Little Fisherman's School Projects

Fraser Island

20 December 2014

Fraser Island is one of East Australia's biggest attractions.  Locals and tourists have come to Fraser for holidays,fishing,getting bogged and just having fun.

26th Nov 2014

I woke up excited because my favourite sport was promised...FISHING...  Once Dad and I were ready we walked the few steps to the beach and set up.  After an hour of fishing and only two bites we headed back and started cooking crumpets for brekky.  Soon Hamish (my brother) woke up and in no time at all we were both drawing like crazy until Mum noticed a second knee on Hamish's left leg.  Mum soon had Hamish booked in at the local doctor in Rainbow Beach, a little town a couple of kilometres from where we were camped.  Another couple of minutes and we found ourselves in Rainbow Beach.  Dad and I dropped Mum and Brother at the Doctor’s and then we went to a nearby cafe and enjoyed an ice-cream and flat white (in Dad's case).  Then we picked up Mum and Hamish and headed to the hi-light of the day...crossing Sandy Straits on a to Fraser Island.  Once we were on our way across the strait I took the chance to take some photos.  Soon we were back in the car with the engine revving as we drove of the ferry and onto Fraser Island.  We drove on the beach road to our camp.  We stayed for a few nights while exploring the surrounding scrub and beaches.

My favourite sport!

On the Ferry

27th Nov 2014

This morning I woke up knowing that there was no rush.  After a hour of reading I was finally kicked out of bed to have brekky and start the day with a nice drive to the nearby creek (Dundaburra creek).  We spent a good two hours playing in the creek and digging like crazy.  Soon Mum called us in for lunch and to tell us what the plan for the day was.  Once Mum had told us the plan and we had brushed all the sand off we got back in the car and drove into trouble...In no time at all we found our selves heading to Indian Head and Champagne pools.  We were driving on an inland road (the only way in) when Mum screamed.  A second later there was a sound like shattering glass.  Yes we had hit a kind of wash-out at 30km an hour, and the back window had shattered.  We drove the last 100m to the beach were Mum and Dad cleaned up the mess and inspected the rest of the damage to Rocky while we sat back played on our iPads and of course wrote this.  Once the back window had been cleaned up and the replacement window (a plastic rubbish bag) installed, we set out to have a refreshing and well deserved swim.  Champagne pools is exactly how it sounds, millions of tiny bubbles all bubbling up to the surface of the water.  After a swim we were heading back to camp for a delicious diner and a good nights sleep.

Champagne Pools

28th Nov 2014

This morning I did exactly as I did last morning and so did the day the only difference was that we did not spend the morning relaxing by a stream.  Instead we went to the Maheno wreck an World War One Hospital Ship.  The story behind how this ship ended up here is quiet interesting.  It was being towed to Japan for scrap metal but in a typhoon it broke free and ended up here.  We also went on a inland track on Fraser Island this time visiting some of the fresh water lakes and checking out some other cool stuff including Knife-blade Sand Blow (a mobile sand dune) and a couple more though not all sand blows.  The lakes that we saw Garaworgera lake, Boomerang lake and Lake Allom were not good for swimming (in our opinion).

The Maheno

29 Nov 2014

This morning I did the same as our first night at Fraser Island get up and go to the beach, but the only difference is that we went on a little walk to another sand blow.  Wungul sand blow is a short walk that takes around 30mins one way so you could do it in an hour.  My recommendation is that when you get to the end if the walk (the start of the sand blow) is to head straight ahead until you see a dip in the sand and a cluster of bushes this is great for kids who like playing in sand, jumping and the adults can sit in the morning shade of the bushes.  So far we haven't seen any dingos but some of our friends had been harassed by one.  After an hour or so we started to head back to the car which was about to take us to more fun.  Then we went to the same creek as we did last time.  After half an hour of playing in the creek a familiar car pulled up beside us.  Dan and the rest of the family Bianca, Illukia and Kilarni.  Another half an hour and we were jumping back into the cars and headed back to camp at Dundaburra camp site.  Hamish, the girls and I played dingos while Mum and Dad discussed about a bit of this and a bit of that.  The hours seemed to pass like seconds and in no time at all we were saying good nights to each other but at the same time planning how to meet for a cuppa and final good byes with them.

On the Sand-Blow

30th Nov 2014

As soon as we were awake we folded up the camper and headed back down the beach with the planned destination Central Station (the other main camp on Fraser) but a planned detour showed that we would not be taking the most direct route.  On the way down the beach we stopped at the well recommend Eli creek.  There is a boardwalk that takes you up the creek as far as you can go a hundred or so metres.  Trust me DO NOT TRY TO SWIM UP THE CREEK!!!!!!

Dad Hamish and I dared to go up stream.  The fast flowing water was annoying because you would get on a sand bar with a few centimetres of water over the top.  So obviously we would run like the wind.  This was all good until one of us would try and stop but to late SPLASH we would crash into a waist deep water and so on.  After a hour or so at Eli creek we found it a little too crowded  so we jumped back in Rocky. But not to worry we were heading to Kilarni and Illukia's house.  So soon we were having a ball at their house.  We were sad to say good bye but we to soon we were waving though the car's windows as it slowly drove away.  Wew were heading to Central Station.   Soon we were driving on the horrible soft sand of Fraser Island's inland tracks.  In one spot the sand was extra soft and there was a big hole in the track plus a sign about a tree and so we got stuck.  That was all fine until another car came up behind us that again was fine until they tried to get past us...and obviously it got stuck as well.  After five minutes we got out and helped  the other car past, then we kept going to Central Station.  Thankfully we made it to camp with no further difficulties.

Eli Creek

1st Dec 2014

Yesterday evening Mum and Dad put the Advent Calendar in a spot where we could reach it when we woke up.  Yes it was Christmas time again Yahoo!!  Today we planned to go to Lake Mackenzie and Basin Lake.  In no time we were pulling up at Lake Mackenzie car park.  We had arrived as early as possible and in return we had Lake Mackenzie to our selves for a hour or so.  All happy we returned to the car for lunch and were soon driving back to Central Station via Basin Lake.  Soon we were on the way back to the camper.  About two minutes from Basin Lake I heard that sound so familiar just before getting stuck.  We came to a grinding halt...The Max Trax were soon under the wheels but didn't do the job instead the wheels span and we sank lower into the sand.  After one or two tries which proved useless a couple of cars pulled up behind us not to mention two tour trucks.  Even with the tour drivers and a couple of men from the tour trucks pushing it didn’t help.  So we got out the snap-strap.  This seemed to do the job and soon we were out but not out of the getting stuck mode.  No sooner as we had been pulled out and the snap-strap disconnected Dad floored the accelerator and we got though our last bog and kept going until we hit a soft sandy hill and stopped again.  But like last time every one was helping and the best thing of all is we didn't need the snap-strap!  At the top of the hill we pulled over and let everyone past.  Now the question was should go back to camp or have a swim a Basin Lake.  It was decided to have a swim at Basin Lake.  Dan had told about a little spot where we could take a short cut and be at the lake in ten minutes instead of a two hour walk.  And boy, it was beautiful just like Lake Mackenzie but with no people Yahoo!!  Soon we found ourselves back at camp thankful that we had help when we had been stuck.

I loved Lake Mackenzie

Dad wasn't happy to get bogged

2 Dec 2014

This morning we had a family discussion over what to do it was decided to go to one more Lake, Lake Wabby and then back onto mainland Australia.  So we were soon heading up the beach to Lake Wabby.  We were soon pulling up at the car park and starting the four kilometre walk to the lake.  When we saw the lake it was "last one in is the rotten egg" so the race was on!  With being so early we got lake Wabby two ourselves and that means one thing… skinny dip time!!  We spent an hour or so at the lake and only got disturbed was when two planes flew low over the lake’s emerald green waters.  But we were soon walking back to the car and we were glad we did.  Guess who we met walking back?  Sixty of more people coming to see Lake Wabby!!.  Thank goodness we got there when we did.  PHEW!  We stopped at Eli creek to cool off from the long hard walk back from the lake to Rocky.  After a swim at Eli creek we headed back to the ferry and back to mainland.  Soon we were driving onto the ferry to cross sandy straits.  So here our amazing adventure ends but not all the fun.

Wabby Lake - racing for the water!

The Dinosaur Trail

2 November 2014

The dinosaurs around three of the hottest and dustiest towns in Australia, Richmond,Hughenden and Winton (the dinosaur trail) are 110 million years old.  But the main reason for going to the dinosaur trail is the one and only stampede ever found in the world!!!  It has an amazing story behind it and is located at Larks Quarry near Winton.  A stampede is where a large amount of animals all panic at the same time and start running in one direction or in many directions. In this case leaving foot prints which have been fossilised.

A skeleton of a Muttaburrasaurus

The dinosaur footprints at Larks Quarry

Even so there are more things to visit like the Kronosaurus Korner at Richmond, or if you don't want to do that, grab a hammer and a padded box and go looking for bones and fossils that way.  

The Kronosaurus at Kronosaurus Korner

Even better visit the......AUSTRALIAN  AGE  OF  DINOSAURS museum where I suggest you visit an active laboratory where you get to work on the dinosaur bones.  Sorry kids you have to be 12 or older. 

But if none of these things suit you head down to Longreach and have fun on the Kinnon & Co stage coach and paddle wheeler, but be there before the 31st of October (Halloween) because it gets to hot for the horses. 

This next bit is only for people that want to know more about the Dinosaur trail.  Try going back to the stampede 95 million years ago. Scientists now think it was caused by Banjo a meat eating Theropod.  How they know this is they found Banjo or one of his brothers skeleton and his footprint fitted perfectly with the footprints in the stampede.  But on top of Banjo's skeleton was Matilda.  Matilda comes from the group of dinosaurs called Diamontinoa.  It is thought that Matilda had got stuck and Banjo saw Matilda stuck and thought what an easy target. But he was wrong.  And how they were found it is thought that Matilda killed Banjo and then died on top of Banjo.  But they not the only dinosaurs here.  Dickie,Elliot and Pete are all dinosaurs found on cattle properties in the region.  So what are you waiting for?  It won't leave here in a hurry but get on your way before it gets to hot.

A story with a moral

27 August 2014

Thrain was a very clever and stealthy hunter.  One day some mean men took his family away and hid them.  When Thrain came back to his home on the cliff he found his family gone.  

Thain was so angry that he changed into a massive goanna. He called himself a Perenti.  Then he walked around looking and smelling for the scent of his family.

Soon he found it and followed it to a giant cave, three quarters of the way up the cliff.  He also saw lots of guards on a narrow path down to the cave.  Because Thrain was so smart, he waited until evening and then crept down the path to a hut next to a big lake of warm water.  Thrain quietly came up to the hut and smashed down the door.  The guards were so scared they jumped into the lake, and when they came up they were salt water crocodiles.

So that's why you never go near the crocodiles for they will catch you.  Also never get into a row or steal the family of a Perenti for you will turn into a crocodile.

AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY    (AWC)       WILDLIFE MATTERS       FERAL CATS     

6 July 2014

AWC is a not for profit Organisation to help save Australian native animals.  But on the dark side of things feral cats are killing and eating 75 million native mammals and marsupials every night!

AWC have a project to dent the population of Australian feral cats and to help native mammals and marsupials come back from the brink of extinction board!!!  

AWC have a helicopter that usually goes out making fire breaks but it also tracks feral cats!  What they do is they track down a cat and get within 100m then Hugh (Cat guy) sets his to dogs on the cat and the dogs ether back it into a termite mound or up a tree.  If the cat is backed into a termite mound he will net it and take the cat away that way.  If the cat is up a tree he will shoot it with a gas gun, and then the cat falls onto a trampoline!  He then puts a radio tracker or a video camera or a GPS tag on the cats.  He hast to wait 4 to 6 hours for the anaesthetic to wear off but if they don't do this a dingo might get them more easily.  Within minutes of release the cat will be killing native animals again.

I reckon that AWC is doing a great job with their cat program and I hope that they bring to extinction feral cats on the property for good and bring the small mammals and marsupials back to a higher number.  So please help by putting a donation into the donation box and help 

Stomatolites of Hamelin Pool

7 May 2014

Stromatolites are made up of billions of tiny bacteria which have joined together.  They look like funny lumps of rock in and out of water.  One of the ways to tell stromatolites from rock is that they are soft and spongy, just like a big sponge in the shape of a dome.  You can find stromatolites in a few places but most are at Hamelin Pool.

The stromatolites were made about 3 billion years ago and are still growing today.  They are made by bacteria that joins onto the existing stromatolites.

The stromatolites are very salt tolerant.  The water at Hamelin Pool is twice as salty as the sea because at the entrance of Hamelin pool has a sand bar with a meadow of sea grass and limits flow of water when tide is out but lets sea water go into Hamelin Pool.  Because there is no water flow out of Hamelin Pool, where does all the water go?  It evaporates but leaves the salt behind.  This means that the stromatolites at Hamelin pool have hardly any predators.

Because of having very few predators the stromatolites have been able to live so long.

I did not find the stromatolites interesting but if it was not for them we would not be around!!!  So respect the stromatolites and take care because they are still doing it today!  

Here I am with the Stomatolites of Hamelin Pool