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

WA water crisis

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

Camels and more camels

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 mammals 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--

Thalanyji Aboriginal people give an insight into the plants of the Ashburton

Trudy Hayes is a Thalanyji woman. Today she has very excitedly left Port Hedland to visit her traditional country in the Ashburton region of WA around Onslow to celebrate the

Thalanyji native title consent determination.

Congratulations Trudy and Thalanyji everywhere!div>

Trudy like many of her people was born on a station in the Ashburton region and then went to Carnarvon mission where she spent her childhood being educated.

Trudy is a Thalanyji speaker and works hard with her sisters to pass on to their children and others the culture and traditional knowledge of the Thalanyji. Her sisters have just published the most beautiful book on Thalanyji plant names and their uses, "Ngambunyjarri: Thalanyjibarndi Yininyjarri". This gorgeous publication has full colour photographs of the plants, a great description of their common food, medicinal and everyday use such as kerosene grass that is used to make fires, Kapok plant used for bedding.

Here is a picture of the mulhurn bush from my back garden that is also known as the green bird flower and is the emblem of the town of Port Hedland. It is wonderful to have such a rich resource of Indigenous plants, their names and their uses.

If you are interested in the book or finding out more about Pilbara traditional languages go to Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre.

ISBN: 1875946942

http://acl.arts.usyd.edu.au/projects/wangkamaya/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Potable water wasted to damp down dirt in Port Hedland

Water wasted

At the weekend I was shocked to hear that in Port Hedland, BHP Billiton damped down thier piles of iron ore with potable fresh water; 4.3 Gigalitres per day . Iron ore dust is a very important environmental hazard in Port Hedland.


Whole mountains are moved in enormously long trains. The ore is then dumped at the port and loaded into ships then carted off to Asia to build the incredible infrastructure that is now a feature of the Asian urban landscape. Port Hedland is right by the sea with an abundance of sea water that could be used for the job as was the case until recently. However BHP Billiton had a problem that the infrastructure they had constructed to move this dirt, namely the conveyor belts and the trucks were going rusty because of the salt. So fresh water is being used. Understandable you may think but in the same town, salt is being transported by conveyor belt and truck and loaded into ships. How is it possible that one company can transport salt and one can not transport dirt with a sprinkling of salt on top.

What is the Western Australian State government doing to ensure that safe drinking water is not being wasted in this way? If BHP Billiton absolutely needs to use this water what are they paying to deplete a non renewable natural resource namely the Pilbara underground water reserves.

If you are interested the Conservation Council of WA website has more information
http://conservationwa.asn.au/component/option,com_events/task,view_detail/agid,72/year,2007/month,08/day,22/Itemid,1/
Have a look here to find out more about the Pilbara ground water allocation
http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/water/allocation/wa/gmu-pilbara-peedamulla.html

Whales may save the Kimberley

Whale nursery found

The beautiful remote Kimberley islands and coastal reserve are the site of mining controversy. As expected there are vast reserves of oil and gas under the Kimberley sea, not surprising as the ancient landforms of the Kimberley and Pilbara are rich in fossils and mineral deposits.

They are also rich in Aboriginal art sites and are home to a huge biodiversity. On the 12th of August the ABC reported the findings of a study from the Marine Science Institution which found an amazing nursery of Humpback Whales. This maternity ward of 607 whales is said to be the largest to have been found anywhere in the world. Camden Sound where the whales have been spotted must be one of the natural wonders of the world and is an indication that this region needs to be world heritage listed.

Read more about it here at the ABC

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/12/2332256.htm

If you are interested in finding out more about the mining operations and their impact on this beautiful region have a look here.

http://www.savethekimberley.com/content/view/48/82/

The Australian Drought Policy

Having a chance to help on a submission for the New Drought Policy has made me realise what a sorry state our beautiful continent is in. The whole South East corner of the country basically from Northern Tassie and up to Central Queensland has been declared areas of Exceptional Circumstances. The impact of that on people is the ability to hang in there just a bit longer, hoping that the drought will break.

We need an agricultural sector in Australia. This sector needs to be vibrant and support the population for food and fuel. I ask you, what are we doing to the land with our current practice of building housing estates in the outer suburbs of our major cities; on the market garden areas and using our marginal farming land to supply cereal and sugar to the world.

I think our drought policy needs to link with urban planning, land use policies and our trade policies. Without these different areas talking to each other the policy landscape is dotted with craters that work against sustainable farming practices.

You can see the current EC areas if you click on the link below
http://www.daff.gov.au/agriculture-food/drought/ec

Environmental Vandals in Karajini

It is hard to believe that anyone could think it was acceptable to wash their hair with shampoo and conditioner in the pristing waterfall at Dales Gorge in Karajini national park in the remote Pilbara region of North West Australia.

The Karajini national park is a stunning group of gorges that cut their way through the Hammersley ranges. An oasis in the searing desert. The pristine water comes from deep underground and one such act of environmental vandalism damages the fish, plant life and aquatic creatures for a very long time.

Shampoo and conditioner contain chemicals including silicon; these remain in the environment as coating on the top of the pools, rocks and plants. Unfortunately there is no signage that instructs people on what is appropriate behaviour and when we were visiting on the 25th July there were no rangers at either entrace to the park. This remote beautiful location has been promoted to the world and is being damaged because people now want to come and visit.

Hammersley Gorge, Oxer lookout, The Hammersley range

Do your bit, when you vist leave only footprints don't leave soap scum and silicon and other toxic chemicals.