longlines: May 2011

Brisbane Flood January 13 2011


Nankeen Night Heron

Lotus in Flower Kakadu

When the first Darwin blog was published on November 24, 2010 I did not realize that within a few months I would have had a dramatic lifestyle change and be living within a couple of hours drive of the home I had left many years ago.

This past wet season was one of the wettest on record. The floods which began in northern Australia in November moved slowly south and Brisbane was inundated on 13^th January. Enquiries into the flood and its aftermath are currently underway in various parts of Queensland.

Victorians also counted the losses from floods while those people who live at the mouth of the Murray saw the river in an entirely new light as it flowed to the sea for the first time in decades.

While the East Coast was flooding the West was fighting bushfires and it seemed as we travelled north into two cyclones in one week that this country, blessed as it is, must suffer natural disaster to counterbalance the many social, political and economic benefits that it has to offer.

However our natural disasters became part of a series affecting the Southern Hemisphere when floods hit South America followed by a devastating earthquake in Christchurch.

The Japanese earthquake and tsunami demonstrated that we truly are global. The worldwide effects from this disaster will not be known perhaps for years to come.

And now the latest series of tornadoes in the United States unites us in sympathy for all those who this year have suffered in natural disasters.

Brumby, Eagle, Ibis, Jabiru Nest, Kakadu

Jabiru and Crocodile compete for fish carcase

It was not only natural disasters that occupied the news but also the outburst of unrest across the Middle East.

The atmosphere of freedom of speech and action that is taken for granted in this country was a tonic when contrasted to the situation in those Middle Eastern countries.

I delighted in the sight of people dressing how they liked. It was wonderful to know that in the eyes of the law the man driving the garbage truck, the woman cleaning the toilets in the shopping centre, the young man covered in tattoos sleeping in the back of his battered ute and the very young mother trailing her tribe of children against the “don’t walk” sign not only enjoyed the same rights and protections as the highest in the land, but took those rights and privileges for granted.

One of the pleasures of arriving north of the Tropic of Capricorn during the Wet Season was the abundance of birdlife, particularly waterbirds, shorebirds and waders.

Eagles performing aerobatics

Little Egret, Kakadu

It was the abundance of birdlife that made the visit to Kakadu late last August so memorable.

Kakadu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage listed site, holds a special place in the hearts of many Australians. The size of a small European country it has been continuously occupied for at least 40,000 years and the quantity and quality of Aboriginal cultural sites within it reflect this long occupation.

Kakadu extends along the Northern Territory coast from the mouth of Wildman River to the mouth of the East Alligator River and includes Barron and Field Islands. Nitmiluk National Park is on its south west border. Kakadu surrounds the controversial Jabiluka and Ranger Mineral Leases and the Koongarra Mineral Lease.

Arnhem Land, largely closed to visitors, is on its eastern boundary.

Graceful Egret

Crocodile and Burdekin Duck, Kakadu

Pied Heron, Kakadu

Entire libraries of books have been written about Kakadu, about its culture, flora, fauna, geology and complex history.

Any search on the Web will bring up numerous sites littered with extravagant visuals and a depth of information.

Because of the long and late Wet season earlier in the year Wurrgeng, the cool weather season (of the six seasons of Kakadu) was still on the land and made for easy travel.

Yellow Water and Nourlangie Rock were the highlights of the trip, although the size and numbers of crocodiles that inhabited every body of water left a lasting impression.

Yellow Water Cruise Boat

The Yellow Water wetland cruise is conducted by professionally trained and enthusiastic wildlife guides who respect not only the environment and its inhabitants, but also the visitors, many of whom have travelled around the world for this experience.

My visit after a long absence was brief, a side trip from the main purpose of my journey, but a trip that left me determined to return and spend more time in this beautiful and complex area.

Darter with fish catch Kakadu

Claire Wood
Observer
Monday, May 9, 2011
Longlines - http://longline8.blogspot.com/
Email: longline8@gmail.com
Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/longlinesBlog