RED INDIANS ON WARPATH AGAIN

Shipping  Reporter narrowly  escapes  being  scalped  in unexpected  encounter  with  last of  the  Mohicans .

Always  on  the  lookout  for  oddities , our waterfront  roundsman  was amazed   at  what  he   found  in Townsville  at the  Castle Town  Vinnies  store, the  largest  in  Australia.

 After spotting many  items of  interest in  large, jam-packed   showcases  near  the entrance , the Queen Mother still for sale at $50 in one, he was stopped in  his tracks  by an unusual  display  which  included a  feathered  Red  Indian  rug , a  wooden carving  and  a Franklin  Mint  Indian  Warrior  vase . 

(Indians. Vase. Reporter.)

CROAKING CONCHOLOGIST IN THE RAIN

Fashionista  frog with  brolly and  seashell . Vallis  .

 (Frog.Fashion. Shell.)

FLOATING DREAM HOME

Nesting magpie geese. Vallis photo.

 (Geese. Nest .Vallis.)

DEAD IN THE WATER

 The  television  footage of  a man carrying a large, stunned   barramundi   over  his  shoulder , caught   during  the Townsville  floods , attracted many viewers. It  seems   the  rampaging  Ross  River claimed  the lives of  many  other   fish  as  the  following  two  photos   of  dead  ones  in  flotsam, taken by  Vallis ,  indicate    

The photos were  taken near where large numbers of  turtles gather , it not known  what  happened  to  them.  

(Floods. Fish. Kills.)

EARLY ISLAND ARTIST

Cutting from Little Darwin file .

( Swagman. Island. Artist.)

STROLL ALONG THE STRAND

Townsville . Pix by Aeronautical Correspondent Abra.

 (Strand. Stroll. Abra.)

CELEBRITY SUFFERED IN BIG WET

One of   Australia's  best  known  athletic  celebrities is looking decidely  unhealthy after  Queensland's  long , heavy downpour.  He  is  Doug  the  Dungbeetle , a  prominent   piece  of   public art  in Townville's  flooded   Anderson  Botanic  Gardens .

Doug  is  shown above sporting   a  healthy suntan  while  struggling   with  a   large  ball of   dung  rolled  up   in  the Townsville  region  before  the  heavy rains  began . 

However  , after  the  deluge,  he  was  looking   very  mouldy , below,  a   shrub   blown   down   next   to  him.   

Like Sisyphus in Greek mythology, it seems  poor  Doug has been condemned  to  push  great  balls of  steaming  dung  up  hills  until  Eternity  in  Coalition   held   areas  of   the  country.

It  just  so happens  that  Doug's unhealthy,  drenched  pad in the gardens  is  a  cowpat's  throw   from  a splattered  plaque  marking  the  time   David Crisafulli, then  Minister for Local Government , Community Recovery and Resilience ,    opened   a   giant  water  wise  walk  back  in   October  2013. 

Now   Crisafulli  is  the  Queensland   premier  with  a  plan  to  waterproof  the   state's   highway  system.  While this post was being written an electrical storm  broke over  Townsville and Magnetic Island  and  Doug  braced  himself  for  another  messy  outbreak  of  slip, slap ,slop  in the  downpour .

(Dung. Coalition. Spoof.)