ROYALTY AND BUCKINGHAM PALACE DINGO IN VIVID SYDNEY DISPLAY

 

Dingo atop  palace gates.

Aeronautical Correspondent Abra snapshots.. 

(Dingo.  Artist. Sydney.)

VIVID SYDNEY LIGHT DISPLAY

 

Special by Aeronautical Correspondent Abra. 

(Vivid. Light. Sydney.)

CELEBRITY NEEDS INSTANT BONDI SUNTAN

 

Australia's  best  known overworked   dung beetle -Doug- has  gone from a typical  bronzed  Aussie  bloke into  a   repulsive   black blob  . The photo below  shows him  in  his prime , his  muscle- bound, varnished  body  made  from  recycled   timber  by  sculptor  Cameron  Rushton. 

Now, seemingly due to the  combination of  climate change and   recent  heavy rain , he  has  a  mouldy appearance  , which clearly requires  a  squirt  from an  instant  Bondi Beach  suntan  spraygun. 

Meanwhile, Doug's appearance frightens  young  children and causes  dogs  to bark  madly in Anderson Botanic Gardens,Townsville,where he is  sadly neglected by civic authorities, vets  and  the  tourist industry .  And , naturally, the  local  media which  suffers  from  increasing anaemia  . 

(Dung. Bondi. Townsville.)

DESTINATION SYDNEY

 

Aeronutical Correspondent Abra.

(Sydney. Landing. Abra.)

INTERNATIONAL FASHION PARADE WOWS

Anderson Botanic Gardens ,Townsville,  Vallis  pix. 

(Cycads. Townsville. Vallis.)

MASSIVE ART OUTPUT

An indication of  the extensive  involvement and  interest in  art  all  over  North Queensland  is a  gallery  on Magnetic Island  -one of  a number there - at  the  back of   Island  Living Centre , Mandalay Avenue, Nelly  Bay. 

 The  business  , which opened in  l999,  is run by Susan and Peter Stein . Not only is  Peter  a  highly skilled jeweller, he  also  designed  and  had built the impressive  wrought iron  fence   at  the front of  the centre   which   includes the  outlines  of  local   birds  and  sealife . 

Interestingly, the couple  spent  time in  Darwin before  moving   to  the island.

(Art . Queensland . Island  )

MAMMA MIA !

There must surely  be an interesting story behind this vintage Italian Silvestrini  piano accordion  for  sale  at  $400 in a North Queensland op shop, detected  by one of  Little  Darwin's  runners  out  looking for  souvenir teaspoons. 

(Italian . Music. Sale.)

YE OLDE COALITION ODD BODKINS UNITED IN OPPOSITION SHARP POINT EXCHANGE

 Liberals  getting  the upper  hand  on  irradiated , irrational  Nationals  in  joint   medieval  joust  after the  disastrous  Australian election result   to  discuss  policies , especially  relating to  energy and  climate change.  Exclusive  debating   photo  supplied  by  Sir  Lancelot  who said the  combatants  wore  fashionable   gowns   to   show  the  LNP  is eager to  attract  more  serving  wenches and  milkmaids into  its smallpox  depleted  ranks.   

(Coalition. Infighting. Wenches. )

CROCODILE SIGHTING

Crocodile , in  centre of  photograph , near top , recently sighted  off  Saunders Beach  , north  of  Townsville. 

(Crocodile. Beach. Queensland. ) 

TROPICAL SUNRISE

Cairns Esplanade . Aeronautical Correspondent  Abra. 

 (Sunrise. Cairns. Abra.)

MYSTERIOUS BROOCH SURFACES ON JEWEL IN THE CROWN TROPICAL ISLAND

A  piece of  jewellery  made from the  tooth of  a  crocodile , above, once  owned  by  a woman close to an  early adventurous and  thirsty  North Queensland  writer  and   editor , is  on  view  in  the  museum on   Magnetic Island  , off  Townsville . .   

Thought   to  have originally  been   a  pendant  , later  altered   and  made  into  a brooch, it  includes  a  Queensland  opal . 

It  is  part of an exhibition HER STORY IN  HISTORY  highlighting  the lives  of  interesting early  island  women,  the  late Minnie  Hambling , shown below, who  owned  the   brooch , one  of  them. 

Minnie , said to have arrived in Cooktown off a ship in July 1883,  later became  the  housekeeper of  pioneering  newspaper  editor   and  writer  Dodd  Smith  Clarke, pictured  below , who spent  some  years  living  on  the  island in  retirement  and  helped  set  up the island's first school at  Picnic Bay , a  street  named  after  him .      

 

There is speculation that  the  unusual piece of jewellery  may have  been inspired  by the  fact  Clarke  went  on  one  of  the  expeditions of  Scotsman  George  Dalrymple  (1826-1876) , explorer , public servant  and politician , who opened  up   large  parts  of  Queensland .

In 1873, Clarke, described as a  government boatman at the time  ,was a member of  Dalrymple's  expedition which  with  two  cutters , Flying Fish and Coquette, set out to  report on the uncolonised coastal lands north of Cardwell  and  assess  them for sugar  production. 

Included in the expedition were Sub-inspector  Robert Johnstone, botanist  Walter Hill  and  13 Native  Police  troopers .  

Aboriginal settlements were  encountered , the residents reportedly said to have first been "moved on" or "dispersed" with volleys of gunfire. Expedition  camp sites  later  became  Innisfail  and  Cairns .

On an expedition looking for a port for the Palmer River  goldfields,  the   Johnstone  River was  named ,  after  the  Sub-inspector , which  was   said  to  be  teeming  with  crocodiles. 

 From  Manchester ,  Clarke, with  an English university eduction, had been an   auctioneer , commission  agent and  timber merchant  who introduced  coffee trees   and   other  fruit  trees  to  Cairns . 

He  become  one of  three men who founded the Townsville  Daily Bulletin in 1881, its editor for 30 years, a position he nearly lost because of his imbibing . He  also  started  an  early  newspaper  in  Cairns.

 Deeply involved  in  politics, he  backed  moves for a separate  state in the north. 

About 1899 , Clarke retired to Nelly Bay, near Bright Point,  Magnetic Island  , with  Minnie  Hambling  as  his housekeeper. He eventually  sold his island land  to  Hambling  who  rented  out  accommodation .

Illness  forced  Clarke to  move back  to  the  mainland where   he died  in  l918. He was  described as the finest leader  writer in Queensland  , a man of great intellect , who in another walk of life could have become a brilliant statesman. 

His  island  residence  sold  in  l913,  became the resort  My  Island  Home.  Minnie  Hambling  spent several years in Tully  and  died in  Brisbane  aged 83.   

(Crocodile. Jewellery. Explorer.)

A UNIQUE ATTRACTION

 Made from 330 butterfly and moth specimens , the Fig Bird at the top of this brochure  is  just one of the spectacular displays at  the fabulous   North Queensland  attraction,  the  Ayr  Nature Display..  

One of the  displays is  a  well  made from  1220 butterflies, part  shown above  . Another  spectacular display, on the ceiling, covers 120.5 metres and  features  1310 butterflies  made from Queensland  rocks , arranged in  various patterns   depicting  circles, ellipses and  larger  butterflies. 

A large map of Australia  is  constructed   from  three kinds of beetles  found in the local Burdekin region; Skippy the Kangaroo is  made  from moths and  butterflies ; there is a  display of carved  baobab  nuts and  emu eggs; Aboriginal grinding  stones ; fossils; opalised wood;  snakes, including sea snakes ; goblets and  walking  sticks made from Queensland  timber ; crustaceans . 

 Then  there is  the  extensive  seashell section where they are  displayed and used  in  many  artistic  ways .

Close up of  a  shell , below,  which looks like a Kookaburra ,large numbers of them  used  in  another   impressive  display  which involved  intricate  work .

Part of  a   showcase  , below, includes   crabs  and four deadly Stonefish, from  Magnetic Island ,  suspended  on  the  right .

Newspaper  cutting about  Jess and  Allan Ey who  set up the remarkable  collection  .They came   to Queensland   from South Australia  in  1946 . In  l956  Allan  , long interested in Australian birdlife , began shell collecting  as a  hobby. Then  insects  and  numerous other items of interest  . The  collection  was opened  to  the  public  in  l966. 

 

(Butterflies. Shells. Collectables.)

MARITIME ADVENTURE

 

A traditional Indonesian  outrigger canoe - a jukung- being   prepared in  Bali for  a  road   trip  and  assembly at  a launching  point  for  an exciting  voyage. Dispatches  expected  along  the  way. 

(Bali. Canoe. Voyage.)

EBB AND FLOW OF LIFE

 Sad  sightings  on   Ross  River , Townsville .  

Dead wallaby.

Large  barramundi  nibbled by turtles. 

(River . Deaths .Turtles.) 

SPLISH, SPLASH

Vallis  snaps.

 (Water. Eruption, Queensland.) 

THE ART OF HOVERING IN LOTUS LAND

 

Townsville action.  Vallis pix.

(Flight. Hover .Nature.)

NORTHERN OVERVIEW

 

Townsville by Aeronautical Correspondent  Abra. 

(Townsville. Aerial . Abra.)