Mining residue

The Pilbara is known for its mineral wealth and its beautiful hills and gorges. When the minerals have been extracted the scars left remain as a reminder of money made, lives lost and land degraded. On a recent trip to Karajini we went to Wittenoom Gorge and the site of the old blue asbestos mining town, now not much more than a ghost town. I was reminded of the negative impact of mineral extraction and the lack of accountability to clean up after themselves of those who make money from the extraction of the country's mineral wealth.

This includes governments who make enormous amounts of royalties.

http://www.asbestosdiseases.org.au/asbestosinfo/wittenoom_tragedies.htm

And of course now that WA has Colin Barnett as Premier, uranium exploration and mining is full steam ahead in the Pilbara. Cameco expect to be operating their uranium mine in the East Pilbara in 3 years.

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=32&ContentID=134446

Flat out like a lizard drinking

If you travel in outback Australia you will often see cans carelessly discarded out of the car window. As Olive and I were coming back to Port Hedland from Yandeyarra we saw out to the side of the road a very strange site. It looked like a jumping can. On closer inspection we were alarmed to see a young goanna who had decided that he was in the mood for a party. We took him back to town and cut him free to grow up to become someone's dinner.

Dust in Port Hedland

There has been much debate in Hedland in recent months about the dust in town and the possible health effects. Headland has recently been on cyclone watch as a rainbearing depression moved closer to the coast and crossed near town. As it came closer, the town was hit by a spectacular dust storm which preceded the rain.

If you want updated info about the dust visit the dust monitoring site which is updated hourly.

http://porthedlanddust.r-box.com.au/

Point Samson a beautiful getaway

I have jst been down to Roebourne for work and was delighted to find that there was not a bed to be had for love nor money in Karratha for the night and had to stay at Point Samson just 13km from Roebourne. Walking along the gorgeous main beach I couldn't help but be in awe of the number of sea birds wheeling around and diving into the water. The water was literally boiling with schools of fish close to the surface. I just wondered- how long will this fishery last?

Desalination plants used to top up dams in WA

On a flight up to Geraldton from Perth today I was surprised to hear from a fellow traveller who worked for WaterCorp that the water infrastructure for the whole of Western Australia was in CRISIS.

Not only do we have a serious problem with over use and lack of reliable rainfall, we have such a serious problem maintaining a supply for all of the tree change and sea change people to the south west that the dams are being suplimented by desalinated water and rivers are now requiring serious and very expensive treatment due to degraded water quality as a result of land clearing and poor agricultural practices.

It is clear- water needs of growing communities must be factored into cost of development.

http://www.watercorporation.com.au/D/desalination.cfm?uid=6748-4571-0262-4525

Update on the Kimberley gas project

It is confirmed-INPEX will now build its gas processing plant in the NT, saving the Kimberley from this type of development for now.

http://abc.com.au/news/stories/2008/09/27/2375952.htm

Who would have thought when Bamba sang Bran Nue Dae back in 1989 that the Kimberley would need to fight to keep its beauty and that the State Government of Western Australia and the Kimberley Land Council would support fouling the most beautiful place on earth. The ABC's Four Corners show really highlighted to the people of the East Coast of Australia that the Kimberley may well be worth saving.

If you didn't get a chance to see Albert Wiggan and Pat Lowe and Maria Mann from Environs Kimberley and of course "Tux" from SavetheKimberley be sure to check out the whole show here
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2008/s2369042.htm
And by the way Happy 50th Birthday Tux

Camels common in the Great Sandy Desert

I have just come back from a trip into the Great Sandy Desert and was surprised to see so many signs of camels. Once you pass the Telfer Mine turnoff there are lots of fresh camel droppings sprinkled across the road.

This fragile dune country is part of the Rudall River National Park. One of the largest national parks in Western Australia and probably the least visited. There is very little water and road travel is difficult as fuel is not readily available. This region is renowned for its diverse wild life, including many reptiles, frogs and small mamals that are found nowhere else.

The Rudall River is a chain of waterholes that feed into Lake Dora, a vast salt lake that has been known to fill up in the last 13 years but only when a cyclone dumps a huge volume of water over the catchment.

On my return I was heartened to hear that the Martu people of Kunawarritji are developing an industry of catching the camels and transporting them to the Middle East.

A recent aerial survey study has determined that there are approximately 21,000 camels in the Rudall River National Park, These camels are in large herds of between 50 and 100 camels concentrated around the few water holes.
You can read the whole report here: http://www.blogger.com/www.dec.wa.gov.au/component/option,com_docman/gid,2136/task,doc_download/%20--