps can be taken to ensure its survival. "The cassowary is remarkable in a number of ways. For one thing, the males hatch the eggs and raise the chicks rather than the females. The cassowary also plays a key role in the survival of the rainforest. By eating rainforest fruits and excreting their seeds, it helps ensure diversity. More than 70 species of trees rely on the cassowary for survival." "Just 4000 cassowaries are believed to be left in the wild but you have a good chance of spotting them in various sections of the Wet Tropics Rainforest like the Girringun National Park near Ingham, Barron Falls National Park in Kuranda and in the rainforests of Daintree and Cape Tribulation."
This exhibit typifies the types of tropical trees and plants that co-exist with cassowaries. Naturally enough, all of these trees and ferns were planted by the park's owners back in the 1980's. Cassowary trivia. We walk around the lagoon to the opposite side from where we entered. A lone water hen strides along the foreshore. We then enter the kangaroo area. These are eastern greys and they are the second-largest of Australia’s marsupials. An adult male stands taller than a grown man, and can weigh up to 66 kg (145 lb). Total length of the head and body averages well over 2 m (6 ½ ft) with nearly half of this being the length of the tail. Females are smaller, reaching a maximum weight of about 32 kg (70 lb).
The red kangaroo is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest terrestrial mammal native to Australia, and the largest extant marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, except for the more fertile areas, such as southern Western Australia, the eastern and southeastern coasts, and the rainforests along the northern coast. I hear a musical trill; it is the rousing call of a siren inviting me to a life of sin and damnation. Kangaroo fact sheet. A fascinating animal. Emu. Emus belong to a small group of birds called ratites; flightless birds that include cassowaries, ostriches and rheas. It is the second largest bird in the world and grows to 2 metres tall (6 ft) and weighs up to 55 kg (120 lb).
Emus occur naturally in all Australian states except Tasmania. They live in a wide variety of habitats, from the open plains of the interior to tropical woodlands, but prefer sclerophyll forest and savannah woodlands. The only areas you would not expect to find emus would be in tropical rainforest, in very arid desert country, and in heavily populated areas such as the eastern coastal strip. Note: Sclerophyll forests are a typically Australian vegetation type having plants (typically eucalypts, wattles and banksias) with hard, short and often spiky leaves, which is a condition closely associated with low soil fertility (rather than rainfall/soil moisture). I see my first Bilby, the only way to see a Bilby nowadays. "Prior to the arrival of Europeans, bilbies occupied habitats across more than 70 percent of Australia. At present, however, they are restricted to the Great Sandy, Tanami, and Gibson deserts in northwestern Australia and a small pocket of southwestern Queensland. Bilbies are closely related to bandicoots, which are classified in the family Peramelidae (Australian bandicoots)." The Bilby is a nocturnal marsupial. "Native predators, such as wedge-tailed eagles, carpet pythons, and monitor lizards, kill many bilbies each year. However, invasive species, such as red foxes, feral cats, and dingoes, are responsible for the bulk of bilby mortality." From many millions to 400-1600. A proud record. So sad.
"The Queensland wild bilby population is estimated to be between 400 and 600 animals. It is scattered over 100,000 square kilometres in far western Queensland. Queensland's largest remaining group of greater bilbies lives in one area west of the Diamantina River in the state's far west" "Bilbies are solitary, nocturnal marsupials, spending daylight hours in their deep, spiral shaped burrows and emerging at night to forage for plant roots, bulbs, fungi, grass seeds, termites, ants, beetles, insect larvae and spiders." Wedge-tailed eagle. "Early in the 20th century, it was thought that wedge-tailed eagles were killing large numbers of sheep and lambs. Bounty money was offered for their destruction, and huge numbers were poisoned or shot right up till the 1970’s. In one year in Queensland alone over 10 000 bounties were paid. It was later realized that eagles were mostly feeding on carrion, or taking only lambs in poor condition, and in fact were not harming the sheep industry at all. Now they are protected in all states by the National Parks and Wildlife Act. In some ways wedge-tailed eagles have benefited from European settlement. Rabbits were introduced, and became an important food source, along with other domestic animals and livestock. To some extent, clearing of forests has opened up new hunting areas. Eagles have learned to exploit the carcasses of road-killed animals that litter Outback highways." I never knew there was such an animal as a pademelon. Pademelons belong to the Subfamily Macropodinae (kangaroos, wallabies, and relatives) and have their own genus: Thylogale pademelons. This means they're marsupials related to Kangaroos, sorta.
Pademelons are extremely friendly towards humans. This one is very interested in Jenni's umbrella and tries to take it from her. He gets a severe talking to and looks remorseful. What beautiful little animals. This little guy thinks she's missing out so she hops quickly over to join us. She enjoys a pat with my rubber Covid glove. What a cutie.
I start to wonder if it's possible to have a pademelon for pet.   "Native mammals like kangaroos, quolls and sugar gliders cannot be kept as pets in NSW. The best place for native animals is in the bush where they can live in their natural environment. Native mammals have special needs and do not thrive in confined domestic environments." Other state's laws are the same. Getting out of the pademelons enclosure is a problem for us because both of them want to come with us. We then wander around to a "Freshie" pool. The Australian freshwater crocodile, (or Johnstone's crocodile) is a species of crocodile endemic to the northern regions of Australia. "No human deaths have been recorded as a result of attack by a freshie. They are considered relatively safe to swim with and will only bite if disturbed." OK. Who's going to be first to test this hypothesis?
"The female freshwater crocodile constructs a mound of vegetation and soil along the banks of a watercourse. Rotting vegetation incubates the eggs inside the mound, and the temperature and duration of incubation determines the sex of the young. A temperature of 32 deg. C produces both sexes but most are male. Temperatures lower or higher than this result in increasing numbers of females. Very high or very low temperatures kill the embryos." Did you know? Freshies do not have the same notoriety as estuarine crocodiles because they don't kill people Found only in Australia, they avoid the coast and their territorial and aggressive cousins, the "salties" All crocodiles have rows of bony back plates called 'osteoderms'. Each osteoderm acts as a solar panel, helping these ectothermic animals regulate their body temperature. Rarely exceeding 3m in length, freshies use their long slender snout to forage for prey like insects, fish, frogs and yabbies About Jupiter: Captured 3/2/2016 and transferred to purpose built facility for 4 weeks. Traditional owners consulted Size greater than 4M, classified as "iconic". Traditional owners consulted about how he should be cared for. Owners requested he in stay in Australia and be transferred to Billabong sanctuary. Billabong Sanctuary signed agreement about Jupiter's care. Brought to sanctuary 3/3/2016. Settled in well. Within a month basking in sun, 2 months taking food, 4 months swimming across pond to be fed. Estimated to be 60 years old, 500 Kg, 4.3 m long. Long battle scar, one good eye and few teeth. Even though old, is in good health Probably driven out of territory by younger male. Will live our his days here. May live to 80. Language names for salties are Goolinbulla or Gaguay. More about Jupiter: The fascinating story of Jupiter's capture.
I had an absolutely fantastic interaction with Jupiter. He was floating much as he is this picture when I entered his pond area. When he saw me, he sank very slowly so that only the tips of his nostrils and his one good eye were above the waterline. Small insects were skipping across the water leaving tiny circular ripples, but when Jupiter sank, he left not a single ripple. I stood and watched him for a while, submerged, and he eventually decided I was neither threat nor prey so he slowly rose, once again without disturbing the water in the slightest. This was a truly magical experience for me. The crocodilian genetic lineage of saltwater, Nile and Siamese crocodiles is estimated to have diverged 10.60–6.52 million years ago. Nile and Siamese crocodiles probably diverged from this group 7.94–4.19 million years ago. The lineages leading to modern crocodiles and alligators diverged in the Late Cretaceous Period (over 80 million years ago) at the latest. Alligators have their own genus, Alligator , and Crocodiles have their very own, Crocodylus . They are genetically too far apart, even though related, to produce “Crocogators”. What's the difference then? Snout shape: Alligators have wider, U-shaped snouts, while crocodile front ends are more pointed and V-shaped. Crocodiles tend to live in saltwater habitats, while alligators hang out in freshwater marshes and lakes.
This monster croc is called Bully and he came to the sanctuary in 2013. As we watched, he opened his jaws for us. I wonder if he was sending us a warning? Bully's story "Our beautiful dingoes, King, Allira and Kalari, love cuddles and attention. And they like to have fun! Enrichment activities are essential for such intelligent animals: During the Ranger talk, you’ll hide bits of meat throughout their enclosure, and watch as they seek them out. You’ll be amazed at their agility, as they scramble up onto rocks and even onto low-hanging branches. Offer them toys, play games, get totally involved!" It's back in the car for a couple of hours as we drive to the Bowen Visitor Centre 180 kms farther south. We hope they might sell mango liqueur but no such luck. We buy a couple of items here to present as gifts for the Beasleys who are keeping an eye on our house for us.
There are only two places on the drive from Brisbane to Cairns, along the Pacific Coast Way (PCW), where you can see the ocean and this is one of them. Road signs like this, telling you if the road is open ahead, is a bit different. While Jenni wanders around the Info Centre, I wander down to the beach. It's unusual for me to see mangroves growing along the ocean's edge. I'm more used to seeing them inland in the inlets around Woy Woy and the Hawkesbury River.
Bowen is an interesting place with a diversified economy based on agriculture, fishing, tourism, and mining. Just north of Bowen is the Abbot Point coal loading port. Coal mined inland of Bowen is brought by rail to a deepwater pier to be loaded on bulk carriers. Coal is exported mainly to China and India. This is why frightening politicians with talk of climate change eliminating coal mining jobs falls on deaf ears. Bowen is also a key entry point to the Whitsundays, a group of islands off the coast famed for its access to the Great Barrier Reef. Not so glamorous when the tide is out. The beach appears to be a mixture of sand and mud. This area is the heart of the middle barrier reef and its not at all the same as it's portrayed in the glossies.
We leave Bowen and head south. At the moment we are 192 km north of Mackay, our destination for today, and 205 km south of Townsville. Forty five minutes later, we stop at a coffee plantation outlet. Coffee grown in Australia? This is Whitsunday Gold, a coffee plantation with 140,000 Arabica coffee trees. This is older historical coffee roasting equipment turned into a historical display. The modern equipment is behind us in the factory. It's a very pleasant place to stop and we have a sandwich and coffee for lunch.
We also buy a couple of bags of coffee for the Beasleys. It's only 1½ hours into Mackay from here so we press on. We arrive in Mackay at about 16:30 and check into our motel. Once again, it's a decent hotel at a decent price booked without going near an internet booking agency. Our car is parked around the back. The Mackay CBD is on the Pioneer river but the city extends to the coast on both sides of the river. We go for a walk along the riverfront. The Forgan Bridge connects both sides of the city. Mackay is a very large city with a population of 80,000.
Mackay produces ⅓ of Australia's sugar. Mackay is the gateway to the Bowen Basin coal mining reserves of Central Queensland. It is the single largest coal reserve in Australia, with 34 operational coal mines extracting more than 100 million tonnes annually. We visit the shipping terminals tomorrow morning. One of the first Europeans to travel through the Mackay region was Captain James Cook, who reached the Mackay coast on 1 June 1770. It was during this trip that the Endeavour's botanist, Sir Joseph Banks, recorded seeing Aboriginal people. In 1860, John Mackay led an expedition to the Pioneer Valley and was the first European to visit the area now named after him. The area which is now Mackay City was originally inhabited by the local Yuibera people. We cross the road into the CBD itself and do a quick jink into Sydney Street, a main north-south route through the city. Mackay has many heritage listed building constructed during the colonial era or post-federation period.
This is the Mackay Customs House. It was completed in April 1902 as an Australian Government building with the Commonwealth of Australia having been declared a mere 16 months earlier. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 7 February 2005. Chaseley House was completed in December 1937 and contributes to the Sydney Street streetscape and Mackay's Art Deco collection. Chaseley House is a representative and intact example of an interwar functionalist style building with Art Deco detailing, retaining key features of the style including: Symmetrical design with stepped skyline Roof concealed by a parapet Simple, geometric shapes Concentration of ornament on upper part of building Vertical fins Stylised lettering Parallel line motif. Sydney Street does not seems as botanically lavish as other North Queensland cities, but any street with palm trees down its centre is not unattractive. I loved this store. It is an emporium for the well dressed farmer or miner.
Look at the price of the shoes (work boots): they range from $170 to $240. There seems to be an overlaying of American and Australian styles. The cowboy hats aren't cheap either at $180-$200. Look, they even have the American style neckwear called a bolo; for dressing up and formal occasions no doubt. And the latest in fluoro shirts, jeans and stubbies. Looking down Victoria Street there are more historic buildings. The imposing double-fronted brick building is the Mackay Court House and Police Station built from 1886 to 1963.
The Australian Hotel is situated at the corner of Victoria and Wood Streets. The Australian Hotel is an intact example of an interwar functionalist-style hotel with Art Deco detailing. While the building has undergone some alterations in recent years, including replacement of original windows and tiles to the ground floor, it retains key features of the streamline modern style of Art Deco architecture including: asymmetrical massing long, horizontal balconies cantilevered balcony columns that are not emphasised roof concealed by a parapet . A little while later, we find a place for dinner, the famed "Hog's Breath Cafe" on the corner of Wood and Victoria Streets. We both have steaks and they're great. Opposite us on the north-eastern corner of Victoria and Gregory Streets, is the Wilkinson's Hotel. It was built in the 1930's but does not seem to be heritage listed. The next morning, before breakfast, we decide to go to North Mackay where Joan assures us that we can get a great breakfast. However, we find ourselves on a MASSIVE breakwater that creates an artificial harbour. Part of the breakwater shelters a large privately owned marina.
The breakwater contains over 9,500 tonnes of Armour Rock and probably two or three times more core rock ("Armour" rock refers to the size and hardness of the rock, not its geology). Inside the harbour are the storage and loading facilities for coal and sugar bound for China, India and Japan. The Port of Mackay is run by the North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation. The organisational structure is unusual in that it is a company under the Corporations Act and the Government Owned Corporations Act 1993 (GOC Act) and a port authority under the Transport Infrastructure Act 1994. This means that it can create Regulations under the Act but operate as a private company. The Port of Mackay is Queensland’s fourth largest multi-commodity port by throughput and a major servicing centre for the Central Queensland mining and agricultural industries. The port operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and extends over 800 hectares of land and water under the direct control of North Queensland Bulk Ports.
The Mackay region is the largest sugar producing area in Australia, and the port hosts one of the world’s largest bulk sugar terminals. The region also supports the nearby Bowen Basin and Galilee Basin coalfields, which produce most of Queensland’s coal. It seems we're in the wrong spot for breakfast so we decide Joan must have meant Mackay Beach back on the southern side of the city. So back we go. We get to Mackay Beach and, other than houses along the street frontage, it is completely undeveloped commercially. In the faint distance we see what looks like bulk loading for coal ships, but nothing for breakfast.
My Movie 14 2029-07-13FNQld-15 2029-07-13FNQld-16  
Rockhampton - Thu 23/07/2020Next: Rockhampton - Thu 23/07/2020 Townsville - Tue 21/07/2020Previous: Townsville - Tue 21/07/2020
jAlbum image gallery software & TurtleSkin: Turtle Black, 5.6.7 Download   ·   Help