In the middle of the Indian Ocean, this island paradise is an ecological haven offering unique flora and fauna including the spectacular red crab migration which occurs only during monsoon season.
Bandit fights for precious habitat
Who would have thought that one shy platypus in danger would lead to 10 being sighted in a single visit to one of South-East Queensland’s most beautiful locations, less than 90 minutes north of the state capital, Brisbane?
What’s a platypus?
Platypus are elusive, semi-aquatic, monotremes (egg-laying mammals) with a duck-like bill that doubles as a specialised sensory organ, webbed feet with venomous spurs plus a dense, fur coat that protects them when they dive under water.
Because these much-loved Australian native mammals burrow, shelter and lay their eggs in the sides of creek banks, they are particularly vulnerable to habitat degradation, litter and pollution.
In March 2019, an elusive platypus surfaced with a rubber band around her torso. This prompted local Maleny residents to report the distressing sight to a local wildlife group.
The platypus quickly became known as ‘Bandit’ and her predicament triggered a special Clean Up Australia Day Event on March 3, co-ordinated by a local resident.
An enthusiastic group of local volunteers scoured riverbanks, bushland and creeks, removing debris and litter from this otherwise unspoiled environment.
It was solely human behaviour that had tarnished this beautiful creek and its surrounding riparian zone, threatening the habitat of a then unknown number of platypus.
Less than six months later, with three clean-ups since completed, local residents have been richly rewarded.
Up to 10 platypus have been sighted traversing the again-pristine waterway, along with other wildlife that call the lush bushland and creek area home.
Where was Bandit sighted?
Bandit was seen in the Obi Obi Creek, which weaves its way through the lovely Sunshine Coast hinterland town of Maleny.
While the entire Sunshine Coast Regional Council accounts for well less than 0.1 per cent of Australia’s land area, it contains more than 10 per cent of the nation’s known plant species, more than 25 per cent of its known mammal species, and more than half of its known bird species.
One local photographer, Neil seems to have a knack of spotting these elusive creatures, so much so that Maleny locals have dubbed him “the platypus whisperer”.
Neil routinely sees numbers of this shy monotreme on his walks and is always keen to share insights into these elusive mammals.
Back in March, Neil photographed and named Bandit after identifying her as a female.
Since then, Bandit’s rubber band has dislodged and she is free to roam once more.
However, because platypus ferret around the bottoms of creeks looking for food, the consequences could have dire had her rubber band been caught on a log or other debris.
Water pollution and climate change
Pollution, whether it be found on beaches or in waterways, only magnifies the effects of climate change.
As air temperatures rise, so too will water temperatures, and they will do so even more rapidly in smaller bodies of water.
This reduces the level of dissolved oxygen in the water, placing more stress on fish, insects, crustaceans and other aquatic animals, including platypus.
Visitors to the Obi Obi River and its surrounds have the power to reduce pollution in and around waterways by remembering a useful saying: take only memories, leave only footprints.
- If you want to watch out for platypus at Maleny, there’s a special viewing platform along the Obi Obi Boardwalk. Early mornings and dusk are best, but you have to be very quiet and very patient. Don’t forget your camera!
Words by Debra Harrip
Photograph by Debra Harrip
In late July, experts were scratching their heads after a clutch of turtle eggs were laid on a Sunshine Coast beach, four months out of season.
In what’s believed to be a first for the South-East Queensland shoreline, the unexpected winter nesting occurred at Mudjimba Beach, 110km north of Brisbane.
The eggs were found to belong to an endangered loggerhead turtle; this confirmed after the hatchlings emerged from their eggs.
Why is winter nesting so unusual?
Taking nine to ten months to produce functional sperm, male loggerhead turtles usually do not produce viable sperm earlier in the year.
As they are known to only mate once a month, the males habitually mate during the months of October, November and December.
The Sunshine Coast Council TurtleCare Coordinator was alerted to the out-of-season nesting and joined Coolum & North Shore Coast Care volunteers and, together, they painstakingly retrieved 93 eggs.
Since, any rotation could have caused an embryo to rupture and die, the task of extracting the eggs was done with great care.
Each egg was gently weighed and measured before being placed into containers of moist sand, along with a compass on top to lessen the risk of unnecessary movement.
The eggs were then transferred to a Council depot where they were inspected to check for viability before being placed in an incubator.
There was elation all round when 87 of the eggs proved to be viable.
Temperature changes could lead to skewed sex ratios, as warmer sands tend to produce more female hatchlings.
More extreme weather events can lead to storm surges that inundate turtle nests and destroy nesting beaches.
Rising sea levels will steal vital beach nesting habitats while rising temperatures could also lead to complex changes in ocean currents, which could see hatchlings end up in unsuitable areas for survival and growth.
Sea temperature and acidity rises may limited the growth of sea grasses and other fodder for turtles.
Increasing air humidity could make eggs more susceptible to disease, resulting in higher mortality.
Had the eggs been left in the cold sand overnight, local turtle experts say, it’s doubtful that any would have survived to hatch.
In September, the hatchlings were released back at Mudjimba beach after staying in a climate-controlled incubator for 66 days.
Recently, I returned from attending a photography masterclass in George Town, Penang, a wonderful experience which provided me the opportunity to enhance my skills, extend my knowledge and fine tune my craft.
Georgetown is a colourful, vibrant destination that has a great deal to offer; it is friendly, safe, artistic and a food lover’s paradise.
Whilst attending this workshop, my primary focus was to meet and photograph people living on the streets. Despite George Town being a popular tourist destination, homelessness continues to remain an issue.
From my conversations with homeless people, it became apparent that, at times, these people have been encourage to live in shelters or care homes. Whilst the comfort of four walls may sound appealing, I found an overwhelming number of homeless people who value their freedom more than anything, choosing to live on the streets without boundaries.
Upon my reflection, I ask myself; do I believe homeless people to be featureless? Do they experience the same collective journey?
The answer is a simple no. Each person is unique, with an individual and fascinating story to tell. These dignified, wonderful people shared their stories with me, telling me about their hopes, dreams and as a collective, aspire for a safer, better future.
Recently, I had the opportunity to re-visit Cambodia, documenting social justice matters to highlight more awareness in the areas of people affected by poverty HIV and disability.
Cambodia has one of the largest populations of disabled people in the world, with an estimated 40,000 landmine survivors. Whilst, landmine eradication is very pro-active throughout Cambodia, these perilous devices still exist in the countryside, inflicting suffering, pain and even death.
Fortunately, there are wonderful organisations doing great work to provide assistance to disabled people, promoting their services with dignity and hope.