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 .