PLEASE, left click on this image to see it well.

द्रगों

Dragonflies

The whole area in the photograph had Baby Cane Toads

CANE TOADS; It is still a clear memory when there was public concern that Cane Toads may travel from Queensland into the Northern Territory. Politicians of the day made extraordinarily ignorant statements. Politicians are still making statements that clearly illustrate that they don’t have a bloody clue how serious and devastating to Australian wildlife that THEY, through inaction have allowed the Cane Toads to become! Governments, State, Territory, and Federal, have not taken any positive steps. It is the Classic, TOO LITTLE TOO LATE! Reptiles, carnivorous mammals, meat eating birds, throughout the Top End, have all had their populations decimated from the deadly toxins in the body of the Cane Toads.
Last Friday’s rain put water in a waterhole close to our camp, and this morning the entire area surrounding the waterhole was covered by baby Cane Toads. The baby toads about one centimetre long, on a rough average were 10/12 toads per square metre! Thousands at least, more likely millions, and no significant predators that I am aware of, means there is potential for ALL OF THEM, to become egg laying Cane Toad factories! AND THAT WAS ONE LITTLE WATERHOLE!
Very worrying is that scenario, has been our experience across all the wetlands the last three years.

Tipperary station which has been mentioned on this site previously is actually a group, consisting of Litchfield, Fish Creek, Douglas, Tipperary, (we pass by on way to Daly River; remember “Friendly Fire?”), and Elizabeth Downs Stations. A new general manager recently decided to prohibit, or restrict access across all of these stations. Elizabeth Downs is on leasehold Aboriginal Lands, and our friends Dingo & Lucy had been accessing the Aboriginal Reserve across a section of Elizabeth Downs leasehold land. This meant changing some of the plans we were working on for the Indigenous Tours of Dingo & Lucy. The Aboriginal, Northern Land Council were made aware of the implications for Aboriginal people. In fact even travelling West from Mango Farm towards Port Keats the road is across Elizabeth Downs leasehold land! The group of stations are owned by Australia’s wealthiest barrister, Melbourne-based Allan Myers, who purchased it from Warren Anderson in 2003. Warren Anderson flew to Peppimenarti in a commercial helicopter in September last year when we were there and pre-purchased the majority of the art for sale prior to the official start of the open day. He is also known for having had a private zoo during his ownership of Tipperary, that was part of a public controversy with the NT Government, after the sale to Allan Myers.
Early this year a huge clearing sale included a fleet of trucks, equipment and four helicopters.
In recent weeks it become public that the NT Government were investigating the alleged clearing of possibly 2000 hectares, which is banned in the Daly River catchment, under a moratorium policy not due to expire until March 2010.
Test drilling for Uranium has just been carried out on the property, with an exploration company stating mining could commence in the Daly River area, within three years.
After the stock market upheaval it was interesting when the Darwin ABC TV News at the weekend, announced that the Tipperary Group of Stations is for sale as of NOW.
Included are 80,000 head of cattle, so for perhaps $200 million, grab a bargain!? BUT please do remember, when land is leased public land, you don’t own it!

A Blind Mans Dreaming

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunipingu. An Aboriginal man, from Elcho Island, blind from birth, with a tremendous talent as a singer songwriter who received awards at the 2008 ARIA Awards last night, performed at an open air concert on the banks of the Daly River, Northern Territory at the end of May this year. The words of his songs were displayed on a large screen behind the stage, so that all could understand the meanings as he sang in his own language. He was accompanied by a classical guitarist and a bass player who is also his collaborator. How privileged we were to be there!

Tree Snake feeding

Jeanette took this photo of a Tree Snake, just at the instant that it struck at what appeared to be a cricket it had been stalking.

The Changes Taking Place

After three lots of rainfall during the past week here at Mango Farm and in the close area, everything is showing new growth, with a huge variety of particularly green colours. On a “billabong walk” this morning, small depressions were holding water, and some billabongs had received inflows. The insect world was particularly active, with different size and colour Dragon Flies, Butterflies, and all sorts of nectar gathering creatures. Both the Freshwater and Estuarine Crocodiles are also active, rising to the surface and displaying their body size to discourage challengers. There were fresh footprints from a wild buffalo, but no indication where it is camping, such as a wallow at a waterhole. Jeanette spotted a Water Buffalo standing in a forested area when we went out to take photos just on dusk last night, but the photos I snapped are badly focused and a disappointment.

A Very "Wet" Cloud

This cloud dropped 58mm(two and a quarter inches) of heavy rain on us about 2am Friday morning.

Daly River Uranium Mine could be in 3 years!!!!!!

Source: ABC

A mine could be established in three years depending of results from further tests.
Photo: iStockphoto
An exploration company says it's excited about early results showing possible uranium deposits in the Daly River region.

The region is not currently being mined for uranium, but Territory Uranium's managing director Ian Bamborough says the company's identified five areas on Tipperary Station that it will do further tests on.

"The two tenements that have really yielded some good results are located east of Daly River, west of the Stuart Highway, and are centred on the Daly River itself."

Territory Uranium has done tests on the area from planes carrying equipment which measure radiation coming from possible uranium deposits.

Mr Bamborough says it's very early days, but if further tests show mining is worthwhile a mine could be established in three years.

"Once you're onto something, we really accelerate our exploration programs and it really depends on where the tenure of what you've found as to how quick something can develop.

"In mining terms, three years is not a long time."

The Northern Territory Environment Centre has raised concerns over management of the Daly River if a uranium mine goes ahead.

The centre's Justin Tutty says a mine could undo the water management work done in the area.

"I think that is going to be a real challenge for the Territory Government who obviously has a role in defending the good work that rural residents, the bigger pastoralists and other water users have done out there."



© 2008 Australian Broadcasting Corporation

A Colourful Daly River, as the "WET" approaches

Waterfall on Aboriginal Lands

A waterfall our Aboriginal friends took us to see.

At this end of this billabong, the freshwater crocodiles crawl up the gentle slope to a sandy area to lay and bury their eggs. At this time of year the normally docile freshwater crocodiles become very aggressively protective of the buried eggs. This particular spot is at the inlet end of the main Mango Farm billabong with a stand of paperbark trees and the extremely humid conditions of a few days ago have hatched out hundreds of butterflies that fill the air when moving through in the same area as the freshwater crocodile nests, but they are very difficult to have show up in a photograph against the mottled shade provided by the fresh water mangroves, although I have tried.
The Estuarine Crocodiles (Salties) are also getting territorial and best kept away from currently, although not yet at the egg laying time.

Perfume of fresh water mangroves

Around all the billabongs there is a heady sweet smell from the flowers of the Fresh Water Mangroves

In the centre of the middle photo just beyond the stump is a the last of a group of wallabies that went past as though their lives depended on it, and it is almost a blur.
Then this Dingo came out of the scrub after the Wallabies, so I guess their lives did depend on their speed.

A billabong morning

The raindrops begin to fall

I take the photo and head for cover!

The clouds buildup and begin to boil

Cooked in the ashes


The Magpie Goose was gutted, skinned, then the frame split. To cook the frame was laid down “insides” first on the hot ashes.
We shared the goose, and it was very tasty. These particular Aboriginal people are prepared to travel to gather the White Gum firewood they prefer, which burns away to nothing more than a white powder ash, that they then cook in.
The sugar tin is being used as a billy for our cups of tea!

Cooked Magpie Goose

Last week a university crew carrying out an Australia wide survey on bird species and numbers in wet-lands, encounted a flock of Magpie Geese West of Daly River that they estimated at between 30,000/40,000 geese, while flying at 50 metres in a single engine Cessna so they consider they got of lightly not to have hit any.

Magpie Geese

Magpie Geese feeding on mangoes

Shrinking Billabong

Homeward Bound as the Sun Sets

Monday 6th Oct, about lunch time the word came for the Orange Ringed Blue Bird to be flown by the replacement pilot, with the 26 metre ring dangling beneath, direct to Kununurra Western Australia. The technicians did a scramble in the 39 degree heat to pack the many aluminium storage containers with the ancillary equipment, clear the landing pad of empty fuel drums and by 3pm departure was imminent. As the helicopter disappeared from sight the technicians in their truck followed by their rented LandCruiser were out the drive intending to stay at Katherine overnight, and relieved their employer had agreed to have the “Ring” flown assembled, as there were many wasted hours getting it right after having to unpack and assemble the ring on arrival at Mango Farm. As the aircraft was burning up over 200 litres of Jet A1 fuel every hour, there had been a lot of fuel used readjusting the equipment prior to being able to use it to look for Uranium for the overseas client !!!!!. NO! I don’t really care what it cost the overseas client !! and it would be nice if the didn’t find any where they were looking.
This organisation apart from the leased helicopters they have doing this work, have also purchased an additional eight!!!! So that no stone will be left unturned in Australia.