Frolicking whale calf off Magnetic Island, North Queensland, which in its uncertain lifetime will have to contend with grandiose Queensland port expansion schemes , dredging, spoil dumped on and near the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park , toxic run off from mines into riverways and vast numbers of bulk carriers . Currently the North Queensland Conservation Council has mounted a campaign to stop Magnetic Island turning into Mud Island . Earlier this year , there was elation when whales were spotted near Darwin ; there was talk of a new tourist industry-whale watching. This came to a sudden halt when a dead baby whale , which appeared to have been hit by a ship , was washed up on a beach.
