SailBlogs
Bookmark and Share

Shanghaied around Australia
Who: Will Duiker & Trish Bate
Port: Garden Island Yacht Club - Port Adelaide
View Complete Profile »
 
 

 
Twins
Will
February 2,2009, Darwin

We found an old bath in the back yard and set it up above ground to keep the cane toads out (emigrants can't jump) and allow the green tree frogs to play. After a couple of weeks one was spotted laying eggs which the guppies found delicious. After knocking the egg numbers down from thousands to only hundreds we removed the almost bursting guppies to their own pond - a laundry trough fromthe tip shop - and allowed the tadpoles to grow. After a few more weeks small froglets with stumpy withering tails would crawl out of the pond onto the ferns, loose their tails overnight and hide on leaves - thus the pic. After a day or two they would dissapear never to be seen again - perhaps next year they will come back

| | More
Feeding the Possum
Will
January 31,2009, Darwin

With both of us working full time and spending evenings in the garden we have been training our local possum (a mum) to hold her own bowl. Ian our neighbour suggested they are short of protein in the wet so rolled oats is the go.

| | More
Over Huonville
Will
November 30,2008, Huonville

The return flight was at low level because of the low cloud base and was spectacular. Even with the 25 knot breeze there appeared to be many sheltered bays to kayak along and even to anchor a yacht. Because we were last off we had an additional flight from Ryans landing at Cockle creek (where we refuelled) to Huonville so had even more flight time. Yippee!

We were put up by Jill and Clare in Huonville, had dinner at the Franklin pub and bumbed into Wills Tasmanian equivalent in the NPI and then did touristy things in town before enjoying dinner at Bob and Penny Tysons in Fern Tree. They had recently cruised the Greenland coast and had wonderful pics and stories to tell. The next day we were picked up by Rob and demonstrated at the Kingston Beach against the Gunns pulp mill forming "a line in the sand" and met Clare and Mark then back to Rob Murielles for lunch and helped moved some timber for the new house before being driven to the Hobart airport for long flights to Darwin via Melbourne.

| | More
Packing Up
Will
November 30,2008, Maatsuyker Is

Packing up on the last day - we were delayed a day in leaving, just as when we arrived, by the weather. The old Suzuki was again used to ferry goods to the helipad.

| | More
Tree Fern Unfurling
Will
November 30,2008, Maatsuyker Is

Tree ferns are common on the island. The only noticable non - native beasties on the island are the weeds we have been eliminating, bumble bees, and blackbirds. It seems to still be a quite pristine place despite long human interferance.

| | More