DARING ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH PARADISE IN NORTH AUSTRALIA

Territory  Coup  Revealed

Now a  resident of  Melbourne and not knowingly  planning  an  immediate  uprising against the government of The Garden State   , journalist  and author   Kim  Lockwood has   provided  this  blog  with  exclusive  details of a little known event   in the history of the    Northern Territory  which involved an  audacious plan to stage  a  midnight coup .

  

The  daring  takeover raid was planned  after it was discovered  that   because of the first vote  for the NT Legislative Assembly ,from  election night  1974   until 6am  the  following  morning  the   NT would be  without  a  government .  A   group of  lubricated   reporters  gathered  at  Kim's residence in  Darwin  and  plotted to take over  the   Territory during the vacuum . Included in the  power hungry   mob  was  famous  Darwin international   ice  hockey star and  photographer  Barry  Ledwidge , later  to  star in  a   Vegemite  film noir  epic  and  become a daring  solar  powered  car  driver .

 

He  and  some  other  members  of   the group  were   Rocksitters -a cross section of  enlightened locals , deep thinkers,  who sat on a large seaside rock  drinking,  laughing , discussing the  meaning  of  life , posing  for  tourists  and  visiting  television teams , a surprising number of  rockers suffered  from haemorrhoids  in  later  life. 

 

En masse , the motley mob surged  from the Lockwood residence  to the commercial radio station and hammered on the door round about   the  witching  hour , demanding to  be admitted  to  announce  the  coup . 

 

 At  first , they were rebuffed, told in no uncertain fashion to  go away. However, the   announcer  rang  the  station  manager, who  agreed they would be  given five minutes on air  to announce the  new  regime . So  for a very short time  the  NT was governed  by  a  cabal  of   Gentlemen of  the  Press and  their  rock island  mates. 

TOAD OF TOAD HALL THREATENED, WEARING TRUMP PRESENTATION MADE IN USA STEEL TOGA

After 28 bad  Newspolls , Coalition paranoiac , hallucinating on  magic  mushrooms, openly plotting. 

Prime Minister  Malcolm Turnbull's  green shoots have  withered , turned into Toadstools and  thistles  in  each  photo opportunity , but some of  his ministers  are  looking  increasingly verdant  and  tattered  about  the  gills .

ISLAND RENAMED-YET AGAIN

 

After the long running  fiasco of  the Welcome to Magnetic Island  scrim banners  which tore, flapped ,  collapsed  in  great lengths and lay about   for ages , remnants  tucked  away in  a  bundle , reduced to an  imitation  Leaning Tower of  Pisa ,   then  finally  removed  , there  is a new set of banners  at  the ferry terminal  Welcoming  visitors to TOWNSVILLE !!!

 

 The banners  invite  visitors  to   share the  dream of   the  Commonwealth Games   on  the  Gold  Coast which  kick off  next  month .
 

 This  latest act in   renaming   the island  Townsville, after   it was   dubbed  Cowboys Island in  a  footy  stunt last year , which involved the Townsville City Council , Townsville Enterprise  and  others, is confusing , to say the least . 

 

Imagine the plight of  weary overseas  backpackers boarding a ferry in Townsville   for    Magnetic Island  and  upon arrival  they are  greeted with  banners welcoming  them  to  Townsville.  They might think they fell asleep and have  been brought back to  the mainland . In a state of panic , they  might call their  shocked  parents  and inform them  they have been  hijacked  on  the Coral Sea .  There  is  a  fortune to be made producing a loopy Australian  version of   Mad Magazine   which includes   a  swag of  spoof  from  the  tropics .

BORDER WATCH : EYE IN THE SKY OVER DRENCHED CAPE YORK

TROPICAL NORWEGIAN FIORDLAND

 

Break out the pilsener flasken in Cairns with  low cloud like snow on the waterfront . Followed  by  the  thaw . Abra photographs.

 

MORE RAIN ON THE WAY

The view from Nelly Bay , Magnetic Island , further rain expected . Torrential  rain in recent days  resulted in  Nelly  Bay  beach being   cut  in  two  by a  fast flowing  stream ,  smelling like septic , disgorging  a  vast amount of  litter ,  pieces of  timber , leaves   out   into  the  bay , forming  a large sandbar  . At low tide ,  Kookaburras arrived to pick over the  deposits and  down  a  few  small  crabs .

One of the island's most  popular  beaches ,  Alma Bay ,  suffered much damage when  a small creek  at the far end  , which had  been a mere  trickle   since  2013 , became a  raging torrent , forming extensive  sand  "cliffs " well over a metre high  which had to be  removed with  a bulldozer to prevent  people from  being engulfed  .There are tyre marks  along the  full length of the beach  from the  restoration work  , much debris .    The  above   view is from  the  footbridge over the creek on  Saturday afternoon, the  beach  a  mess  with  much  pumice and leaves .

FEATHER FLOWERS FROM QUEENSLAND IN MUSEUM

The Museum of Victoria has a  collection of  13  feather flowers from the  Aurukun  community  on the western side of  Cape York Peninsula ,one bunch shown,  the  maker unknown , dating from  1984. They  are made  from parrot  feathers  gathered  locally . Feather flowers are  made in other parts of Australia by Aboriginal  women .