I N S I D E � Toad census � Resourceful women � Heart of Australia � There’s a place � DCQ News

the basinBULLET

O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

the voice of desert channels queensland

Editor

C O N T E N T S E D I T O R I A LA S I S E E I T

For more on the work of Desert Channels Queensland, visit www.dcq.org.au, email info@dcq.org.au or call 4658 0600.

A critical part of making the most of life is learning to read. Those who don’t, find impediments every way they turn: at school, at home, socially, finding a job, driving … discovering the magic in a book.

When the early European explorers rode walked and staggered across the vast interior of this more-often-dry-than-not dry continent, some called it god-forsaken, others thought it the Garden of Eden. Some struggled across parched tracts from dying waterhole to dying waterhole; some traversed endless plains with grass tickling their horses’ bellies – it depended when they struck it in the never-ending boom and bust cycles that fashioned its character.

They had learnt to read the land and the seasons of a much more reliable and wet clime, they struggled to see the words on this strange, new landscape. As with all of us, their views, and subsequent actions were fashioned by history and experience; their history was of another land, their experience of this one, too short.

The way our European forebears read this land was, naturally, in the only language they knew – they had yet to learn the language of a new, and vastly different, continent. The clever immersed themselves in the language of the land, absorbing every phrase, word and nuance. Others simply insisted that the language they brought to these shores was what they understood and were comfortable with, and it would be sufficient.

Big and bold, printed across the Australian landscape is a clear message: this is a dry continent, drought is the norm, make the most of a boom, the bust is on its way.

For almost 200 years we have, incrementally, ratcheted up our extraction of water from the Murray Darling system. Collectively, we have ignored the writing on the wall. A whole river system is under tremendous stress.

The draft Cooper Creek Water Resource Plan has been released for public consultation. How well have we learnt to read?

Tsunami!.. 3

Beware the fiery wave!

Toad census... 4

Count the croakers

Like dust on the wind... 5

Images of remote areas.

Resourceful women... 7

Good things get better!

DCQ News... 8

Dieback and dollars

There is a place! 9

Uluru slips from my lips …

The nose bag 10

Spicy Burmese

Heart of Australia... 11

Beats all!

A great year, this 2010, for most pastoralists in the West. Early rains have produced a huge body of grass. This abundant potential fuel, mixed with a decreased rural population means an explosive situation throughout Western Queensland. Now is the time to prepare for … FIRE!

The rain seems to keep coming and it’s not even the ‘usual’ beginning of the Wet Season. While the definition of ‘usual’ and ‘normal’ are being redefined before our eyes and no one really knows where the weather patterns are heading, we do know we are in a good year. Most of the country through Western Queensland is grass rich, which means a good bottom line for pastoral enterprises. It also means the potential to lose this body of grass – through fire.

However, we can be safe according to Rural Fire Service Area Coordinator Larry Lewis. “We have to be prepared,” said Larry. “Things are changing in Western Queensland and we have to develop new strategies.” And these new strategies need to be

embraced by all or the cost of loss of grass and profit could be high, Larry goes on to say. More than that, fire can cost lives, property and equipment. All Australians know only too well that fire is the tsunami, the earthquake, the volcano, of this driest inhabited continent on the planet.

More than 20 people gathered at the over-horizon-radar-facility close to Stonehenge in October, all members of the Stonehenge and the Valetta bush fire brigades. Storm clouds built heavily in the sky, and radar images on members’ iPhones displayed the onslaught of yet another band of storms. We ate steak and burgers and barbecued prawns and talked of weather, the season and fire, to the background rumble of approaching thunder. Larry Lewis was relaxing after two hours explaining to the meeting the threats and the defences of an extraordinary season.

This was just one of a whirlwind tour throughout Central West Queensland for Larry Lewis - blue uniformed and preaching a gospel of safety and preparedness. “It’s been years since we’ve

had a fire risk through this region,” he said. Pastoralists know this only too well, a decade of drought and near-drought had left little to fuel the games of lightening and humans.

The green grass of late 2010 is changing all that; with an added component. Bouyant markets and the shift from a fibre-based economy to one where the currency is kilograms of beef, has meant a shift in property ownership and remote population. There are more absentee land owners and lease holders today than at any time since settlement. The expectation for numbers to turn up at a fire today are far less than even a decade ago. How do you combat a bush fire in the face of this depopulation phenomena?

“Land holders, more than ever, have to take responsibility for fireproofing, as best they can, their own properties,” said Larry Lewis. “Land managers must implement their own programs of fire mitigation by having sufficient breaks and strip burning.”

Larry pointed out that there is also a problem of younger and less experienced people on some properties. “We can supply training to any of the rural brigades, we have trainers on hand to do that.”

Each region should have a reasonably advanced plan on hand should fire break out. We can maintain safety and control if we plan, reduce risks, work together, share plant and equipment, and train our younger people.

There also will be an increased dependency on agencies such as regional and shire councils because of the reduction of population.

The Rural Fire Service has lifted the proscribed total fire ban that runs from October to January. The early rains have ruled

DangerFire

“Land holders, more than ever, have to take responsibility for fireproofing, as best they can, their own properties ...”

F I R E D A N G E R

that unnecessary, but the danger is only being postponed. All landholders are urged to know

their local or regional Fire Warden. “And it’s best to join as a volunteer fire fighter,” Larry

advised, “as you’re covered by insurance and you get your PPE (Personal Protection Equipment). Plus there is a wide range of fire fighting equipment

available at significantly reduced cost.”

A video has been produced by landholders and the Rural Fire Service focussing on ‘dry fire

fighting’ on downs country. This video explains fire fighting strategies, the use of the grader, back

burning, the Brompton Rat and the Western Fire Beater. Copies of this video can be obtained for showing at rural group meetings. For the video

or any information, Larry Lewis and his people can be contacted at the Rural Fire Service HQ in Barcaldine on (07) 4651 1190.

No one is suggesting that we face the dangers of the great Eucalypt forests in Southern Australia, but history speaks. Here in the West people have died, homesteads have been lost, great grass fires have raged for weeks, equipment has burned, millions of dollars (today’s value) of

infrastructure has been lost and annual income slashed

through fires that have got out of

hand. History is repetitive, so take care…

One of our most unwanted pests, the cane toad, may be invading our territory faster than we realise. To investigate the extent of these croakers, Biosecurity South Australia will be putting their detective hats on to track them down, scope their range and arm us with information ammunition to bust them.

Native to Central America, cane toads were brought into Australia in the early 20th century as a biological control agent for beetles infesting sugar cane crops. Cane toads have become prolific in Australia due to favourable conditions and the lack of predators. Our native and domestic animals are at threat from these troublesome toads as they release powerful toxins when under extreme stress, like being eaten, and can kill even a large dog.

If you have ever walked along the Thompson River around Longreach before rain at night, you may have encountered these slow jumping, leathery backed toads at your feet. Cane toads have migrated 120 kilometres downstream from Longreach to Lochern Nation Park, where observations have increased from a few in the spring of 2009 to hundreds a year later. At Stonehenge, a further 35km downstream from Lochern National Park, the toads have been seen for the first time ever. Sightings have also been reported as far downstream as Windorah, another 136km from Stonehenge.

Biosecurity SA plan to catch the toads in the act, in the early November warmth when they are active and breeding. Toad surveyors will search sixteen

selected areas by foot over eight nights to expose their whereabouts along the Thompson River and Cooper Creek between Stonehenge and the South Australian border at Innamincka. Tracking down these terrors will be a soggy quest into cane toad territory, typically being around fresh waterholes, river beds, shallow ponds and still and slow flowing waters.

Sound, light and GPS action will create the setting for the toads to show themselves to the surveyors. Cane toad call backs will be played, fluorescent lights will attract their favourite insect food and GPS data loggers will be used to record locations and attributes of any toads found. Giveaway signs for toad detectives are the shine of the cane toad’s eye, egg strands, tadpoles, and juvenile and mature toads.

The new information of the toads’ location, range and other data will be used to improve monitoring methods for the area and raise community awareness of cane toad

movements and the importance of reporting sightings.

Cane Toad Detectives on the SearchContinued...

L I K E D U S T O N T H E W I N D … i m a g e s f r o m r e m o t e p l a c e s

Musicians, writers, poets and painters constantly strive to convey the beauty and fragility of our world; there’s an impulse to express ideas and connect with other people. When they succeed we feel a shock of recognition as their words or images illuminate familiar scenes and feelings.

Landscapes and portraits tell stories, and we share the experience. We’ve all seen slender gums silhouetted against the indigo-pink of twilight, or a decaying fence post amid dry grass. We can relate to the child on a lonely bush track, the grizzled fisherman or smiling market gardener.

My husband, Adam Jauczius (Yow-chus), is a self-taught artist. Encouraged by his mother and grandmother, he’s been painting and drawing since childhood. Picasso once said: “Painting is just another way of keeping a diary” and, since 1981, I’ve watched him record images from our life in pencil, ink, watercolour, acrylic, oil and pastel. The people and places we saw became subject matter for Adam’s art.

His job, as a Technical Officer with the Australian Weather Bureau, has taken us to isolated postings: Meekatharra, Forrest, Carnarvon, Eucla, Norfolk Island, and now Longreach. The red deserts of the north-west, endless Nullarbor horizons, towering Norfolk pines, and the Channel Country’s harsh beauty have all inspired Adam.

There are cherished pictures of our children, dogs, friends and relatives, and four portraits of Norfolk Islanders were featured in a 2008 stamp series. There have been eight solo exhibitions, numerous group shows, competitions, awards, commissions and a booklet. Last year we collaborated on a book: In the lee of Norfolk Island; a memento - in paintings, sketches and stories - of five years spent on that distant and fascinating island.

Thick storm clouds roll in and a dirt road extends toward the horizon; you can almost smell the moisture in the air. A railway sign, riddled with bullet holes, stands beneath a searingly blue sky; evoking summer’s baking heat. Merely flat images painted on paper or canvas, but still able to stir the memory and transport us to far-flung places.

J E N N Y J A U C Z I U S

J E N N Y J A U C Z I U S

West Magazine journalist Mark Thornton believes Adam’s work is “… more than just an exercise in photo-realism. Each goes beyond that, suggesting something larger than life, something perhaps even mystical.” Samela Harris, Arts Editor for The Advertiser, said he “...captures the indomitable spirit of the desert, repeatedly showing the fragile, finite nature of man’s intrusions.”

As Adam’s wife I have a particularly personal insight on the artworks he creates. I see the rituals involved in setting up brushes, pastels and paints – the long hours hunched over drawing boards and easels – and the paint stains on every t-shirt he owns. I bring him coffee and listen to the music of Cash, Kristofferson and Springsteen emanating from his ‘studio’ (usually the shed or spare room). Our teenagers, though proud of him, are used to the jewel-like images, and detailed sketches, he conjures from canvas, paper and pigments.

Ultimately Adam paints to please himself, his loved ones and those who, like dust on the wind, are familiar with the stark, haunting imagery of remote places and people.

L I K E D U S T O N T H E W I N D … continued

Adam’s portrait of Smithy, bush character and Eucla fisherman, is currently on display at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, and his next exhibition will be held at The Qantas Founders Outback Museum in February, 2011. !

Creating opportunitiesFor two years, DCQ’s Colleen James, has been creating opportunities for women in remote areas of the State. Through their Landholder Support Service Project, Colleen has run four major workshops, at Bedourie, Boulia, Eromanga and Tambo, that have built on the natural resourcefulness of the region’s women.

“During the past two years the workshops have been focusing on the issues that are being faced by rural and remote women and have covered isolated communities across one-third of Queensland,” she said.

“Although isolation is usually a huge barrier, we were able to create opportunities for rural women to build networks and access information and training that have often been difficult to get in far western Queensland,” said Colleen. “After speaking with local women we tailored programs to suit the needs of each region with over 27 different topics covered across the 8 days of the 4 workshops.”

The topics covered ranged from personal development and business development to Natural Resource Management. Partnerships between DCQ and many businesses and agencies allowed participants to build their professional networks and build on the training received.

The 73 attendees included ladies from 33 pastoral properties, five shires and eight rural townships, with benefits from the workshops reaching out into the wider communities through the networks formed that were formed as a result.

“The workshop was certainly worthwhile. All the speakers were really approachable and we now have new contacts in the various fields that are available to us,” said Nina Mayne of Tarabah Station near Tambo.

The Eromanga course reinvigorated Bernadette from Burkobulla through meeting with other women in the same situation and being reminded that there are a lot of good things about life out west. “You learn so much about yourself and how to run your life and business better,” she said.

Julia Telford of Swift NRM facilitated the Naturally Resourceful women’s workshops along with DCQ. “We aim to provide local women with the networks and tools to build on their resourceful nature, enhance their involvement in communities and

develop their skills, knowledge and understanding about natural resource management and personal development,” she said.

Lisa Kelly of Headingly Station in the far north-west of the region appreciated the opportunity to get up to date on what is out there for the rural community, both learning wise and funding wise. She also thought the course had a very friendly comfortable atmosphere.

The workshops were made possible by funding from the Queensland Government’s Blue Print for the Bush Program.“You learn so much about yourself ...”

‘SERIES ENDS

Bedourie was the latest, and final, venue for DCQ’s highly successful Naturally Resourceful Women’s Workshops. This two day workshop, funded by Blue Print for the Bush, saw the Brisbane presenter brought to the centre of the room via a web-conference link. The series has covered remote centres including Bedourie, Boulia, Eromanga and Tambo with great support from those communities.

MAPS GALORE

We have a new baby! Stocks of the updated Lake Eyre Basin map have finally arrived. The redesign and update of this iconic map was funded by the Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum and undertaken by DC Solutions. Get your own copy of this beautifully presented and highly informative map of one of the world’s most significant inland river systems from 07 4658 0600 or admin@dcq.org.au.

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DIEBACK FEEDBACK

The first lot of results from the parkinsonia dieback trials are beginning to role in. Over 50 sites have been established from Eulo to Normanton to monitor the effectiveness of the parkinsonia dieback fungus in different land types. You can see the promotional video (‘Science in the Paddock – a Fungal Solution’) produced by DC Solutions at www.youtube.com/user/DesertChannels

KEEPING IN TOUCH

In today’s electronic age, it is far easier to stay in touch, both personally and professionally, but nothing can take the place of a face-to-face meeting where you share experiences and gather knowledge from others.

Leanne Kohler, our CEO, entertained the annual Landcare conference with the ‘sexy, the not so sexy and the downright ugly!’ that covered 8 years of lessons learnt, community engagement and capacity building.

Mike Chuk and Colleen James attended the biennial Rangelands Conference held in Burke, to network with people who share their issues and challenges, from around Australia and the world.

Alun Hoggett’s attendance at the Lake Eyre Basin conference in Alice Springs was two-fold. As project manager of the recent update of the Lake Eyre Basin map, he was on hand for the official launch which was enthusiastically received. Alun was also involved in the very early days of the Lake Eyre Basin community process and took part in a conference session reflecting on those times.

MORE CARE FOR COUNTRY

Two significant DCQ projects were successful in the recent competitive bid round of Caring for our Country funding. Pigs Might Fly involves pig control in the lower part of our catchments, and will dovetail with efforts by the South Australian Arid Area Lands Board to keep the pest out of the north-east of South Australia. Recording of Traditional Ecological Knowledge will see the recording of traditional ecological knowledge across one-third or Queensland. The project teams for both projects are currently involved in the preliminary planning stages.

IMPULSE TO CONSERVE

This great coffee table book Desert Channels. Desert Channels – The Impulse to Conserve celebrates our distinctive region through the observations, passions and experiences of graziers, conservation enthusiasts, historians, artists, Indigenous owners, and biologists. Illustrations by celebrated artist, Mandy Martin, are supported by numerous photographs from the contributors. For your copy, contact CSIRO Publishing at www.publish.csiro.au/desertchannels

Dieback and dollars - things continue to roll

E N E R G Y S N I P P E T S

Until recently, renewable energy such as solar, tidal, wave and wind, were thought of as a quaint passion of greenies and unrealistic loons. Well, think again …

In July, 2010, the Solar Impulse aircraft, powered entirely from the sun, took off under its own power and completed a 24 hour flight including 9 hours through the darkness. Iceland currently gets 75% of its energy from renewable sources, Norway 50%, Sweden 33%, US 10%, UK 7%, Australia 6%.

About 0.2% of the energy in ocean waves would power the entire planet; 0.02% of available solar energy would do the same.

The US has 4.5% of world population, consumes 25% of global energy, and produces 22% of the world’s GDP.

A fuel cell that utilises hydrogen out of natural gas is to provide 100% of power to a complex of shops and 500 hundred apartments in the US. Hydrogen is also used to power cars; its main emission is water.

And for a reality check, the latest results form a 10 year study into the effect of increased atmospheric CO2 on plant growth has found that growth is stimulated by increased CO2 for about 5 years, but then decreases as the plant runs out of nutrients. The upshot? Plants have limited ability to absorb atmospheric CO2.

Hold that thought!T H E R E I S A P L AC E

This is a place that snares the dreams of man,

where man is minuscule

and needs a soul burnt clean of greed

to truly read the secrets of her seasons,

a void, so graced with nature’s miracles

the spirits sing.

Man’s span of time is but a single breath,

yet, if we leave a legacy behind

let it be this – that we have left unscarred

a subtle place – a fragile corner

in a frantic world – a place where man and land

are linked by threads as tenuous as life itself.

I sat out in the darkness,

“...let it be this – that we have left unscarreda subtle place – a fragile corner.. .”

Uluru slips from my lips like a song,

a sacred symbol of the nation’s heart,

but I have known a far more subtle place,

somewhere beneath the heart –

a sunburnt remnant of a prehistoric sea,

a paradox.

This is a time worn land

where empty rivers drift through plains

stretched naked underneath a sky

so vast that space is infinite,

a barren land that springs

when touched with rain, to Paradise.

H E L E N A V E R Y

It’s not every day I share a recipe, not even with my family, but I thought I’d make an exception for my first edition of the Bullet.

These cornflake biscuits are not only top shelf they are easy to make and always manage to bring about a

nostalgic moment.

The Nose Bag BURMESE CHICKEN CURRY.

YOU WILL NEED:3 tbs peanut oil2 onions, finely sliced6 very large cloves garlic, finely chopped3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger2-4 small red chillies (seeds and all), finely chopped6 nice fat cardamon pods2 teaspoons turmeric1 1/4 tablespoons sweet paprika3 teaspoons Thai red curry paste1 x 140 ml can coconut cream1 x 400 g can chopped tomatoes8 large whole chicken thighs, skin on or off

Warm the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the onion is just golden. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Crush the cardamon pods and scrape out the fragrant black seeds. Crush seeds in a mortar and pestle, then add to the onion mixture, along with the turmeric, paprika and curry paste. Cook for another couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat. Put the chicken into a large baking tin or casserole dish. Pour the spice mixture over them, then turn the chicken around and around until it’s well coated. Now just bake it, uncovered, for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, turning the chicken once after 40 minutes. When you take the curry out of the oven, there may be a thin film of oil from the coconut cream on top. To remove it, just soak it up with some paper towels. Transfer the curry to a warm serving bowl. Sprinkle with a few sprigs of herbs and serve it with lime wedges, and jasmine rice. Mmmmm!

The recipe comes from ‘Belinda Jeffrey’s 100 favourite recipes’.

Australia’s traditional corned beef and potato palate is now much more international, and there are many places where you can walk up the street and find yourself, gastronomically speaking, in another country. Burma borders Thailand, and there is a great deal of crossover between their cuisines.

some like it hot ...

Desert Channels Queensland is funded by

The ‘Heart of Australia’: a place like no otherGet your Lake Eyre Basin poster map from:Desert Channels Queensland

(07) 4658 0600

92 Galah St (PO Box 601)

Longreach Q 4730

This edition was produced in partnership between the Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum and Desert Channels Queensland.

D E S I G N A N D L A Y O U T B Y D C S O L U T I O N S