Magpie Geese

The Magpie Goose, Anseranas semipalmata, is a waterbird species found in coastal northern Australia and savannah in southern New Guinea. It is a unique member of the order Anseriformes, and arranged in a family and genus distinct from all other living waterfowl. The Magpie Goose is a resident breeder in northern Australia and in southern New Guinea.
Magpie-geese are unmistakable birds with their black and white plumage and yellowish legs. The feet are only partially webbed, although the Magpie Goose will feed on vegetable matter in the water as well as on land. Males are larger than females. Unlike true geese, the moult is gradual, and there is no flightless period. The voice is a loud honking.

Description

The Magpie Goose has a black neck and head, with a characteristic knob on the crown (larger in males), which increases in size with age. The underparts are white, with contrasting black edges on the underwing. The bill, legs and feet are orange. The Magpie Goose differs from most waterfowl in having strongly clawed toes that are webbed only on their basal halves (i.e. only partly webbed). Females are slightly smaller than males.

Where does it live?

Distribution

The Magpie Goose is widespread throughout coastal northern and eastern Australia. It can be seen from Fitzroy River, Western Australia, through northern Australia to Rockhampton, Queensland, and has been extending its range into coastal New South Wales to the Clarence River and further south.

Habitat

The Magpie Goose is seen in floodplains and wet grasslands. Some individuals, mostly younger birds, may be seen at quite long distances inland.

What does it do?

Feeding

Large, noisy flocks of up to a few thousand birds congregate to feed on aquatic vegetation. The Magpie Goose is a specialized feeder with wild rice, Oryza, Paspalum, Panicum and spike-rush, Eleocharis, forming the bulk of its diet.

Breeding

During the breeding season, Magpie Geese build nests in secluded places, usually close to wetlands. The nest is almost single-handedly constructed by the male. It usually consists of a simple unlined cup placed either in a floating platform of trampled reeds or built in tree-tops. Pairs of geese mate for life, but a male may have two females. Two females may occasionally use the same nest to lay the large, oval, off-white coloured eggs. All adults share incubation and care for the young.
http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Anseranas-semipalmata

Brahman Cattle at Double Lagoon Normanton

The Brahman breed originated from Bos indicus cattle originally brought from India. Through centuries of exposure to inadequate food supplies, insect pests, parasites, diseases and the weather extremes of tropical India, the native cattle developed some remarkable adaptations for survival. These are the "sacred cattle of India," and many of the Hindu faith will not eat meat from them, will not permit them to be slaughtered, and will not sell them. These facts, in conjunction with he quarantine regulations of the United States, have made it difficult to import cattle from India into this country.
All the Bos indicus cattle are characterized by a large hump over the top of the shoulder and neck. Spinal processes below the hump are extended, and there is considerable muscular tissue covering the processes. The other characteristics of these cattle are their horns, which usually curve upward and are sometimes tilted to the rear, their ears, which are generally large and pendulous, and the throatlatch and dewlap, which have a large amount of excess skin. They also have more highly developed sweat glands than European cattle (Bos taurus) and so can perspire more freely. Bos indicus cattle produce an oily secretion from the sebaceous glands which has a distinctive odor and is reported to assist in repelling insects.

Origin of the Breed

Some 30 well defined breeds of cattle have been listed in India. Three principal strains or varieties were brought to the United States and used in the development of the Brahman breed are the Guzerat, the Nellore, and Gir. In addition, the Krishna Valley strain was introduced and used to a lesser extent. The general similarity of the Guzert strain to the cattle selected and developed in this country would indicate that cattlemen working with the breed have generally preferred this type.

 Here at the muster, the weiners have been separated and are in the yards ready to be returned to the paddocks until the next muster

Working at a Cattle Station at Normanton Queensland Australia

Working at a cattle Station

31 May 2010
Trip took 3 days..first night at Camilalla Beach, then 45 kms past Bowen and then Ravenshoe and here...2,012 kms distance traveled.
Was very exciting. Loved the trip and found the roads and weather excellent. The Toyota drove well..was wonderful trip.

Love the property. Its right next to a lagoon and very green and very beautiful. Will do photos next week. I can use the internet weekly so will prepare for it. Its a very beautiful part of the world, many birds and trees and beautiful colors. Love the people I am working for..Bill and Maxine and the team love my cooking. I shall never want to leave here I can see.

So far done nothing but cook. Today the muster started. It is done with a helicopter who finds the cattle and directs the team to collect them and take them to the fenced areas for all they do to them. Then it takes 5 days for this lot to be done, and then the helicopter comes for the next part. I will know more as I see it happening. I hope to be poking around the sheds with a camera and get some photos...want one of the cattle being led in, dust around, as they come towards the shed.

They killed a hige beast for meat, and I have mince and steaks and huge roasts to prepare. The guys will eat 2 Porterhouse a meal. I am amazed. I have never seen so much meat before. Last night I cooked  salted meat for lunch today. They make their own salt beef here and its delicious. Cooked in in a crock pot overnight.
Today I will make a huge roast fort tomorrows lunch, and have steaks for dinner when they return. They have taken a cut lunch...sandwiches, cake, scones and fruit. They eat very well here. I am sure I will be fat in 2 months with all this good cooking, and eating, I am doing here.

This is this weeks adventure...today the muster has started, and soon the yards will be full of brahmin and motor bikes, and action.

1 June 2010


Yesterday the muster started. A helicopter locates the cattle, and then they are driven down to the house yards.
Today they will dip them and inject them after sorting them into weiners, calves, pregnant and fat. This property is a breeding property where they breed Brahmin cattle.
The property is one of a few properties. Others fatten for the overseas market. The meat from here goes overseas. It is of a very high quality. The meat that was killed for the kitchen has so far been a flap roast, salted meat and an irish stew, and the food is delicious as the quality of the meat, and vegetables here, is very high.
On the way at Milla Milla I saw a tea plantation and bought some local tea which has a wonderful flavor. The countryside between Innidfail and Ravenhoe is all very mountainous. That is where the tea grows. I also took photos of a Wind farm. Ravenshoe claims to be Australia's highest town.
It was scary driving up these steep inclines in the first and second gear. The views were spectacular but as the driver, I was more concerned with getting the van up the hill and over.

Today the team are giving the 600 cattle in the yard injections and the dip. They will work these cattle for about 5 days and then the helicopter will return for the next muster. I hope to get some aerial shots if I get lucky.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Queensland/Normanton/2005/02/17/1108500203650.html

http://maps.google.com.au/maps/place?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=normanton+queensland+australia&fb=1&gl=au&ftid=0x698a760aaeb881cb:0x8725f05ef6eaf3d9&ei=Pi0ETNqzEIvRccz42akK&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ8gEwAA

Sarah is running around Australia

Sarahs Journal

Sarahs Journal

Cairns

Cairns welcomed us with a fantastic stay at Coconut Palms BIG 4 Resort. The kids have had a chance to play with other holiday makers, relax and rest up ahead of the journey accross the Savannah Way towards Darwin. We were able to take the kids on the Sky Rail and Kuranda Scenic Rail. I really enjoyed sharing thier delight at the sights but alas, reality soon caught up and it was back on with the running shoes to face the hills to Kuranda on foot. The strecth to Mareeba was a welcome contrasting plateau. Atherton was next.

Townsville

Another humid 60km under the belt. Channel 7 and Win tv interviews done, it was time to hit the beach here in Townsville and let the kids play in the gentle surf. Woodlands BIG 4 Caravan Park let us stay for 2 nights. The support vehilcle shuttled a tired me back to there after the days running. Lack of road shoulders meant that the support car would let me run ahead for about 2 km, then catch me up, offering a drink of water before letting me run ahead again. I had to step off the road as 3 wide load trucks went by with demountables on them.... getting desperate for entertainment up here!!!

Day 29: Rockhampton

Rockhampton was full of friendly people. Robby from Ascot Stone Grill invited us all to a scrumptious meal at Ascot Backpackers, good hot showers all round were welcome. Then things started to go wrong mechanically, luckilly right in Rockhampton itself. Toyota took the car in for a quick new clutch. Thank goodness for warentee!

Read more: Day 29: Rockhampton

Day 24 Bundaberg

At last, nice flat terain, nice big town, Beaurepaires put 6 NEW wheels on the bus, THANKYOU!!!

Also a Huge thankyou to The COSY CORNER INTERNET CAFE who stayed open til nearly midnight so Kadi could update the website. I spoke on the radio later the next day after another flat 30km north out of Bundaberg.

Lovely seafood and farm fresh produce along the way... all makes for happy running. We were invited to a farm out near 1770 by a motorist who stopped to talk to us at a fuel station. We took a detour during the day. I soon forgot about my tiredness and enjoyed the short day break out to the beach at 1770, Agnes Water and their farm. Ajay and Susie made us feel at home, letting us camp up for the night and showed us around their property. They taught us some natural tie-dying methods form plant based dies around their farm. The team helped out Ajay that afternoon with some fencing in return for their lovely hospitality. We had roast pig for dinner, the whole pig, which was recently slaughtered rotated on a spit as we sat around the campfire and relaxed

Cloncurry Queensland Australia

Cloncurry is an Outback town developed by the Mine Xstrada

Photos by Maggi Carstairs 2009
http://Travel-maggi.blogspot.com

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Cloncurry Queensland

Outback Town of Cloncurry

Cloncurry is a town situated in north west Queensland, Australia, 770 kilometres west of the city of Townsville via the Flinders Highway. The town lies adjacent to the Cloncurry River. It is the administrative centre of the Cloncurry Shire. At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 2,384.^[1] Cloncurry was proclaimed a town in 1884, and the railway arrived in 1908. Until the advent of Mount Isa, the town was the largest settlement in north west Queensland.
The first Europeans to traverse the area were Burke and Wills on their epic, and ultimately fatal, transcontinental expedition. The Cloncurry River was named by Burke after Lady Elizabeth Cloncurry, his cousin, with the town eventually taking its name from the river.
Copper was discovered in the area in 1867, and the town sprang up to service the Great Australia Mine to the south. Cattle grazing is the significant industry in the region, and a large saleyards is located in the town.
The first ever flight of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia took place from Cloncurry on May 15, 1928, using a de Havilland DH.50 aircraft hired from the then small airline, Qantas. A Royal Flying Doctor Service museum is situated in the town.

Sunset at Chinaman Creek Dam, Cloncurry

Cloncurry was widely regarded as holding the record for the highest temperature recorded in Australia at 127.5 °F (53.1 °C) on 16 January 1889.
http://M-carstairs.com/travel

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A Mile of Machines at Ilfracombe Queensland

http://www.ebrochures.com/ebrochures/eBooks/Travel/A_Mile_of_Machines

Ilfracombe Machinery and Heritage Museum
The Museum, situated on the northern side of the main road, provides an insight into this past with its displays of an old police lock-up used between 1901 and 1974, a meat house, the old manual post office exchange, a machinery shed with steam engines, tractors, pumps, graders, trucks, drays, buggies, a 100-million year-old petrified palm, curious natural limestone rocks with a remarkably rounded form, along with other interesting artefacts and memorabilia. One of the old wagons possessed by the museum was once in local use. It was drawn by 20 or 30 horses and carted about 100 bales of wool (weighing 15 to 20 tons) to sea ports such as Bowen or Rockhampton: a six-month return journey.
Also on-site is 'Oakhampton', a cottage which was once part of the 'Lyndon' estate. It is considered typical of a station hand's married quarters and was common enough on rural stations until after World War II. It now sells souvenirs and crafts, The museum has been built in the style of an old station homestead. It is open permanently with no entry charge.


Ilfracombe
Tiny western Queensland township surrounded by large grazing properties.
Looking at the tiny settlement of Ilfracombe, with its one hotel and rather isolated Folk Museum, it is hard to imagine that, in the 1890s, the town had three hotels each with its own dance hall, a soft drink maker, a coach builder, two general stores, a billiard saloon, a dressmaker, three commission agents, a couple of butchers, a baker and a saddler. The story of western Queensland is contained in these changes. Once transportation became efficient the number of people living in the outback declined. What took a month in the 1890s can now take only a few hours.
Today there are just 350 people living in a shire which covers an area of 6500 sq. km. The old stations where anything up to 100 people were employed are now a thing of the past. Back in1892 Wellshot Station (60 km south of town) was the largest sheep station in the world, in terms of the number of sheep it ran: 460 000. Indeed, so predominant was it that Ilfracombe was, until 1890, known as Wellshot.