DANGEROUS BUTTERFLY CHASE

 With poor eyesight, wonky on his legs, photographer  Vallis  is bound to do himself a mischief  if  he  does  not  stop  chasing  wildlife.  A sudden   flurry of  birdwing  butterflies  sent  him stumbling  about  with  his camera , resulting in  this  series , the   top close up , in  flight  , out  of  focus  due  to  his  shakes.

   

WORLD SCOOP : ET AND HUMAN-LIKE PARENTS FLY INTO CHINESE PORT OF DARWIN

Stacey photograph 

 

UNCHAINED REFUGEE MEERKATS AT THE BOTTOM OF AUSTRALIAN GARDEN

The  message : Friendship  isn't one big thing , it's  a million  little things .  

CRUISE SHIP CAIRNS . STACEY PHOTOS

FEATHERS FLY IN BILOELA WELCOME HOME

 A touching story  has  surfaced  involving  a   nest  of  birds  made  by  a  Magnetic Island  resident  sent  to  Biloela , Queensland,   to  welcome  home  the  Nadesalingam  family , released from  house  detention  in  Perth ,Western  Australia,  by  the   Albanese Government .

When  the  family  was  shown  the  nest , representing the Tamil refugees, they  returned  with  feathers   to   cover , protect  the  birds .

The  photo  at  the top of  this  post  was  taken at  an Amnesty International  exhibition on Magnetic Island , in  the  Louver Gallery , not covered by the mainland media ,  in  which the  plight of   the  family , other refugees ,   Wikileaks  founder Julian  Assange  , a onetime island resident,  now  outrageously facing extradition  from  London  to   the  USA, were  highlighted.

Artworks  from  the  exhibition were   transported to Biloela  by  the  ALP   months  ago  for   public  display. 

   

SPACE INVADERS ?

 

Our Shipping Reporter , the only one north of  Coogee, Sydney, believes  there are  beings from another galaxy  here   after  he  photographed  the   above  awesome  spaceship   buzzing  a ferry   off   Townsville    and  weird    life  forms   atop  a   pylon  at   the  Magnetic Island  terminal. Could it be that  a spaceship  zoomed in  on media magnate Robert Maxwell's luxury yacht,  causing him  to  fall  overboard ?.

SIEGE ON MAGNETIC ISLAND

An overnight  police  siege  is continuing  on Magnetic Island .  Police can  be heard  negotiating  with  a  man in a  house  in  Nelly Bay.   Residents  not  allowed  in or out . More details  later. 

Kelly Street,on bus route,blocked off.

TEA , COFFEE AND COCOA HITS

 With so much alarm  about  the rising price of coffee , Little Darwin  pulled the following  1908 invoice from a  leading merchant, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne  and  Brisbane ,  out  of  its  long  black  (and yellowing )  ephemera   files. 

LONELY KAYAK

Vallis photo.

 

BOY ON A RAY IN TROPICAL WONDERLAND

 

 Cairns waterfront. Abra  photographs. 

TOWNSVILLE WATERFRONT- BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY , LITTERED WITH JUNK AND UNMENTIONABLES THE NEXT

 Shipping Reporter Expose 

On June 13,one  small  stretch of  the above  panoramic waterfront ,which includes a marina filled with expensive yachts,contained 13 dumped  shopping trolleys ,three abandoned E-scooter  helmets, a road sign ,several  traffic control witches hats, a truck tyre , rusting pieces  of machinery ,assorted  other litter , including  pieces of  plastic . A short distance away, near the  busy ferry terminal and  bus stop, there was  a grotesque  object which looked like  a feral g-string  on the ground.  

A recently dumped trolley, others long  submerged .

Prominent trolley oyster  farm .

Long immersed trolleys near boats. 

The  following  Give Way sign  was  photographed well over a year ago .On Monday it was still there, hard to read , covered  in  much mud ,near a trolley which  had long been in the water .   

Helmet  and other  junk.

Dance of the Seven Veils  discard  and what  could be mistaken for the  figleaf , now   desiccated , worn by Eve in the Garden of Eden, at  ferry terminal .

SURPRISE START TO FIRE SEASON

Townsville . Vallis photograph. 

 

SHIPPING REPORTER WARSHIP PUZZLE

 

Our waterfront  roundsman is in a puzzled state of  mind after  he  took a  series  of  photographs  of  a  warship, said to  be  American, surrounded by a  floating  boom  in the port of Townsville  . An onlooker said all American warships  have a  floating  boom  when  they are  in port . 

 Downloading  the  pix, the Shipping Reporter was surprised to see  what  looked  like  bad  rust , even  holes  near  the  waterline , see  below.  He  wondered  if  there had  there  been a  recent  Coral  Sea  Battle  which somehow  he  had  not  heard  about . 

Also in port , looking as if it had been in a  naval battle, was the  asphalt and  bitumen carrier,  Da  Wei  Shan.

MUTILATED MERMAID MIRACLE

From  a  distance , it seemed Magnetic Island's  mysterious mutilated   mermaid  had  grown  new  arms  to  replace  the  ones  torn  from  her  body,  as  was  her  head   which  had been replaced several times .  Stumbling  across  the  rocks  at  the entrance to the island , risking life and limb  to  get a closer look  at  this miracle , it  was found somebody had  dressed the tortured sea  creature  in  a  long sleeve pullover-  apparently with imitation  cut  out   fingers !!!! - advertising   a  concrete company.  Rock  on  fellahs  for  this  audacious  act. 

DISHONOURING THE BRAVE

 The  ornate former Townsville Railway  Station  ticket  office  with its large First World  War honour roll of northern division  railway patriots  who volunteered  to  fight  for  the  Empire is now inappropriately being used to store bollards, witches hats  and  a  wet  floor warning sign  , says  our Shipping  Reporter , who  provided  the   photographic  evidence . 

 

While the nearby Victory in the Pacific  fountain  was  nearly devoid of  rubbish , unlike so many other occasions , reported  in this blog ,  he did  spot a  piece of plastic and a stone in the bottom chamber .However  the path  leading from the fountain to the  old ticket  office was  covered in leaves, there being  some inside  on  the  floor . As usual , the nearby bus shelter was  grotty .

JUNK FESTIVAL SOCIAL NOTES

                        

Noticed at the recent Junk Festival, Katherine, in the Northern Territory, was recycled  former  ABC reporter  Richard Creswick, of Darwin, with ABC  reporter covering the popular  event , Roxanne  Fitzgerald. Run by the  Katherine Town Council , the festival encourages  saving the planet by reducing ,recycling and reusing  rubbish , resulting in dazzling   products and works of  art . The  festival  attracted  thousands .

Richard  recently  published  a book on how ABC television came to Darwin  . He gives the impression  he  is a  combined  reincarnated  dynamic   Hollywood  publicity  agent  and a  New York  ace reporter  in  his  current   promotion of   a  book  soon  to  be launched in Darwin about  the great Northern Territory crusading  editor , Jim Bowditch. That's Richard, in an obviously recycled location,  below ,  promoting  the  book.

CLIMATE BLOCKADE CALL

 

Posters  calling  for  a  large   climate   rally  in  Sydney  have appeared in  North Australia , this  one  on  Magnetic  Island.It  is rumoured Queen Elizabeth and  Paddington Bear  will  attend  and  hand out  marmalade  and Vegemite  sandwiches.  

KOALAS FACING GRAVE GUMLEAF SHORTAGE IN CLIMATE RAVAGED BUSHLAND

 Stop  moaning  about   the    extreme   lettuce  shortage   due   to   flooding  of  market  gardens .Think of the   poor Koalas  who are  apparently  so  short of   gumleaves   that  they are  now  being  photographed   climbing   palm  trees   in  a   frantic  search   for  tender  roughage, only  to find inedible  fronds  and  nuts.  Caring  wildlife   photographer  Vallis  was about to contact Sir David Attenborough  to raise the plight of   Australia's cuddly  Koalas   when he  discovered that   the ones he  snapped above , high up a  palm tree,  are  bogus marsupials, probably made in China ,  which have been there   for years , requiring  no  chewing  gum .  

      

TROPICAL MOUNTAIN SCENERY

Mount Whitfield Conservation Park, near Cairns , which contains  walking tracks, rainforest ,views  of   the  coast .  Abra photograph . 

ANTIQUES , BOOK AND ART FAIR

The  place to be this Queen's birthday weekend   is  the  60th Australian Antique and  Art  Dealers  Association's  Melbourne   Fair  in  the Malvern  Town Hall .  Douglas Stewart Fine Books , which has supplied  this blog with  many  interesting  stories,  will   be  displaying  some  of  its  treasures  

AUSTRALIAN PICKERS FIND MONA LISA , THREE WISE MEN IN ODD MANGER SETTING

 

BIG GAME DRINKING DEAL

Jumping  Marlin, Cairns.

Latest   news  in  fishing  circles  on  Magnetic Island  is  that the  Marlin Bar at  Horseshoe   Bay and  the Picnic Bay  Hotel  are  on  the  verge  of   changing  hands . 

DREDGING SILHOUETTES TOWNSVILLE

 

Shipping Reporter photos .

WET WINTER

Predictions  that   Australia   could  expect  a  wetter  than  usual   winter  seem   correct .  Way  out  west  in  the  normally  dry   Birdsville    country   there  are  floods ,boats being used to rescue stranded  people.  On   Magnetic Island , off   Townsville , North  Queensland , it  seemed  like  an early  start  to the Wet Season  when  heavy rain  fell  for  hours  overnight  , parts of  the  island   recording   falls  of  120mm.

The  morning after  the deluge , photographer   Vallis  captured  signs of  the    big wet . Looking from the  island across  Cleveland  Bay  low cloud  could  be seen  along the mainland  ranges .

In  various parts of  the  island  there   were   surface   water  pools  , a  large  area   near the  Nelly Bay  Foodworks  building    turned into  a  chain  of   ponds, below .

 Still  flooded from  earlier   rain , the  so-called  Pope's Land   was  more  extensive  due  to  the  downpour  , the  nearby  drain  obviously  blocked  for   some time .  The  Pope will  have  to  arrange  the  laying on of many hands  to  have  the  blockage cleared , or else  mosquitoes will thrive .  Still  adrift  in  the  landscape   and   latest   floodwater  is  a  long  abandoned    van , near  the  main drag , parts  of  which  have  been  removed  . 

BREAKING (ICE-CREAM) NEWS : GNOMES OVERTHROW IMPERIOUS CONE

 

Stroppy garden gnomes on Magnetic Island have  toppled the  king-sized , annoying , attention grabbing  , giant ice-cream cone  which  recently took over and dominated their  patch.  In  the process  of  the coup , the  aggressive  gnomes   staged a  loud  demo,  beheaded  the  whopper intruder , its  finger  licking  head  seen  in  the  background . 

 At first  it was thought  it was  part of  an odd   Australia  event  marking  Queen  Elizabeth's  70  years  on  the  throne .   This  gruesome  beheading   follows   at   least   three  beheadings  of  the  island's mysterious ,  maltreated   mermaid , such outrages  unable  to  be   traced  to  the  wee  people  at  this  stage , but  investigations are  ongoing .