Mareeba gets rehabilitated

Our first dealings with Mareeba (a couple of weeks ago, trying to find somewhere to park the camper) were ungood.  However, today as we drove the Pajero there to get things fixed (and subsequently) our views were revised in a positive direction.

Before heading off we noticed that it was rather cool this morning.  (Apparently only 10^oC while frosts are not unknown at this time.)  It was also a tad humid, which in combination seems to have stirred some fungi into fruiting.

As we drove towards Mareeba it was clear that Queensland Sparks and Wildfires Service were emulating their Southern colleagues in lighting up anything that stood still,

Getting to the Mitsubishi dealer in Mareeba everything seemed well under control.  They were offering us a loaner car which I expected to be an old trade in.  Instead, a Barina with about 4500km on clock.  Apart from me failing to understand how to open the back doors - even after Frances had told me how the Reddings staffer did it - it seems a most excellent little car.

After leaving the Pajero in hospital we went to the Skybury Coffee Estate.  The trees in this image are mangoes, across the road from the coffee estate, and fires are a (hopefully) controlled burn.

This is the entrance to the Skybury sales and cafe area.

Some beans were acquired. Small dogs were welcome so we entered and had an excellent long black each and a reasonable pie.  Here is the dining deck.

It looked down on a small pond, where Double-barred Finches were taking a drink.

Having taken a drink, a trip to the khazi was indicated.  Here is the nice garden which introduces person of both sexes to the facilities.

I don't know how the females fared but the males were obviously given some hints about draining the dragonfly.

Our next stop was the West Barron Storage Dam were water from Lake Tinarroo is stored befor being distributed around this very fertile area.

There were a lot of waterbirds on the water, especially this raft of Coots.

Here is the Barina with some sugar cane - including flowers - in the background.

Here is a sluice on the channel taking water to the storage.  A sign nearby banned all sorts of activities, but surprisingly not dogs.  We didn't test this!

As we headed back we passed the Lotus Glen Correctional Facility.  Shortly thereafter I noticed a Police Transit coming along rapidly behind us.  Even though they didn't have their dome lights on I thought it wise to take a dive to the left.

Just before getting to Tolga we hooked in to the peanut place and got some further supplies (of a chili-augmented nature).

Just after Tolga we swung back towards Owl-heaven (ie Forsyte Rd)  to see what was happening in daylight.  Quite a few raptors were around, undoubtedly attracted by the highly photogenic cane cutting going on.

Frances thought this cutter looked like the final evolution of Daleks whereas to me it was more like something out of Mad Max!

Here is a Black Kite watching proceedings.

On getting home we scurried round to a neighbours house for tea.  A more relaxed approach than how we have met them while on dog walks.  Their place was a lovely 6 acres running down to bush with an excellent house including out door deck.  They run Tableland Adventure Guides and if you are into long hikes.MTB Rides/canoe trips I suggest give them an email.  They are also very good on birds and other natural history!

• Bird of the day: Pale-headed Rosella at Skybury for the individual award and the 119 Black Swans at west Barron for the flock.
• Vegetation of the day:   Sugar cane getting harvested at Forsyte Rd.
• Memorable moment: The excellent taste of the Skybury coffee.
• Comment of the day: "Of course dogs are allowed."  Staffer at Skybury
• Pie of the day:.  The pie at Skybury was not up to the standard of the coffee.  It was as expected peppery but I felt it had been nuked after removal from Mr Cellophane!  Still a lot better than the Chillagoe effort so 5 rather than 3.
• Troppo moment of the day. The modern approach to cane cutting!

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A warm day is a good day!

We decided to go along Petersons Creek (aka the platypus walk) this morning.  We passed the usual bunch of cattle, who were as usual curious about Tammy.  She pretty much ignored them: I think her brain rejects dogs of that size.

Shortly after crossing the Swing Bridge and the sign honouring Geoff Treacy (the originator of the clean -up project, and as it turns out a resident of the house across the street from us) we crossed with a couple of walkers.  The older of the two advised - with I think a French accent - that there was a platypus in Frawleys Pool.

And so, after a few minutes waiting, there was!

After passing the Pool I took a snap looking down into it.  The small bridge is on the far end of the pool.

We then decided to go to Nerada Tea Estate to buy some leaf and to checkout the Tree-Kangaroos which are theoretically verminous there.  First up we stopped at the Curtain Fig Tree to show Frances the Wompoo Fruit-Dove.  My snap today is better than the original!

As we passed through Malanda we noticed a sign to the Falls so swung in.  There was a quite interesting sign about indigenous beliefs and funeral practices.

The falls had been improved a bit.  Here is after ...

.. while this gives a clue about before.

When we got back to the car it seemed to be losing some fluids, so given the issue with the sump seal we decided not to muck about with unnecessary distance but go home.  I checked for drips when we got there and could find none and the oil level looked good when I checked the dipstick!

Rather than hang about the house all day - nice as it is, we have done that a few days - we walked down to the Tinaburra boat ramp.  A ravening idiot was there.

Never have I wished so hard for a large log to be 2cm below the water surface.

A large bird call was rather evident.  Initially I thought it was Bush Stone Curlews but then saw 5 cranes flying along.  As the call was still evident I checked the banks about 400m away.  There were some 20 Brolgas as I thought.

On checking the photo, the red goes well down the neck so they were in fact Sarus Cranes.  Woo-hoo.  Or in fact "WOOO - HOOOO" as I hadn't used them as bird of the Day on the previous sighting!  I have now!!!!!

Walking back down the Avenue of Honour we noticed a gent digging up a few weeds.  Frances congratulated him for being part of the Yungaburra park maintenance community.  Thus far we have recorded:

• The Landcare group who look after Peterson Creek;
• Another group who tend to Williams Park;
• The folk who look after the gardens down the middle of Eacham Street;
• The ladies (of the CWA?) who maintain the hanging baskets in the village centre; and now
• The volunteers who maintain the Avenue of Honour,

Well done that village!!

As we walked back I noticed these two ladies with a distinctive yellow satchel.  Census Collectors doing what is needed outside major urban areas, delivering the former trees (ie hard copy forms).

I wondered if they were going around in pairs due to the controversy currently in hand but apparently this was just a training process.  I wished them luck - they noticed my 1996 Census cap - and passed on.  In terms of the controversy, this message from Bill McLennan pretty much summarises the major stuff-up ABS have brought upon themselves.

When taking the small dog out for her final comfort stop I was aware of rustling in the bushes.  My headlight caught some eyeshine and the flash on my camera got a Coppery Brushtailed Possum.

• Bird of the day: Sarus Cranes get the individual and flock tick!
• Vegetation of the day:   The growth in what used to be Geoff Treacy's house block.
• Memorable moment: Spotting the cranes
• Comment of the day: Bill McLennan's conclusion on the Census; " The ABS doesn’t have the authority to collect ‘name’ in the 2016 Census on a compulsory basis."
• Pie of the day:.  Not tonight Josephine..
• Troppo moment of the day. The idiot on the jet ski duetting with a burglar alarm going off on a house near the dam.

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A much better day

After yesterdays shambles anything had to be better.  In fact today was pretty good by most standards.

We set off on our dog walk along Mather Rd and were greeted by a guy we had seen many times along the road, driving a Land Cruiser ute.  He was interested in us and we in him, as he, like the cattle guy from Sunday, told us a lot about the social and industrial structure of the area.  He solved the mystery plant on the road as being foliage for florists in Sydney.  One of our discussants jobs was making hay which he sells inter alia through the Yungaburra Pit Stop servo.  Apparently it is sold as fast as he can make it!  (It is interesting how many people up here do many interesting jobs and are keen to show how industrious they are.  Right on guys!)

He also commented that they had a poor wet season but it had been warm and damp recently.

As we proceeded down the road after this chat noise erupted from the sky.

Although I hate the noise of these things I must acknowledge the guts (or indeed things slightly below the male abdomen) to fly one.  If I was up there umbrellas would be the least punters on the ground would need.

The Bush Stone Curlews went for kissy-kissy camouflage.

 Later in the day our back yard was invaded by 3 - count them, 3 - Emerald Doves!

The day was basically getting a tad warm with the clouds definitely looking like Granny Aching's Sheep.

 So we took off to Lake Barrine, knowing it to be shady.  This was one of the better example of cauliflory we have seen.

 As we moved along a small but very active macropod was seen, and sort of photographed,  It looked like a Musky rat-kangaroo Hypsiprymnodon moschatus which I think is the smallest kangaroo around.  This one was about 25cm long in the body.

 In the rest of the 5km walk I think we saw at least another 6, smaller examples.  When spotlighting I was interested that some species had orange eye-shine while others had silver.  Judging by this flash image the rat-kangaroos shine lilac!

 A number of the Pandanus had fruit on them with this one being the ripest.

 The most interesting birds out on the Lake were Great-crested Grebes.

On land the most exciting birds were a group fossicking through the rainforest floor.  No photos - they were a fair bit back - but the jizz and general shape make me confident they were Chowchillas (a lifer and obviously Bird of the Day).

Back at the tea rooms Frances spotted an exciting butterfly.  Its a Cairns Birdwing.

 I couldn't get one to pose with the upperside of the wings visible.

Later we went to Frawleys pool for Frances to look at the pool and me to find birds (and should I be so lucky, a Tree Kangaroo).  No marsupials but we did have a very pleasant conversation with a Labrador's person about management of the area,  He opined that they'd a very poor wet season.

• Bird of the day: Chowchillas.  Flock was 3 Emerald Doves, as it was such a bonus to see >1.
• Vegetation of the day:   Rainforest generally.
• Memorable moment: Getting a reminder from Reddings about the work on the car on Thursday.  That's more like it.
• Comment of the day: "We had a very poor Wet season."  Everyone we talk to!.
• Pie of the day:.  Not tonight Josephine..
• Troppo moment of the day. Everything was pretty calm

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A less good day

As the Pajero was getting close to service time I decided to get it done here at the Mitsubuishi dealers in Atherton.  It was a cramp that they were fully booked for about 10 days but I put it in.  They reckoned it would take about 2 - 3 hours and could drop me off at Hasties Swamp and pick me up again.  Excellent.

It turned out dropping me off meant I drove out with one of their guys who took the car back.  I did birding.  Here are a few ducks:

Here are a lot of ducks.

Here are ducks on a log!

An Intermediate Egret showing the limited extent of yellow skin relative to the eye.

Finally, some Chestnut-breasted Mannikins posed for a snap.

All good stuff but after 3 hours I hadn't heard anything (they had my phone number) so rang them.  It turned out the tappets needed resetting so it was going to take another 2 hours.  Not happy but I thought I'd walk back to town.  By chance one of the 5 people I know in the Tablelands was driving by and gave me a lift for a couple of kilometres from where I could walk the rail trail.

When I got back the car was done, but they had to find the paperwork.  When this eventually appeared there was the usual recitation of what was done.  Yadda yadda yadda.  Then the bombshells.

• There was a leak in the sump which needed fixing asap.
• The front discs needed replacing asap.
• This would take a full day.
• They were fully booked for the next 10 days.

I explained that we were out of accommodation after Saturday.  That was obviously my problem.  So I asked if there was another place nearby which might be able to help (this wasn't volunteered by them).  Yes, Mareeba.  Rang them and they can do it on Friday and Reddings can lend me a car.  OK not too bad.  The another two bombshells (which came up incidentally when they said we could keep the loaner over the weekend.

• They need to keep the car overnight (on Friday) to let the seal set.
• The service department isn't open on a Saturday so I wouldn't get the car back until Monday!

I explained that we were out of accommodation after Saturday.  Despite already having explained that it seemed to be news to the person I was speaking to.  The f-word got used a few times!!  Back on the phone to Mareeba: OK drop the car in at lunchtime on Thursday and pick it up Friday afternoon.  Reddings will get the loaner to and from Mareeba.

The essential problems are that 

• there was no attempt to let me know any of the problems during the day. In contrast all dealers in Canberra that I have dealt with ring while working on the car with all sorts of details to get clearance;
• there was no realisation of the timing problem I was facing; and
• they are so tightly scheduled they had no capacity to respond to an emergency (which from my view this is).

Yes, they have been good with the loaner but really their "business" model is appalling in its disregard for customer impact.  (After we got home I got a newsletter blurb from Reddings saying that the Mareeba branch was closing and everything was being done in Atherton.  On thinking about it, and being hopeful, what this meant was the ugly incompetent idiots in Atherton knew they were being sacked and the nice people from Mareeba were taking their place.  If there is any justice ....)

To complete a toenail of a day I then found the place I was intending to stay two nights out from home was canophobic.  Everything else in the area of Miles mentioned on caravanning sites read like a disaster but I then came across a farmstay a bit North-East of Miles that will do the job.  Finally some good news.

• Bird of the day: Square-tailed Kite.  Flock has to be ducks.
• Vegetation of the day:   Lignum around the swamp.
• Memorable moment: Finding out the car problems: memorable doesn't always mean good!
• Comment of the day: "Most of vermin round here have two legs - and walk upright." Comment by the Reddings guy at the swamp, after a discussions about wild pigs.
• Pie of the day:ay.  Back to Brumby for another pretty good effort. 7/10.
• Troppo moment of the day. My reaction to the issues at Reddings was a classic definition of going troppo, unfortunately.  

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A day of birding success

A local resident has kindly given me a few tips about the location of interesting birds.  One of these was a nesting Wompoo Fruit-Dove at the Curtain Fig Tree.  After I'd been once and failed she amplified her comments.  On the next occasion I failed to see the bird but clearly heard it: I blamed the visual disaster on it being too dark.

So on 31 July I tried again, beginning on the dog walk.  Failed to see or even hear the bird.  Later in the morning I had another go (what is this thing called OCD?).  I found the bird: I can't remember quite how, but I had been looking up in the trees off to the side of the boardwalk whereas it was smack bang in the middle (but if course up in the branches, not squatting on the handrail).

After returning home I went to drop a note of thanks to my helper and check the birds along Mather Rd.  A good sized flock of Tree Martins hawking over the paddocks had at least a couple of Fairy Martins mixed in - an addition to the trip list.  I also confirmed a Bowers Shrikethrush.  At the end of the road a Dusky Honeyeater was kind enough to pose for a photo.

Coming back I noticed some delicate white members of the family Fabaceae growing beside the road.

The leaves looked like Kennedia sp. but I can't find anything on the 'net which matches.  The set of images for "Kennedia white" were the biggest load of rubbish ever: the extreme bad labeling were a tomato or a pair of black shoes!

Back in the rain forest we found some flowers of a cauliferous twig.  These flowers have usually been on a main trunk.

We had seen a farmer driving around with bins full of bread on several occasions.  Today we met him as the cows wished to get to know Tammy and I was watching the interaction when he rolled up.

We had an interesting discussion including a fair sample of his political views: I'd say we had met a Katter voter.  He commented how live cattle exports were a boom for people like him since, by reducing supply to the local market it forced up prices such that he was getting $1200 per beast now, rather than $35 in the recent past.  (He didn't mention the impact on previous prices of 10 years of destocking due to drought!)

Later we found these very placid looking Brangus (I think) beasts.

We encountered them walking along the road to a fruit stall to acquire some bananas and avocados.  The former were good, the latter a little manky, but very cheap.

After dark we went to Forsythe Rd off Marks Lane where owls had been reported.  We didn't spot any Eastern Grass Owls as hoped for, but did see at least 6 Eastern Barn Owls, perched on fence posts or on the ground.

• Bird of the day: Wompoo Fruit-Dove.  Only my second sighting.  Flock is a loose term but 6 birds in a small area counts and gets the Barn Owl an award.
• Vegetation of the day: White bean
• Memorable moment: Finally seeing the Wompoo.
• Comment of the day: "Enjoy your trip back to cold Canberra.  Give my regards  to Malcolm." Our cattle feeding friend.  Another of his comments - about the ban of live cattle exports - was "I had to get an outside job just to keep feeding the cattle."
• Pie of the day: Not today.  My taste buds are still in rebellion after yesterday's effort.
• Troppo moment of the day. The group of tourists - led by a "professional" who should have known better - standing in the middle of Curtain Fig Rd  spotlighting at 8pm despite it being a main road, narrow and twisty with an 80kph speed limit.  

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