Innholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2020 i Australian Geographic

ASTRONOMERS love puzzles and the Universe has plenty. But few rival the mindbending mystery of a Sun-like star officially named KIC 8462852. Usually known as Tabby’s star after the lead astronomer involved in its discovery, American Tabetha Boyajian, it’s been recorded in photographic star atlases since the 19th century. But its odd behaviour was revealed in a very 21st-century way, by NASA’s Kepler space telescope, which has been hugely successful in finding the planets of distant stars by observing regular dips in their brightness as orbiting objects passed in front of them. In 2015 the telescope revealed that Tabby’s star showed truly weird behaviour. Rather than regular 1 per cent brightness dips, Tabby’s star has irregular dips of up to 22 per cent. An early theory was that perhaps an…

ADVENTURE Canoeing the Cooper Cooper Creek has a mystique stretching back to the Burke and Wills expedition of 1861. To our knowledge, no-one has canoed the entire creek from its origin, at the confluence of the Barcoo and Thompson rivers at Windorah in south-western Queensland, to Innamincka in South Australia, some 650km downstream. Four canoeists from Berri, SA, achieved this feat in May last year. The culmination of 12 months planning based on 20 years of outback and wilderness exploration by the team. The Cooper is only navigable when enough rainfall from monsoonal activity occurs in south-central QLD, which is only about every 10 years. This is usually in late summer when temperatures can be above 40oC and insect life is horrendous. The Cooper floods in many channels, spreading out…

2020 TAS AUSTR ALIAN OF THE YEAR Dr Jess Melbourne-Thomas MARINE, ANTARCTIC AND CLIMATE SCIENTIST DR JESS MELBOURNE-THOMAS considers the moment she slipped through thin sea ice and plunged into the teeth-rattling waters of the Southern Ocean as the highlight of a research voyage to Antarctica in 2012. Momentarily distracted by a minke whale that popped its head up through a hole in the ice, Jess missed her otherwise careful footing. It is a delightful and revealing recollection from a scientist dedicated to the preservation of fragile marine ecosystems and passionate about expanding the role of science in informing public policy on climate change. Her dedication has led to her to being named Tasmanian of the Year for 2020. Equally characteristic is the way Jess swiftly def lects any personal…

IT WAS JUST HOURS before dawn on 4 June 1629 when Captain Adriaen Jacobszoon of the Dutch East India Company, the VOC, mistook breaking surf for moonlight glinting on the ocean. His ship, the Batavia, was carrying the richest cargo ever to leave the Netherlands, plus more than 300 crew, soldiers and passengers. Smashing into a coral reef at top speed unleashed carnage and mayhem. But for those who survived the shipwreck, their harrowing ordeal was just beginning. The saga of the Batavia, flagship of the VOC fleet, unfolded at the Houtman Abrolhos Islands (now known locally as the Abrolhos), about 60km west of Geraldton, 400km north of Perth, Western Australia. This archipelago of 192 islands has since become recognised as a place of exceptional historic and natural values, and…

THE WORD GONDWANA evokes a sense of the epic. It conjures an ancient time when Earth’s supercontinents were being rearranged; when Gondwana – the great southern landmass that eventually broke into Australia, Africa, South America, Antarctica, Arabia and the Indian subcontinent – was covered in lush rainforests; and when the evolutionary paths of the plants and wildlife of the Northern and Southern hemispheres diverged. It is fitting, then, that the word features in the name of one of Australia’s biggest conservation projects: Gondwana Link. Epic in both proportion and intent, it aims to restore and reconnect 1000km of bushland in southern Western Australia, from the karri forests of the state’s south-west to the semi-arid woodlands and mallee country bordering the Nullarbor Plain further east. These habitats straddle one of the…

Photography on Lord Howe Island LORD HOWE ISLAND is one of Australia’s best photography destinations. It’s World Heritage-listed because of its scenic beauty, biodiversity and rare flora and fauna and offers a large variety of terrain in a small area. Walking and Photography Weeks combine the skills of local guides and photographers to help you discover and capture the island’s stunning landscapes and life forms. Most walks have expert guides to explain the plants, geology, birds and marine life. Amazing photos are guaranteed. DATES: 11–15 May; 9–13 Nov 2020 COST: From $3048pp (twin share) at Pinetrees Lodge BOOKINGS: Call Pinetrees Travel on 02 9262 6585 or email info@pinetrees.com.au pinetrees.com.au Classic Antarctica UNIQUE WILDLIFE, thrilling Zodiac rides, unparalleled glacial scenery – welcome to Antarctica! Experience it all on this spectacular 15-day…

A prize catch By Ego Guiotto, from A prize catch, AG 43 July–September 1996. A CHANCE DISCOVERY by a road grader near Canowindra, NSW, in 1955 led to one of the world’s great fossil finds. The bulldozer overturned a slab of rock with strange impressions on its underside. The slab revealed dramatic evidence of a unique, mass mortality event around 360mya, in Late Devonian times, known as the Age of Fishes. Here (illustrated above), a life-and-death struggle in the stagnant waters of a Late Devonian billabong draws to a dramatic close as Canowindra grossi, a large, lobe-finned crossopterygian fish, strikes. Powered by a strong-finned tail, this fierce 1.6m predator moves with electrifying speed to snatch a smaller Remigolepis walkeri, scattering a school of feeding armoured fish. This depiction of life…

Writing this issue’s story on the Houtman Abrolhos National Park (page 82) was a gift for Carolyn Beasley. “During my previous career in marine consulting I had visited by boat and fallen in love with the islands,” she says. “For this story, my journey was made by air, a method that makes the islands so accessible and avoids the often-rough sea crossing. Aside from seeing these wild islands and reefs from above, another highlight was talking to the locals, those who consider the Abrolhos part of their backyard. Their passion and devotion to the islands and the area’s unique history is inspiring.” In an east coast primary school in the 1980s, the message Carolyn received about Australian history was that Captain Cook ‘discovered’ Australia, with only a passing reference to…

IF IT WASN’T for the small community of artists, its desirability as an outback setting for movies and the seemingly never-ending tourist trade, Silverton would be little more than a ghost town on the desert’s edge. Located west of Broken Hill and close to the South Australian border, this once thriving mining town had a population of 3000 during its heydey in the late 1800s. Now it’s little more than a few historic buildings, the remnants of vibrant streets, several art galleries and a pub. There are a few musts for a visit here. After a drink at the Silverton Hotel, travel a couple kilometres to the Mundi Mundi Lookout and gaze to the horizon over barren desert. Then take in a tour at the Day Dream Mine, the last…

EARTH’S human population is expected to soar past 8 billion by 2023. So it’s no wonder the leading threat facing the vast majority of imper-dilled plants and animals on the IUCN Red List of threatened species is habitat loss. The number of people has doubled since 1970 while populations of other vertebrates – fish, amphibians, lizards and our mammalian cousins – have collapsed, shrinking by as much as 60 per cent. They have been the losers as our urban, agricultural and industrial areas have ballooned to cover an ever-expanding area of the planet’s surface. This is one factor supporting the theory that we are now in the early stages of the sixth mass extinction in the history of life on Earth, with species being lost at many times the typical…

YOU COULD HAVE heard a pin drop, despite the presence of 350 excitable guests, in the grand ballrooom of the Shangri-La Hotel last November as Albert Wiggan delivered his acceptance speech for Conservationist of the Year. The Bardi-Kija-Nyul Nyul elder from Cygnet Bay in the Kimberley, Western Australia, spoke with eloquence and passion about the urgent need for contemporary society to tap into the ancient trove of knowledge about caring for country held by Indigenous Australians. “The story that my people have held for thousands of years is about what’s sustainable and what’s the right way to live on this country,” Albert said. “It’s the story of all indigenous people around the world, and what’s important to remember is that 2000 years ago we were all indigenous people living off…

IN SYDNEY, injured powerful owls are mostly taken to the Taronga Zoo Wildlife Hospital in Mosman. There they are first kept in a small enclosure, then transferred to an aviary, and, when strong enough, taken to a walled and shuttered enclosure that won’t damage their wings. Last year the hospital received eight POs. Two were dead on arrival, two died afterwards and four were eventually released. I visited the hospital with Jacqui Marlow from wildlife rescue service Sydney Wildlife, who was collecting a young male that’d been treated for a month after being found near Lane Cove National Park with head injuries. Hospital Manager Libby Hall had him fly around the enclosure twice daily and he was now strong enough to be released. “We have good success with powerful owls…

2020 ACT AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR 2020 NSW AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR WOMEN’S RUGBY LEAGUE PIONEER ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEON AND HUMAN-RIGHTS ADVOCATE Age: 46 Lives: Canberra FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS, Wiradjuri woman Katrina Fanning has lived and breathed rugby league. Following a successful career as a player, she was appointed manager of the Indigenous Women’s All Stars team, Chairperson of the Australian Rugby League Indigenous Council, and President of the Canberra and Australian Women’s Rugby League Associations. In 2014 she was named Canberra Woman of the Year, and ACT NAIDOC Person of the Year. Then, last year, Katrina was the third woman to be appointed to the Canberra Raiders board of directors. Katrina brings enormous management capability to the appointment, having worked in senior roles with Centrelink, Aboriginal Hostels Limited,…

“BIM! BIM! BIM!” calls Sarah Billis at the top of her voice as the rising sun spreads a torrent of warm light among the eucalypts and turkey bushes at Manmoyi outstation in West Arnhem Land. Home to the Bininj people, Manmoyi is a small, remote community on the Arnhem Land plateau. Gathered around the smoking embers of the previous night’s campfires, with cups of warm tea cradled in their hands, a few people are waiting for the chill to go off this fine, dry-season morning. They look towards Sarah, a senior Bininj woman, as she repeats her call through a megaphone: “Bim! Bim! Bim!” Bim is short for kunwarddebim, the Kunwinjku word for rock art. And Sarah’s calls are intended to gather people to go search for these precious cultural works.…

GONDWANA LINK follows a climate gradient that ranges from high rainfall to semi-arid. At its western end, majestic wet forests jostle with slightly dryer jarrah and marri forests. These merge eastwards into vast swathes of wildflower-rich heathland and mallee, such as those conserved in Stirling Range and Fitzgerald River national parks. Past the eastern end of Fitzgerald River NP, a major convergence zone of coastal and inland vegetation also broadly marks the transition where tall, semi-arid woodlands begin to dominate as Gondwana Link finds its way to the edge of the Nullarbor Plain. Apparently defiant of the maxim that big trees need good rainfall, the Great Western Woodlands seem dominated by iconic species such as salmon gum. These woodlands support more than 160 eucalypt species arrayed across 17 of the…

MENTION “THE SNOWY” and most Australians will know you’re talking about one of this country’s mightiest waterways: the Snowy River. Starting high in the alpine country of New South Wales and completing its journey by spilling into Bass Strait at Marlo, near Orbost, in Victoria, the Snowy is linked to many thousands of years of Aboriginal history. It is also an integral part of one of this country’s largest engineering feats – the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme – albeit at a cost to the river’s natural flow rate. Ask any canoeist, kayaker or rafter about this river and their answer will likely be filled with reverence; even at its far lower post-Snowy Hydro water levels the river sits high on Aussie paddlers’ bucket lists. One of the most popular river…

Art, people and place Australin Geographic Managing Director Jo Runciman travelled north on Coral Discoverer to be immersed in the enthralling Indigenous cultures of northern Australia. I WAS DELIGHTED to recently host a special Australian Geographic Coral Expeditions art-themed tour of Cape York and Arnhem Land. This was so much more than simply a visit to the Tiwi and Torres Strait islands. It was an extraordinary and immersive opportunity to meet and interact with the communities living there. What my fellow travellers and I experienced was an intimate education on Australian Indigenous culture. We did this by exploring the beautiful, remote and unique places that few Aussies from the country’s more southern reaches ever get to experience. We saw extraordinary hand-crafted Indigenous art and spent time on country hearing origin…

LOYAL SUBSCRIBERS My partner and I have been travelling to Australia for 30 years. One time we met lovely people in Perth who invited us to stay. In their living room I read my first Australian Geographic and was hooked. Now we have been members for 28 years and are still excited when we receive the new magazine. Thank you. NELLY AND RUEDI KILLENBERGER, SWITZERLAND RED HERRING Sorry, Dr Karl, you are in the wrong hemisphere. The “Red sky at night, shepherds’ delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherds’ warning” only applies if you are in England. Well, that’s where the saying originated. When I was studying at the Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham, Wiltshire, UK, one of our lecturers gave us a detailed and interesting talk about…

Smoking like a volcano on an alien planet, and triggered in some mysterious way by the full moon, a sponge spawns deep on a reef in the Banda Sea, Indonesia. Tiny entoprocta cluster thickly around the vent, combing the sponge’s exhalations for microscopic particles of food. This image was a finalist in the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2019 competition. Entries for 2020 are now open. For further details: naturephotographeroftheyear.com.au…

LANDSCAPES DON’T get much harsher: plains of blinding white quartz studded with stunted acacia shrubs stretching towards a horizon shimmering in a heat haze. Survival in such a place is tough. It stretches credibility that an animal could be so finely tuned to this land of scorched stones that it lives nowhere else. Such a specialised creature does exist, but finding it is near impossible. There are several small lizard species called pebble-mimic dragons that live in Western Australia’s stony, arid lands. They have head-and-body lengths of about 6.5cm and are coloured in tones of brown and red that match perfectly with substrates extending over vast tracts from the Pilbara in the north to the goldfields of the state’s south-east. Unlike most other dragon lizards, pebble-mimics are not particularly swift.…

IT’S NOT SURPRISING that Australia’s rodents receive less attention than many of our better-known marsupial mammals. For most of us, native rats and mice are often hard to distinguish from introduced pests. And yet Australia’s native rodents are unique and face the same threats as our marsupials. Take the critically endangered smoky mouse, for example. This forest dweller is about the size of a small rat but can be differentiated by its bluish-grey coloured fur. It has an omnivorous diet, feeding on seeds, fruit, flowers and truffle-like fungi, as well as invertebrates such as the Bogong moth. The smoky mouse is an industrious little ball of fur that plays an important role in keeping forests healthy by aerating soil, increasing water penetration and spreading truffle spores in its droppings. These…

MORE THAN 300 people died when Tropical Cyclone Mahina slammed into the north Queensland coast on 4 March 1899, making it Australia’s deadliest cyclone ever. Most victims were divers and seamen working on the Thursday Island pearling fleet. Queensland’s lucrative pearling industry began after commercial quantities of pearl oysters were discovered in the Torres Strait in 1869. Pearl oyster shell was prized in the late 19th century for buttons, furniture inlay and personal ornaments and at the peak of demand was worth £400 (about $60,000 today) a ton. Northern Australia became one of the world’s major suppliers. Headquartered on Thursday Island, the industry employed a 2000-strong workforce by the late 1890s. Boat skippers, divers and crew came from the islands of Torres Strait and throughout the Pacific to work on…

ENJOY this northern Victorian, wildlife-packed park on World Wetlands Day, on 2 February. Among 16 internationally important Ramsar sites in the Murray-Darling Basin, the floodplains here include the world’s biggest river red gum stand, which spills into NSW. Many creatures, such as marsupial gliders and endangered superb parrots, depend on these magnificent eucalypts for food and shelter. More info: call Parks Victoria on 13 19 63 or visit parks.vic.gov.au THIS is a great time to see Rosenberg’s goannas, now egg-laying on Kangaroo Island (KI), which has become one of the species’ last strongholds aft er dramatic mainland population declines. Look for them in coastal areas across the island, in habitats such as heath and sand dunes where they lay eggs in hollows dug into termite mounds. More info: call KI…

GAZING OUT AT SUNSET from Nettleton’s First Shaft Lookout – the site of Lightning Ridge’s first hand-dug opal mining shaft – it’s not difficult to picture the ancient wildlife that once roamed among the trees here, in north-western New South Wales. It’s evidence of these prehistoric creatures that draws avid fossil hunters to the Ridge each year. Touted by return diggers as their annual therapy session, the Fossil Dig, run by the Australian Opal Centre (AOC), provides unique access to the world of Australian palaeontology. While searching through miners’ tailings for opalised fossil material, the first shout of “I think I’ve found something!” is met with an excitement that permeates the entire experience. Guided by expert palaeontologists and gemologists, activities range from fossil identification and discovery, to field trips into…

THERE’S A MYTH that the memory of a goldfish lasts only three seconds. But that wasn’t how Professor Culum Brown saw it when he was 12. He kept fish as pets and would while away the hours staring at them instead of doing his homework. The more he stared, the more they fascinated him. What he found most intriguing was the way they seemed to recognise and react to him. “They ignored everybody else and they knew that in the morning when I came to feed them I’d put the food in a particular spot and they’d be there waiting,” he says. “It was pretty obvious to me, even as a kid, that they were much smarter than people thought.” Culum went on to snorkel a lot during his youth…

WHEN I LOOK AT these images they remind me of when I was a kid. They were bedtime stories for me: a big fire lit up the painting on the wall and I saw it and the painting became real for me. I looked at it and my grandparents told me the story – it was there on the wall. When I grew up I realised they were real stories. Those old people told us how people lived in this country and how important it is. When we see the real thing – an emu or a kangaroo – we know it is all connected. Losing traditional knowledge is becoming a big problem. By documenting and recording it, and putting it in a database, the story is going to be…

IN 2009 AMERICAN oceanographer Dr Sylvia Earle launched Mission Blue, a global alliance with a vision to explore and protect the oceans through a series of Hope Spots, ocean areas identified as being of critical importance to restoring marine ecosystems. Hope Spots may be nominated by anyone but are assessed by a Mission Blue council, based on criteria such as: the habitat they provide; the rare or endemic species they support; historical or cultural values; or their ability to reverse human-made damage to the planet. Currently, less than 6 per cent of oceans are protected, and the organisation seeks to inspire the safeguarding of at least 30 per cent by 2030. Some Hope Spots currently have no protection. Others need strengthening. Mission Blue, together with more than 200 local organisations,…

Paddle power THERE ARE several different kayaking disciplines: river kayaking on flat water; white-water kayaking on rapids and on faster-flowing waterways; and sea kayaking on the open ocean and along the coastline. Regardless of which discipline you follow, kayaking involves paddling with a double-bladed paddle, rather than the single-bladed paddle used in canoeing. The key to getting the most enjoyment out of kayaking is learning correct paddle technique. This begins with ensuring your paddle is facing the right way. The blade is curved, and the concave side should face you to give you optimal power as you take each stroke. The correct technique involves rotating your body as you reach out, dip the paddle, then pull back with one arm while also ‘pushing’ forward with the opposite arm. This allows…