29 October 2008

Double-eyed fig-parrot

Female Macleays fig-parrot

The double-eyed fig-parrot, also known as the Dwarf fig-parrot (Cyclopsitta diopthalma) reaching an average length of 15cm, is Australis smallest and least known parrot.

With 5 sub-species being found in New Guinea and another 3 sub-species found amongst the 3 significant rainforest remnants along the east-coast of Australia; from Cape York to Northern New South Wales.

Small-leafed Fig
Ficus obliqua

As the name suggests, fig-parrots rely upon the Ficus genus (Botanical name for Fig trees) as a primary food source, and as such they mostly hang-out in the upper strata of the rainforest canopy. (which is why they are not often seen by us groundwellers)

Lake Eacham on the tablelands is one of the better places to experience the 'Macleays' fig-parrot close up, with the Ficus benjamina growing in the park.

On this latest visit to the Atherton Tablelands I went to the Malanda library and photocopied an article on the Coxen's fig-parrot with an amazing fig-parrot drawing by William Cooper (a most talented artist who illustrated the amazing Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest)

In the morning, during meditation down at Wrights creek, the fig-parrot presence was really strong, lately I've been getting back into shorter 15 minute meditation where focus is on the moment between the out-breath and the in-breath and vise versa, just bringing awareness back to the that subtle feeling of being alive, of just breathing and observing.

The visualization focused on the fig-parrot in its habitat, eating the seeds out of figs and dropping debri from high up in the canopy. Pretty quickly I felt to go up to Lake Eacham (a few kilometres from wrights creek) where there is a Fig I'd been told they visit when it's in fruit, and it so happened that it was in fruit.

at first I didn't see anything, and then a barred-cuckoo shrike made a noisy exit; flying off into the distance....

and then like pure magic, there she was, at first just a single female Macleays fig-parrot (Cyclopsitta diophthalma macleayana) quietly munching on the fig seed. wow.

That was a special moment. What-a-sight, i can't really express how that felt, with the first rays of sunlight shining through the rainforest overhanging the volcanic Lake.

Nature Bliss...


Then another 3 or so appeared, 2 males with the red cheeks and another female with the blue/white cheeks and red forehead. They were difficult to spot at times, even though the tree was only 4 metres high, it was bushy and they are so small and quiet, The falling fig debri being their only conspicious trait.

At times they came down close to the bottom branches and I could stand within a metre comfortably, and they would not be afraid of close human presence.

I got as close as 10cm at one point, wondering if they would eat seed that has been picked, but unfortunately this was a little too close and it zipped off in a flash into a neighbouring hoop-pine, with a few 'zeet zeet's' on his way, the bird did not waver or dip like rainbow lorikeets, which sound somewhat similar, but flew in direct flight at fast speeds.

When moving along branches in search of the nutrious fig-seed, the fig-parrot will climb with ease along the trunk or branch with it's strong little feet, looking a little comical at times, as it is so short and stumpy with barely any tail


Male Macleays fig-parrot

The three Australian fig-parrot sub-species:

Marshalls fig-parrot (Cyclopsitta diopthalma marshalli) inhabits the tropical monsoonal and gallery rainfort along the eastern ranges of Cape York peninsula.

Macleays fig-parrot (Cyclopsitta diopthalma macleayana) is found in the wet-tropics bio-region; from Cooktown to Paluma in north Qld.

the Coxen's fig-parrot, Cyclopsitta diopthalma coxeni, is the only Cyclopsitta to inhabit the sub-tropical rainforest, and is by far Australias rarest parrot, with the population estimated to be numbering just a few hundred birds, spread out over a huge range in south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales.

This little bird intriques me greatly. (massive understatement)

Although Its numbers have clearfly dropped as a result of human settlement, I feel it could be possible that the Coxen's fig-parrot population has stabalized in the remaining highland rainforest around the Border Ranges/Lamington area, and the lack of knowledge on its ecology due to low sightings and uncommon human/fig-parrot contact, is simply due to the fact that they are so small and green, dwelling in the out-of-sight closed canopy, where few humans go.

It has also been recorded in sub-littoral mixed scrub (Melaleuca and Livistona palm open forest with scattered figs), open forest, riparian corridors with suitable food trees (Ficus, Syzygium, Elaeocarpus) as far north as Bunderberg in Qld and as far south as the Macleay river
in northern NSW.

artistic intepretation of Coxen's fig-parrot
by Sally Elmer with technical assistance from John Young
Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni

The southern race of the double-eyed fig-parrot, Cyclopsitta diopthalma coxeni, is thus classed as critically endangered, with around 20 sightings in the past 20 years.

60 skins
were collected up until 1920, when most of the lowland rainforest in Australia had already been cleared. The population decline of coxeni has most certaintly been a direct result of clearfelling Ficus dense lowland sub-tropical rainforests, such as "The Big Scrub" around Lismore in Northern New South Wales, where 99% of this unique habitat was leveled for farming, nearly 100 years ago.

this photo of a strangler fig was taken at 'Fig Tree Pocket'
over 100 years ago
in an area that is now 10 minutes from Brisbane CBD

the most effective approach we can take as a community in helping the recovery of the unique southern fig-parrot is to support rainforest restoration along riparian eco-systems, with a particular emphasis on Fig-tree recruitment on rural properties within the coxeni range.

This appoach to ecological restoration will also help other threatened species, such as the rainforest pigeons and barred cuckoo shrike.

The vision for the Caldera Creations project is to photograph the Coxen's fig-parrot and to raise community awareness of this unique little bird and it's ancient rainforest habitat.

Align Centerfemale Macleays fig-parrot

and some new news to share, myself and brother Tony Allison are having a photography exhibition in Kyogle @ the Roxy Gallery during the month of February next year (2009). definitely with a focus on our little fig-parrot friends and many other weird and wonderful life-forms and lightscapes on the mother Earth.

more info soonalish


In Lak'ech



12 October 2008

Zeitgeist - A Doco on our flawed economy

As you've probably realized so far, Caldera Creations is a nature blog, an expression of but a tiny fraction of the Earths incredible biodiversity. I hope to raise some awareness of the beauty and magic of the natural world and maybe foster an appreciation of the sacredness of our Mother Earth.

More than anything it would be my hope that you go and find your own place in nature to recharge your spiritual batteries and get re-connected, or just observe your sense of disconnection, somewhere to be still and allow spaciousness to guide you on your way.

So I guess it may seem a little bit odd to be posting a video that focuses on the systemic flaws within our monetary system, especially on a 'nature blog'.

My feelings are that the worlds energy, environmental, economic and spiritual problems are all interconnected, and from that point of view it's only natural I share an alternative perspective on the current economic crisis we are witnessing.

If you have a spare hour or two, watch this documentary that focuses on the flawed economic structures that we have subscribed to in modern times.

Keep an open mind and even if you don't resonate with the content, atleast observe your own internal reactions to the message of this movie, and maybe question why it is you believe what you do.




to watch in a large window .. follow this link

Zeitgeist - Addendum

if this doesn't interest you, or you just don't have two hours to spare, then how about taking a nice big deep breath and tune into this green Elaphant for a 10 minute meditation...



or just some good ole mother earth appreciation ...



29 September 2008

Cardwell Creations

Zoe falls - on Hinchinbrook Island

~ o ~

Greetings fellow travellers - 'Namaste'

there has been a few slight technical issues with my photography of late, which should all be sorted in the coming week.

(though i do have some recent shots from Hinchinbrooke Island & the adjacent mainland mountain ranges of "Kirrama", so if you're like me and more visually inclined, skip the 'bla bla' and scroll straight down to the eye candy!)

So alas, the life of Cycling across the land has come to a halt (for the now) and I find myself living in a little coastal village called 'Cardwell'. If I had the money and funds I would have made the dash for Darwin before the wet-season kicks in, but alas it isn't to be (yet).

I've scored a really sweet job, which is basically the epitome of 'Conservation & Land Management' (a course I've done @ TAFE). It is a property development just north of Cardwell, with a green ethics base, aptly named 'Cardwell Gardens', an area that is home to one of the Earths most rare and endangered mammals, the 'Mahogany' Glider. (and I had the absolute blessing of seeing one of these little critters up quite close and personel at a friends house the other night.)

So the job involves planting native trees in certain key areas and general watering/mulching/nurturing duties to assist them through the dry season. It also involves huge areas of weed management and the use of a big red tractor to slash the areas designated for 'development'


(If i had my way I'd plant it ALL out with natives to expand the habitat for Mahogany Gliders, but atleast they aren't clearing existing vegetation and are infact designating certain 'wildlife corridors' for revegation).



So I live in a nicely retro-fitted shed and have fruit trees in the backyard (mostly avocadoes and mangos, with a few of the more unsual stuff that we get back home on the nursery)

I've started a new vegie garden with Herbs, Corn, Tomatoes, Beans, Cucumber and Watermelon growing. And so having been here for almost 2 cycles of the moon, I'm really stating to fall in love with the place (after quite a challenging 'integration' period).

The natural world within and around Cardwell is just asbolutely gorgeous, despite the extreme levels of ecological degredation.

There is something about 'BLUE' in the natural world, and within my first few weeks of blue-skys and sunshine, I walked outside one morning and spotted a 'Blue' Tree snake ...



This bright blue, cold-blooded, arboreal reptile is in the rare 'blue' form of the Common Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis punctulata). Its colour usually ranges from green to yellowish-green, or brownish-green, although sometimes it is black and even in this rare form, Blue.


I found 'bluey' in the Bottle Brush tree, stalking Yellow-Bellied Sunbirds, soaking up the sunrays



The other blue coloured representatives in the animal world include the Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii). There is a pair that hang around the house, interestingly there is also the common 'Laughing' Kookaburra down near the wetland and adjacent woodlands. they seem to have there own little ecological niche and rarely does their range cross over.



The Azure Kingfisher (Alcedo azurea) is only found on Cardwell Gardens along the south eastern boundary where there is gallery rainforest along a seasonal creek.
We get these little beauty's back home, and I do believe they are found as far south as Tasmania and as far north as Papua New Guinea.



another kingfisher that is also found along creeks, mangroves and estuaries is Australias smallest kingfisher, the 'Little Kingfisher' (Alcedo pusilla). this little cutey only grows to 11cm



From one of the smallest to one of the largest birds on Earth, the Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) is in serious risk of extinciton due to the clearing of rainforest habitat. Dad and I saw the incredible flightless bird up @ Cape trib, where this unforunate boy had a serious looking limp.

Current population is estimated to be less then 1000 individuals in tropical north queensland, with very few long-term viable populations. Mission Beach is the last stronghold with maybe 100 or so within a continuous area of suitable lowland rainforest habitat.


I have seen one Juvinile (they don't have the blue colouring) a few kilometres from where I live, on the way to Edmund Kennedy National Park.


Blue animals have been complimented by the beautiful blue skies and liquid blue oceans, and my first trip out to the Islands was nothing short of breathtaking.


My awesome neighbour Geoff and I and a few other local fisherman went out to the Reef about a month ago. To Geoffs dissapointment we didn't catch any fish, though I just felt blessed to be out on the Ocean, something a boy from the bush doesnt get to experience very often.


'Gould Island' - this place is paradise and there really was hardly a single other boat as far as the eye could see. Just around the corner is one of Australias largest colonies of Dugongs (Dugong dugon). They too have suffered major declines over recent years, yet the marine Sancuary has obviously helped give them a fighting chance @ long term viability.




We woke up just off 'Brookes' Island, the last collective of landmass before you reach the Great Barrier Reef. This small group of Islands is home to a significant colony of Pied Imperial Pigeons (Ducula bicolor) every day they fly in massive flocks to Kirrama Range on the mainland to eat the fruits of the rainforest. A beautiful 'White bellied Sea Eagle flew over the Island whilst we ate breakfast on the back of the boat, stirring up the Pigeon colony.


Check out the rugged mountain ranges of Hinchindbrook Island far off in the western Sky. At this stage I hadn't set foot on the Island and I made an oath to myself that I would walk the great 'Thorsborne' trek before the wet-season kicks in.... and that I did !!!!




The next weekend I felt to go and explore the Kirrama ranges, up in the misty mountains behind Cardwell. This tropical rainforest community is home to the southern limit for the Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo, and although the road is officially closed, you can still get up there if your keen.



lush highland rainforest creek

water that is too pure ~ has no fish in it
soil that is full of shit ~ produces abundant crops




These trees were quite common along the creek, they are the beautiful red 'Paperbark Satinash' (Syzygium papyraceum). the deep purple 'Lily Pily' fruit are all over the forest floor.

Hinchinbrook Island - the 'Thorborne' trail

And so the inevitable moment came to walk the 'Thorsborne' Trail, named after the late Arthur Thorsborne and his wife Marget Thorsborne. This 32 Kilometre wilderness walk has recentdly been voted as one of the worlds top bushwalking destination.

Australias largest Island National Park, this is one of the last remaining untouched wilderness Islands in the world, surrounded by incredibly diverse mangrove communities and covered in fragile mountain heath. The lower lying areas contain interesting ecotonal tropical Rainforest, Melaleuca wetlands and Eucalytus woodlands.

what an experience, words can't really express how special my time on the Island was. Not only from the perspective of a naturalist, but also from a spiritual point of view. I'm often asked by people how I go travelling alone, and it's quite obvious the people asking these questions probably haven't actually given themselves the opportunity to spend much time in nature just by themselves, so it's difficult to explain the sense of freedom that is apart of a solo-journey, especially when you've just set up camp and you've cooked some dinner next to a fire.. and you sit back, completely buggered from walking all day... and it's just that incredible sense of simplicity and contentment as your mind and body takes rest...


... the fire crackles away... mmmm, peace.

*as you pull march flys out of your hair and beat away the mozzies and sandflies* LOL


yet there is also the challenge or illusion of 'seperation' that all humans experience, whether alone in the bush or surrounded by millions of fellow brothers and sisters in the biggest communal areas on earth, Cities. The first night on the Island was confronting on many levels, I couldn't help but resonate with a Leunig Poem from a book my wonderful sister Carlie gave me just a few weeks ago (called 'The Travelling Luenig').

(the words are below if you can't read it)



When the heart is cracked, or cut or broken

do not clutch it, let the wound lie open

let the wind from the good old sea blow in

to bathe the wound with salt and let it sting

let a stray dog lick it
let a bird lean in the hole and sing
a simple song like a tiny bell

and let it ring

So the walk took on many different feelings and emotions, and simply having the space and environment to allow it all to unravel was a blessing, indeed. This is a magical Island

By the second morning I felt clear and connected, aware of the gift within the being.

still pondering thoughts such as 'direction' and 'purpose' in life, all the while just observing the mind and feeling the space between the thoughts grow deeper as the vegetation grew denser

Me and the Sun, we smile as One.

And halfway through the walk, I came across a most resonant soul, Petrina*. she was heading north and I was heading south, and after a good few hours sharing thoughts/feelings/perspective/possibilities (in other words, a couple of a greenies who really get a feeling for each others 'feelings' towards life and direction and trying to make a difference in this strange world.

Petrina had worked with quite a rare parrot in her homeland of New Zealand, and this was more inspiration for me to study conservation biology, as her discovery of a new colony of these parrots (I've forgotten the name) has clearly helped in their recovery.

She was a great person to share with and I hop we can stay in touch~

“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize:

a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes. All is a miracle."

-Thich Nhat Hanh

The good ole' swamp Lily (Crinum pedunculatum) is quite common along sandy edges around the Island, and to my delight she was in flower ! smells nice too

the ancient fruiting conifer, Podocarpus elatus, is widespread in moist gulleys and rainforest across the eastcoast. I'd really love to go over just after the wet-season when they are fruiting, the anti-oxident levels are supposedly through the roof!


lush freshwater boggy palm wetlands, this bit was exciting, wondering if crocodiles could be hiding amongst the goop.

the rare beach stone-curlew is indiciative of pristine habitat, as they are now very uncommon along the east coast of Australia, where they used to be found down to Victoria and now are extremely rare.

lush rainforest streams


The National Park burn areas of the Island off every year in an effort to immitate the Aboriginal fire regime, but I don't think aboriginals had helicopters ? my feeling is that it's a simple waste of energy, though makes for pretty photography; this Grass Tree (Xanthorea johnsonii) is coming back to life after being scorched quite recently



Mt Bowen rises to 1130m above sea level,
which makes for stunning views when your standing next to the sea.

(it was actually covered in cloud most of the time, off to the left of this piccy)

as the walk came to an end, the Palm Islands came into view on the southern horizon~

totally magnificant, highly reccomended wilderness walk ~

~more soon~

peace.

14 September 2008

Earth - Spirit - Action



www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6jCpChUxOw

Earth Spirit Action is produced and directed by Ruth Rosenhek, The film features Starhawk, Vandana Shiva, Ruth Rosenhek, John Seed and Matthew Fox speaking on Deep Ecology, Living Democracy and Revolution in Consciousness in a fast moving discussion of the type of change that needs to take place for a Sustainable Future.

An inspirational and stimulating film including beautiful nature footage and a colourful array of global action shots.

Rainforest Information Centre

19 August 2008

Spiritsong Flute



Well my week with Dad was a special one, and I'll share more about that in due course.

But for now I'd like to share this song my dad recorded with me near a secret waterfall in the Crater Lakes National Park, an area that was my home for a few cycles of the sun.

The Folliage you can see towering overhead belongs to the worlds largest Fern, Known as the 'King Fern' (Angiopteris evecta) an ancient plant species with fossil records dating back 300 million years (180 million years before the evolution of flowers!)

So yes, this heart-song is dedicated to my little Nephew, Torin Forsyth...

I Love this little one so very much, and he makes me think about the future generations and what kind of world we will pass on to them.

In many Native American Indian cultures, they would consider the consequences of their actions as far forward as SEVEN generations.

Today, try and consider how our choices today will effect the world our childrens, childrens, childrens, childrens, childrens, childrens children live in.

I can't even imagine where I'll be this time next year, let alone the world I will introduce my children and so on.

Yet, it's worth pondering.

This beautiful Flute was hand-crated by Brother Matt 'Shooting-Star', who makes the finest American Indian Flutes this side of the Milky Way, thankyou Matty I feel blessed to have a voice for my own spirit songs.

here is Matt & Yu playing a Duette together



Yu playing the drone

22 July 2008

Yungaburra - 'Place of Questioning'



Dorathy & Paulie

doriothius pauliosiae


Northern Leaf Tailed Gecko (Endemic)

Phyllurus cornutus


Feeding Dorathy the Female Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo

Dendrolagus lumholtzi



Female Victorias Riflebird (Endemic) a 'Bird of Paradise'

Ptiloris victoriae



Bridled Honey Eater (Endemic)

Lichenostomus frenatus



'Geoffrey' a Male Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo (11kg)


Dendrolagus lumholtzi


was raised by Margit as a young joey

now lives independently in the surrounding rain forest




Green Eyed Tree Frog (Endemic)

Litoria genimaculata



Upper Barron River ~ Dinner Falls

upperi barrionius




Grey-Headed Rob (Endemic)

Poecilodryas albispecularis


Doris the little Agile Wallaby

Macropus agilis

Macleay's Honeyeater (Endemic)


Xanthotis macleayanus


Australian King Parrot (Northern ssp.)


Alisterus scapularis ssp. minor



Long Nosed Bandicoot

Perameles nasuta


Platypus

Ornithorhynchus anatinus


My favourite ancient egg-laying mammal, this little creature is found back home in the Richmond River and in most suitable freshwater habitats from North-Queensland right down to Southern Tasmania


I've discovered that Platypus are also found in man-made dams (this photo is taken in one) though you will generally not find them if cattle and other livestock frequent the banks, they are sensative to water quality aswell and need a degree of stream-side vegetation to help stabalize their burrows. I can see the dams full of our little monotreme friends in years to come when the people of Geneva (Kyogle) stop using so much phosphates and nasty chemicals, and if Rolley fences sections of the Dam off, Not to mention the dam in front of the nursery which is less than one hundred meters from prime platypus viewing.




Feral Pig @ Curtain Fig National

Sus Scrofa

25 Million in Australia ~ Epidemic!

Lake Eacham ~Volcanic Crater


Volcanius Craterae



Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo (Endemic)

Dendrolagus lumholtzi

Wompoo Fruit Dove

Ptilinopus magnificus



TREAT friday volunteer day

Treatius volunterii


and so, alas ...


Yungaburra - the name given to a quaint little town on the Atherton Tablelands - originates from the indigenous Yidinyji language, meaning a place of enquiring or questioning.

how very apt, as I've been doing a lot of both lately.

questioning where I want to direct my energy and enquiring into pathways that will allow me to do this.

So a few weeks back I spent a good while grounding in and around the Yungaburra township, situated just a few kilometers from Curtain Fig and Crater Lakes National Parks, and I quite like the 'vibe' of the place.

It's home to a really awesome 'Backpackers' called 'On The Wallaby' where I would go for showers and ammenities between expeditations into the surrounding Rainforest.

A big highlight with this Backpackers lodge (besides them all being really laid-back, warm-hearted, nature-loving characters) was the night-time canoeing and spotlight on Lake Tinaroo, where we saw a nice big Python, a young Tree-Kangaroo, a Nankeen Night-Heron and heaps of
different possums (including the endemic 'Green' possum).


but now, let me share with you ...


my First WWOOFING experience

(warning; this section contains the authors judgements and opinions on people he has barely met, take it all with a grain of himalayan rock salt!)

Although it's considered to be the 'dry' season up here, about 10 days ago the 'winter drizzle' set-in, and I really felt to find a wwoof host somewhere close to Yungaburra. After ringing around, I eventually got onto Peter @ Tazali Lakes, a fish-farm near Milla-Milla.

I've done lots of informal wwoofing (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) on friends of friends places around northern nsw, which generally involved a few hours work in the morning, weeding the vegie garden or mulching the fruit trees.

I think it's a great system, as your contributing to sustainable organic local food production and you get to learn new ways of sustainable living and meet the people who are ...

'WALKING the TALK' (or 'taking action' when it comes to sustainability)

anway, my first wwoofing experience up north qld has me questioning the host application process, and when I get some time I will be writing a letter of complaint to WWOOF Australia.(constructive criticism of course)

obviously, with over 1600 wwoof hosts in Australia, you are bound to get people who just don't embody the spirit of sustainability ...

Tazali Lakes is such a place.

Day 1 - I arrived to see Peter, the boss, trying to shoot and kill Cormrants, a bird that is doing what it has evolved to do best over millions of years, eat fish !

I don't intent to go too far into the experience, but just to give you an idea, I basically worked from 7A.M to 5P.M on the first day, and to make things worse, I wasn't involved in anything remotely sustainable, simply digging holes to make an ugly looking shade-cloth for his profit driven tourist operation, where he charged people $20 a head to see platypus for 5 minutes that lived in a dam on his neighbours property ! (whom I met at TREAT later in the week, she sold-up because his energy was so intense)
Generally I didn't like his vibe, Pete is a friendly enough man on the outset, but it was well obvious from the start that he joined WWOOF to exploit travellers and get cheap labour

Like all negative experiences, there is always something positive that is hidden wihtin it, often you have to dig to find it, or allow the good to expose itself over time.

a dance of light and dark.

after being totally exploited for cheap labour on the first day, I felt like leaving, but a deeper part of me was feeling to stay for a few days. I followed the deeper feeling.

Day 2 - It turned out that Pete's farm-hand & Chef, Dave, was quite an awesome man. Totally passionate about bushfoods. So after Pete heard I have a background in Trees and Bushtucker, we got to work on planting out a bushfood garden ! lots of Davidson Plums (Davidsonia pruriens) and Atherton Oaks (Athertonia diversifolia), plus heaps of 'Satinash' Trees (North queensland name for 'Lily-pily's or Sygygium species)

although we finished work around 3:30Am (way over the 4-6 hours which is stated in the WWOOF agreement) it was a much better day and Dave convinced pete to take me for a drive the next day to see a big nursery 'Ýaruga' over at Mareeba, and to pop in and meet a crew called 'BioTropica' to enquire into some work for me, as the funds are in need of replenishment.

Day 3 - Dave mentioned a mob called BioTropica, who specialize in tropical ecosystem management, may have some work available, so we popped into to say g'day.

I met a few of the crew, told 'em a bit about my background, and Nigel, the director, said that he would contact me if any work came up. Fantastic ~ great vibe ~ awesome people, and from what I gather, they are leading the field in 'innovative and ethical solutions for the management of tropical ecosystems'.

We drove on, and made our way to 'Yuruga', which is THE most gigantic nursery operation I have ever seen (and i only saw part of it.)

They are a big-time ~ production nursery, employing over 50 staff, and obviously coming from a background of Nursery-ism I was very keen to get a feel for their way.

Generally, I was a little dissapointed, the service was very poor and some of the plants where so small I'd doubt the surival rate of many of them.

We were looking for bushfoods and the retail lady just didn't seem very passionate what-so-ever, it didn't make me excited about planting a bushfood garden, and after just a few mintues she did the old "Well, I'll leave you too it then" (which i must admit, I've done it before too!)

I found another employee putting plants down, and asked him about the edibility of some of the Native Tamarinds (Diploglottis smithii). His reply was "Mate, I wouldn't eat ANYTHING from the Australian bush, that stuff'll kill ya"

with over 2000 known edible plant species in Australia, and reports of early aboriginal people being among the most lean and healthy people on the planet, I beg to differ !!

anyway, it so easy to fall into the judgement trap, we all do it and the key is not so much to refrain from making any judgements (what an imposible task), but it is not to confuse the judgement with the true essence who or what you are actually observing.

but yes indeed, sometimes our minds can become clouded in judgement.

these words always seem to help me regain perspective.

"How quick we are to form an opinion of a person, to come to a conclusion about them. It is satisfying to the egoic mind to label another human being, to give them a conceptual identity, to pronounce righteous judgement upon them.

Every human being has been conditioned to think and behave in certain ways- conditioned genetically as well as by their childhood experiences and their cultural environment.

That is not who they are, but that is who they appear to be. When you pronounce judgement upon someone, you confuse those conditioned mind patterns with who they are. To do that is in itself a deeply conditioned and unconscious pattern. You give them a conceptual identity, and then afalse identity becomes a prison not only for the other person but also for yourself....

To let go of judgement does not mean that you don't see what they do. It means that you recognise their behaviour as a form of conditioning and you see it and accept it as that. You dont construct an identity out of it for that person.

If their past was your past, their pain your pain, their level of consciousness your level of consciousness, you would think and act exactly as they do. With this realization comes forgiveness, compassion, and peace."

- Eckhart Tolle, "Stillness Speaks"

So anyway, when I got back to Tazarli Lakes, I went down to the Platypus pond to hang out with my monotreme friends and spent some time to myself (Me, Myself and I).

I had missed this spaciousness over the past few days, and it was nice to just sit and rest with my thoughts and my breath.

When you enter into a wwoof hosts house, you are in fact entering into their energy field, and this can be quite challenging.

End of First WWOOF experience.

The Next morning I left and decided to head for Mossman, but on the way I received a call from Margit, up at Lumholtz Lodge, a Rainforest home-stay and habitat sanctuary for orphan Tree-Kangaroos and other Mammals.

I had met Margit a few weeks earlier at a talk in Yungaburra on 'Tree-Kangaroo conservation in Papua New Guinea'.

this was an opportunity I wasn't going to miss, and so I made my way up into the Mt Hypipamee ranges in the Atherton Tablelands 'Highlands', where Margit lives amongst the Trees on 160 Acres of private Rainforest.

I have just spent 1 week up there, and this was a completely different wwoofing experience to the first one.

Rather than arriving to my wwoof host trying to kill a native bird, this time My WWOOF host Margit and I went straight into the rainforest with a radio tracking device that was attached to a young Tree Kangaroo she had raised from 300 grams (her mother was hit by a car).

the radio 'beep beep' turned into a 'BEEP BEEP' and before my very eyes, the most beautiful little creature, an 18 month old female 'Lumholtz' Tree Kangaroo, came climbing down from the canopy to perch on Margits shoulders!

wow! I had seen them a few times high in the canopy, but never so close and personal.

Her name is Dorathy and she is absolutely gorgeous, though not fully developed yet (at 6.8kg) this little arboreal macropod is old enough to spend all day in the Rainforest by herself, eating leaves from trees such as the Bolly Gum (Neolitsea dealbata) which we also get in our Rainforests back home, in Northern NSW.

When night falls, Dorathy comes and sleeps inside, where I had the priveledge of feeding her milk from a bottle, along with cashew nuts and some sweet potato. (it's a nice feeling being a mother)

Margit is also raising 3 coppery brushtail possums, an agile wallaby and a swamp wallaby came in half-way through the week after it's mother being killed by a fossil-fuel machine (a car).

Doris, the gorgeous little agile wallaby, was my responsibility for the week, as Margit had more animals than she normally would (some having to be fed at 2AM in the morning)

Every morning at 6AM I would prepare some milk, lift her out of the artificial 'pouch' and she would suckle on the litte ártificial' nipple~ so cute that if one was to design a 'visual' dictionary, they could just put a picture of dorathy suckling on her bottle next to the word 'Cute'.

and then again at 10AM and 2PM I would repeat, but include a walk outside for her to get some excercise and experience life beyond the pouch (she's doing well, it took me 18 years! and I still kept coming back!!! lol)

In the afternoons It was my job to go and get Dorathy with the Radio Tracker, sometimes walking many kilometers deep into the Rainforest to find her high in the tree ! she would hear the 'Beep Beep' sound of the radio tracker and quickly descend from the canopy to perch on my shoulder for the return jounrney back upto Lumholtz Lodge.

such a magically surreal experience, there are locals I have met who've lived in the area for many years and still haven't even SEEN a tree kangaroo.

In my spare time, between exploring the Rainforests, I would read some of the amazing books in Margits Library.

It seemed that almost every second book had the authors hand-written thanks and appreciation for Margits work, or 'Happy Birthday Margit Love 'Dr Ecology.'

This is by far the most extensive and fascinating nature library I've ever come across ! most notablly is all the books by William and Wendy Cooper, who illustrated and wrote the Book "Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest".

Wow, this is artistic precicision at it's finest. Bill also Illustrated a book on Australian Parrots and is now working on a Pigeons of Australasia.

I've come to realise that these drawings capture an animal or a fruit or seed better than any photograph I have ever seen! simply amazing

And so, after a week up in the mountains I now find myself in Malanda with some absolutely wonderful news !

I got a Job !

It was never my intention to 'move' up to north queensland, as I absolutely love northern nsw, especially Kyogle, and working on the land and in the nursery that I grew up on has been a complete blessings.

not to mention the tree planting project down in the gully!

But so it happens that Biotropica needs someone to facilitate a project in Cardwell (right next to Hinchinbrook Island). Basically this involves planting thousands of trees and environmental management of the existing swampy woodland habitat

that is home the endangered 'Mahogany Glider', one of Australias rarest mammals, an estimate of around 1500 of these little gliding marsupials are left, found only in a 100km x 10km strip around Cardwell! (80% of it's habitat has been cleared for banana and pineapple plantations)

I feel this is a fanastic opportunity to learn some new skills and to explore Hitchinbrooke Island!

So after spending a week travelling around with Dad next week, the new job begins!

I will indeed miss home, every aspect of it. From the nursery community to the broade Kyogle community to the River and the Rainforests to my family and friends and most of all my little nephew Torin, who even said my name on the phone the other day!

But the feeling is strong to follow this one, and we shall see where it all leads.

So stay Tuned in the next few weeks for 'Greggy and Paulies' adventures (Or 'Dad & Dave' as mum calls us) where we will do the tourist thing and try to see the most amount of places in the shortest amount of time (as dad only has 6 days up here)

Peace, Blessings & Abundance