Damaged Crocodile

We spotted this damaged crocodile yesterday. Do not know if it was a territory dispute with other large crocs in the same area or the prop of a boat, but he may be "grumpy".

More funds needed for Cane Toad Research

Compare the equipement between the funded fish research, and what our Front Line Scientists have to help find answers to a menace that will effect the whole of Australia.

CANE TOADS!

More funds needed for Cane Toad Research

Important Science; There are four photos of scientific teams that have all been here over the past two weeks. Photo No 1, Darwin University, Fish Survey, over six weeks this team will work their way up river to Katherine. Photo No 2, Museum Team, during one week fish survey down stream, some aspects of their survey to be integrated into the Darwin University study. Photo No 3, Dept. of Primary Industry and Fisheries, an ongoing survey of fish species in certain areas.
ALL VERY IMPORTANT, due to income from Recreational & Tourist Fishing in NT. Contributing to a significant degree to the Territory income
The photo No 4. is the equipment of the survey that has National ramifications!
These six scientists from Canberra University receive a small percentage of their overall total expenses from CSIRO, but their attendance here is self funded.
They camped in their own tents, couldn’t afford cabins!
Anticipating the spread from Queensland of the noxious pest, Cane Toads, they set up six years ago, to monitor by annual surveys a section of 35km of Daly River frontage to check the effect of the Cane Toads on the Goanna and Freshwater Crocodile population. Each day they worked from about 8am, to about 5.30pm,
Dirty, dangerous work on riverbanks where “Salties lurk”. Their findings indicate the Cane Toads are having a devastating effect on wildlife, leading them to believe entire species will disappear, and may have already done so!
Their vehicle is an ex-Government Fairlane reported to have been the official vehicle used by ex-Prime Minister Paul Keating, purchased privately at auction. Without four wheel drive the vehicle is unsuitable for launching the boat on slippery, steep dirt boat access locations along the banks of the Daly River. I guess they man & woman “brute strength” it in and out each day at each location, they were certainly worn out each night.
The Cane Toads seem certain to encroach over all of Australia, relentlessly poisoning wildlife and domestic pets as they progress, unless a scientific answer can be found.
WHY IS THIS STUDY NOT FULLY FUNDED, what do you think of the comparisons of the various equipment? Where are the priorities?

Daly River Companions

Sunday 17th June. On Friday at 0930hrs a call came in for an Emergency Services response for a Geologist reported missing by a mining company after not doing a daily check in since Tuesday. Gary and the other two volunteers from within Mango Farm that are in the unit set of on a bone shaking two hour trip to the area the geologist was supposed to be in , I believe known as “Alligator Hole”, access via the Port Keats Road. Tipperary Station sent one of their four helicopters to assist, and one of the team at one point had a trip aloft in the small cattle mustering chopper, in a stiff breeze, a bit of a test of nerve! Having found the geologists taped working areas, checked the GPS locations previously recorded by him, and finding no sign of him or his vehicle, returned late in the afternoon, having travelled between 3 or 4 hundred km. After the Emergency Services LandCruiser sat for a while two tyres were observed to be going flat. So they had to remove and repair them, one having been penetrated by a stick of wood, the other by a stone. In the meantime the police continued the search from another direction.
Next morning the geologist checked in from a location that he would have had to have come back past here, before proceeding to!!!! Perhaps he is no longer employed?
The three worn out blokes understandably didn’t feel like tending bar, and cooking Barra & Chips, so the Bistro was cancelled for Friday night.
The “Barra & Chips” rescheduled for Saturday evening got shaky about 1830 hrs. with a call to a “rollover” 20km out the Port Keats road, eight people involved.
Off went Gary and the two volunteers, picking up a nursing sister from another property on the way. The incident was in fact a Toyota Troppie, with 18 people on board, in the dust, crashed into the rear of a Road Train, that had slowed for a cattle grid crossing.
One fatal, one critical, two serious, fifteen to go to hospital. Two twin engined aircraft skimmed over the mango trees and river to land at Nauiyu at 2110hrs.the last trip I heard, out at about 0515 hrs this morning, with probably about 50km from the crash site to Nauiyu airstrip, to ferry the casualties.
But the Bistro was open for guests, with a little help from the guests that stepped in to help, and Rhonda cooked the Barra & Chips. A Dinkum Aussie, camping community!

Colours always changing

Daly River Sunsets

Someone else`s catch!!!!!!!!!!

Wild Dog or Dingo?????

A couple of evenings ago Jeanette snapped this Dingo/Wild Dog, from the boat. He was watching us from behind the reeds on the river bank

Lots of things happening here!!!!

Wednesday 6th June. Last week here we had a 14 person Government Advisory Committee, of which Gary is a member, with various expertises represented, looking at the various management aspects on the Daly River.
On Monday two Land Cruisers, a trailer, and a team including a botanist, forensic scientist, two veterinaries, and a helicopter arrived from Australian Quarantine, and have now gone off towards the coast, with Wednesday nights camp to be South of Wadeye, to conduct a survey covering, noxious weeds, feral pest diseases etc. (carried by wild pigs, buffalo, wild dogs) Whilst carrying out the overall survey, they will also be upgrading the knowledge and skills of the Aboriginal Rangers in the remote areas whose tasks will include gathering specimen samples, conducting autopsies, and so on. Jeanette & I spoke with two of the women from Australian Quarantine collecting samples on the river bank of a rust that had been reported effecting a particular noxious weed. The hope is that some biological means of combating the weed might be developed from this “rust strain”.
The time allowed to achieve all these admirable aims in the survey ………three days!
Be interesting to speak with them Thursday on their return.
And next week the Fisheries Division of Primary Industries will be here re-checking on species in areas where they have been monitoring the fish habitat, and numbers of various fish species, which is another important project.

Daly River Region Wild Pigs

Pigs typical of the Daly River Region, shot by Preston Higgins Hunting Safaries

Mobile Phones in the Outback

Monday 4th June. When we went to get some “Barra & Chips” that Gary & Rhonda were preparing on Saturday night, and arrived about 7.20pm as a young man was trying to describe where he had left three friends stranded aground downstream “somewhere” in one of Gary & Rhonda’s hire boats. As the saga unfolded it seems the two hired boats had been together. (he had left them????) It was interesting to observe the current generations absolute reliance on mobile phones. When this young man tried to phone his friends for a more précis description of their location, offcourse he could not make satisfactory connection, so he was asking if he could use other peoples phones, that may work better. It was difficult for him to comprehend that the signal only extends a couple of kilometres from the centre of the Nauiyu Mission that it is intended to service, and his friends were beyond that. A generation of young people programmed by the Telcos to expect mobile phones to work everywhere!
As preparations for rescue were being activated and alerts sent out to properties downstream Jeanette & I just hoped the grounded boat occupants did not decide to wade to shore over the sandbar, not at crocodile feeding time, while stuck on the crocodile’s dinner plate!!!
Before the formal rescue effort commenced a property owner reported having found them and they were now safely ashore, where they were told to remain until picked up by motor vehicle. Then Gary & Rhonda served us our “Barra & Chips”

As this is also the base of the Daly River volunteer State Emergency Service, there are similar problems that have to be dealt with from here. Recently a tradesman enroute to a very remote property over a hundred kilometres towards the ocean from here, had become stuck in a stream crossing and after he located his “combination phone” that had sailed off the dashboard during his slipping off the crossing, he established contact. The combination phones work as CDMA mobiles, but when there is no signal automatically become satellite phones. A couple of years ago people purchased them with Government subsidy, which I guess will be wasted when CDMA is switched off this year!!!!!! Still only Taxpayers money so why worry!
Anyway this bloke tried to walk on towards the property for five hours, covered about sixteen kms. and when the rescuers arrived in the dark they nearly did not see him, as he was up a tree with a couple of wild boars at the base of the tree.
Not a pleasant experience being on foot and unarmed!

Land slips, Daly River, Northern Territory

This entire stand of bamboo has slipped in.

Land slips, Daly River, Northern Territory

Land slips, Daly River, Northern Territory

Land slips, Daly River, Northern Territory

Light in a phone box

The dead insects in the telephone box light are up to the fluorescent tube

Snake in the brakes.

The snake entwined through the brake caliper, had eaten something that extended its belly, so it couldn't be pulled out. Meant the vehicle could not be moved until the meal was digested to allow the snake which is protected, would not be killed if the vehicle was moved.