Wet Season Waterfalls

Check out our website for more action www.ethicaladventures.com and Litchfield National Park Tours and Adventures.

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So a few weeks back when I was up in Darwin for a quick visit we decided to check out Litchfield National Park and the Daly River Region to see what the wet season had done and is still doing to our favorite places.

Lee & Jenny had told us that the worst of the flooding was over next to the Daly and the river had retreated enough that maybe, just maybe the Barra would be on the bite .... so that was it.

Straight down to BCF we went and stocked up on lures and rods and advice from the professionals. This included lures that were near impossible to snag, rods for quick easy cast and lifelike cheribin lures which look good enough to cook up and eat myself.  And the word on the street ... keep to the deep.

Into the back of tGDM with it all, some provisions, music, smiles and we were off.

First stop was to check out Litchfield National Park.

Driving along the Stuart Highway the lush green grass tells the story of a good wet season.  So far we have had 1600 mm since Nov 1st 2013 which has had the usual effect of closing roads, washing away things that are transient such as bridges and pathways and turning the tap up on the waterfalls.

Humidity still in the 90's, air con on and life is good.  On approach to Wangi Falls we can see the usually controlled flow has gotten a bit excited.  Gushing over the top of the 84 m cliff are twins of white foaming joy which by the looks of it had caused quite the fuss in the area.

Checking out the vegetation on the fence lines, the scar levels on the trees  (where bark has been ripped off) and the consistent lean of most of the trees in the area and the indications are there that things got a bit wild recently.  

With the water level being still a bit high and the current pushing strongly through the vegetation Wangi has been fenced off to the public.  Too many people have drowned here over the years to take chances.  Of course there is also the possibility that a saltie has moved into the spot during the high water levels.  Time to move on.

Tolmer Falls ... the highest waterfall in the park (102 m) and home to a couple of endangered bat species (orange leaf nosed bat, ghost bats)  this area is best viewed from the lookout provided by national parks. From there we are greeted with more evidence of nature in action as the high flow cascades over the rocky lip to the deep forest fringed pool below.

From here we cruise past the tabletop wetland ... access closed (of course) and then to Buley and Florence.
Buley has changed.  The high flows have ripped out the tall shade tree at the top of the rockpools and cleared the path of the creek.  This has resulted in more water going down the left hand stream creating little rapids along the length of the rockpools.  Some appear to be a bit quick for a relaxing wallow whilst others are just right.  Something for everyone still.  Looking at the right hand stream feeding into the top pool and the the smaller one below and it is possible that as the season dries up it's recharge may also dry up.

Having braved the rapids and refreshed ourselves we head to Daly River (next post).

ethical adventure brochure & trip to St Bees Island

Check out our website for more action www.ethicaladventures.com and Litchfield National Park Tours and Adventures

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Yes I know, it has been too long (again) since our  last post however hopefully you will forgive us.  

Time just seems to get away J

It is hard to believe that it is now almost April and we are ready to roll with our tours.  Vehicle is ready, itinerary is awesome, brochures are in the printers, business cards done, online marketing happening and the big one ....the website!  We finally finished it.  Made from all our own photos and built by us.  We are happy with it (www.ethicaladventures.com ) check it out and tell us what you think.

ethical adventures brochure page 1

ethicial adventures brochure page 2

And to top it all off we have our first booking!  Here we go!!!!!

But what have we been up to?

Well in between getting the business ready we have been back and forth to Melbourne, into NSW and even to Qld catching up with family, making business contacts and checking out opportunities for our environmental programs.

Last year our friends Jules and Bobby were visiting us in Darwin and they were contemplating a change in life.  Specifically they were thinking of leaving there comfortable existence in Armidale, NSW, pack up their bags and just go ... A fairly big step.  No destination in mind they were thinking it was perhaps time to go gypsy.  Having made the decision they looked online to see what sort of work was out there for people such as them and found an ad for a volunteer caretaker position on an island.

This sounded promising they thought.  Checked it out and applied and 2 months later they took up the role on St Bees Island.  Immediately on arrival we started getting messages of how lovely it was, how the wallabies are so cute, sunsets sublime, koalas, owls and ospreys and the list goes on.  They painted a picture of paradise with their words.  And now having been there we understand what they were talking about..

St Bees Island is found just of the Mackay Coast next to Keswick Island.  As part of the Cumberland group of islands it is in the southern part of the Whitsundays (home to Brampton and South Mole Islands) and as such is capable of getting cyclonic weather during the wetter season but for the main has a mild tropical climate.

At approximately 1000 ha it has woodlands, rainforests, grasslands, mangroves, reefs, streams and a variety of animals and plants within each ecotype but most importantly no deadly snakes!!!  Can you believe that? It is an amazing feeling to walk through long grass in the Australian bush in summer and NOT have to worry about snakes (little things make me happy).

Since 1920’s it has also been home to a healthy introduced Koala population which sprung up in the face of rampant hunting on the mainland and fear that the poor little critters would soon become extinct (luckily for them hunting ceased after the market for Koala fur dried up in America towards the end of the 1920's).  These now form the basis of ongoing research being conducted by San Diego Zoo and Qld NPWS.

Throughout settlement time St Bees has also had a private lease arrangement on the island which began back when the island was being used for farming purposes (1907).  The big things here were sheep, cattle and horses which it has been said were often swam from St Bees to Keswick for grazing and provided for the occasional feast for Mr Shark that lives nearby.  

Although the island is now a national park it is said that there still may be the odd cow getting around.  What is for certain is that there were thousands of goats running rampant on the island up until 2007 when they started culling them.  Although kinda cute goats are incredible forages and can completely denude any landscape if left unchecked (see islands of Norfolk) so they are now in drastic decline and the native eucalypts which the goats devastated are making a comeback ... more food for the Koalas also!

Unfortunately nothing ever is that simple and what appears to be happening on the island is weed species such as lantana and prickly pear are now spreading as the grazing pressure from goats has been removed. 

Enter QNPWS who along with the Koala research are now experimenting and implementing a fire management strategy which to date has shown remarkable success.

I did say a private lease arrangement exists.  Actually around 4 ha is private lease and the rest is national parks.  The leases have the title for another 20 years after which...?  And it is their interests that Jules and bob look after.

So what did we do with ourselves on what is essentially a deserted island? ... a day in the life ...

0600 open eyes and peer through the open doorway to the beach scene beyond from the comfort of my double bed ... wallabies grazing on the grass ... rays of light beginning to light up the bay

0700 get out of bed, wonder down to the centre house and catch up with bob & jules, breakfast on the beach ... the solitary seagull pays his respects...

0800 pack some supplies and head of into the hills for a half day explore ... koalas, tree snakes, lizards, goanna’s, owls, wallabies, roos, a couple of goats ... follow coastline back to base

1300 lunch with bob & Jules ... a bit of a read ... afternoon nap

1600 wonder down to the rocky section of the bay ... watch the fish as they swim by and the small sharks racing through the water and the little creatures of the sand.

1730 back at base for a couple of gin and tonics... sunset, dinner and starlight.... and a foot spa !!!

2100 ...zzzz

I don’t care what you say I would live on an island forever if I could. 

The wait is over !

Check out our website for more action www.ethicaladventures.com and Litchfield National Park Tours and Adventures.

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After 4 years and many hiccups along the way we have finally got the 'Green Dream Machine' (tGDM) accredited as a tourist vehicle and can now take any and all on adventures if we so choose :)  For Ethical Adventures the season will begin in April 2014 !!!!!!

4x4, Sky Lights, Captain Seats, Dual Air Con ...
.... and all the rest...
'The Green Dream Machine'

Until then Trace and I have got a few adventures that we need to/want to do first.  Starting with last weekend when we headed out to Fogg Dam and Daly River for Trace's birthday.  She had told me that she just wanted to catch a Barra for her birthday and that was it ... what a girl ! So I thought that I would take her on a surprise fishing trip down to the world famous Barra spot of Daly River.  We have been down there a few times and pretty much fell in love with the place such that we will be trying to include it in some tour/adventure for EA in the future. Trace had met a lovely guy, Lee who worked at Casuarina pool some time ago and they got to talking and it turned out that he and his wife, Jenny had just started building a camp ground and caravan park down there.  From that point we have made it our mission to get down and visit as often as we can and enjoy their hospitality and fruits of their labor.

So this trip I had organised us to stay, and on birthday day it was 'pack your bags Trace for 2 days we are off on an adventure !'

Photo taken from Fogg Dam Wall with Lotus Lillies
and Spike Rush adorning the water

Needless to say she was pretty shocked as she thought we were just going to go for a day trip somewhere ... so off we went, firstly to our favorite bird watching place (Fogg Dam) for some viewings and walks and then to Daly River.

Fogg Dam is always interesting in that it is always changing.  Water levels rise and fall with the seasons which impacts on the type and number of birds that are present and what they get up to (more on Fogg Dam in another post) and also on the plant life.  It is incredibly rewarding to take a walk along the Rainforest Walk or Lily Walk and notice the changes.  Trees in fruit, flowers, growth ... all bring depth of appreciation and understanding for what was previously unknown. 

Buchanania obovata

Barringtonia acutangula

Some of the cool trees such as the Freshwater Mangrove (Barringtonia acutangula) and Green Plum (Buchanania obovata) are in flower and beginning to fruit, native bees getting around harvesting their bounty, lichens and fungus performing their role ... love that place !

Trace after the Barra !

From there, onto Daly River via Adelaide River township.  Took us about 2 hours before we were driving through the gates of Lee & Jenny's and the rest is all about us kicking back and doing that thing called ... relaxing :).  

For the record we will give a full account on Lee & Jenny's and Lee & Jenny themselves later on and of course details the results of the fishing :)  For now though I figure this is enough for one blogg ! 

Lee & Jennys Signage out front ...
tGDM in the background

The Finish/Start line approaches ... at last !

Check out our website for more action www.ethicaladventures.com and Litchfield National Park Tours and Adventures.

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... forgive me people for I have sinned !  It has been an eternity since I last updated .....  actually in reality it has been 2 years ... that is how long it has been since my last post ! Before I update on the present I might recap on some of the missing past.  It has been an interesting time which saw me pause the start of EA in the Territory and build some links elsewhere in Australia for future developments ...  to this end I headed down to Victoria for a period to do 3 day trips along the Great Ocean Road and the Grampians.  I sub contracted for Bunyip Tours and a fella named George Josevski.  He had come up to the NT for a holiday and came on a trip I was guiding into Arnhemland and asked if I wanted to come down for a look .... he seemed like a good bloke and I had never done tours in Victoria so I thought ... why not !  And off I went.

For those who don't know, Victoria has some of the best places to get out and about in Australia.  Coast, rainforests, mountains, skiing, rafting, hiking ... and the list goes on and on .... a fact that I only really appreciated after I started work down there !

I have to say that I suffered from what many suffer from ... the taking for granted of my everyday surroundings.  I had grown up just over the border and I had always believed that as soon as you crossed the NSW / Vic border the clouds began and no matter what I packed I always ended up being hot in winter and cold in summer when I travelled south and that outweighed anything else (I was a lot younger then) True to form after doing a 5 week journey through central Australia I arrived in Melbourne on a bitterly cold October day with drizzle and clouds and cars and ... I thought here we go again !

I could not have been more wrong.

What followed was one of my best summers ever ! Without going on and on and on ... I met some great people, made some true friends and discovered another part of Australia that I call home.  Hopefully EA will be able to link up with Bunyip and do a few things down there in the future.

Have attached some pics to give you an idea of how I spent my time.  Thanks to my co-conspirators (passengers) for the good times and the pics, George and the team at Bunyip and Trace for getting on board :)

Accreditation Approved

Check out our website for more action www.ethicaladventures.com and Litchfield National Park Tours and Adventures.

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Well yes finally !  26 July 2011 and Ethical Adventures is now an accredited operator in the NT.  WOW !  What doe that actually mean.  Well it means that the bloke sitting in the office in the MVR has had a look at my criminal record, insolvency record and general idea for a tour company and said "No Worries!! "  Excellent.  Now before I can actually start taking you folk out commercially I need to get my vehicle approved and the appropriate insurance coverage.  Formalities.  Sensational !!!

Went to Litchfield last week with some friends from work (medical staff IHMF) and it was a great day. Wangi still wasn't open but the Wildlife Park was a hit with the freshwater Whip Rays and Barramundie show as well as the Birds of Prey Show.  Wallowing  in the pools above Florence Falls cooled a few of us down as the rest sucked in the fresh wilderness air.   Be well all ! Rob

Change in Weather

It is April the 5th already and the humidity although still present is not as obvious as it has been.  The nights are gettig a little cooler and there is a slight breeze blowing across the landscape ...the dry is on the way !  This can not come sooner enough for the residents of Daly River who are again cut of due to flooding of that river.  I guess this will probably result in good Barra numbers soon so if there are any fishermen looking for the 'Big One'  up here is where it is at.

Be well.

Hello to all ...

This is the first Blog that I have ever written (I am slowly crawling out of the dark ages) so bare with me.  As our Blog title suggests we hope to bring Ethical Adventures to Australia and ultimately to the Pacific Region as  whole.  I personally have had this dream for about 15 years, ever since I relised that the way to help protect our environmental, social and cultural values was not by working as an environmental engineer for a mining company but rather by helping people take of the blinds which society and 'modern living' has placed on us.  Blinds that distance us and disconnects us from the natural wonder and beauty which is everywhere and deadens us to plight of others less fortunate (sorry for the soap box !) ...  This I have attempted to do through tourism .... above and below the water, in deserts and rainforrests and in cities and isolated areas ... here, abroad and in my sleep ... for other operators.  Now it is time to put it all together and actually get it done and do it right and relise the dream from long ago.

So hello to all ...  Our door is open and our journey has begun.

We would love to link up with other EA operators and Fair Trade suppliers all over to help build awareness of ethical tourism so please get in touch if that is you, and get in touch if it is not you as well !

Cheers for now,

Rob