QUEENSLAND Isisford to Noonbah and Longreach

Sunday 25 June
Another fine morning and hot shower in Blackall.  Fantastic chorus of kookaburras at breakfast.  Left at 9:10, expecting to drive 122 km to Isisford, then around 304 km to Noonbah.
I was thrilled to see a Bustard beside the road 7 km from Blackall.

We also saw Apostle Birds, crows, Emu, Magpies, Magpie-larks, 7 live kangaroos alone or in pairs, some cattle.  The road was bitumen.  We reached Isisford at 10:50, altitude 210m, 40 less than Blackall.  We had a problem using credit card to get fuel at the unattended bowser.  Rang for help and a NZ lady came.  She told her story of coming here in 1987 with her husband who could no longer cope with the climate in western South Island.  He died in 1991 but she stayed on because it was a safe place to live.
Drove for some hours on a reasonable dirt road through mostly treeless plains until we came to the Thomson Development Road where we turned left.  David had used GPS coordinates to tell our X-Trail navigator where to go.  This led us at least 70 km out of our way to Stonehenge.  We retraced our steps and turned into the road for Lochern National Park, 44 km away.  The sign also indicated that Noonbah was 54 km from there.
By 5:15 we had set camp in afternoon shade overlooking paddocks.

The 31 participants were:

Peter & Lynette Haselgrove          Terry & Sally Johnsen      Murray & Jeanette Watson

Judy Haines & Barbara Bradford   Barry & Marjorie Jahnke     Susan Nelles 

Harry, Finan, Amelie Hines           Dick Copeland & Ron Carr  

Eric Andersen & Diana O'Connor      David & Bernice Shaw

John Moss & Kathy Marchant            Peter, Sally, Tasman, Banjo, Mulga Hines        

Barney Hines, Thuy Dinh, Kayla & Nina Hines                                  

All 5 bedrooms in the cottage were eventually occupied, with its laundry, 2 bathrooms, 2 toilets available for all to use. Lynette & Peter, our leaders, set up a meeting in the big loungeroom at 7:30 that night. 
Monday 26 June

Finan & Amelie hanging around waiting for the 8:30 am start

American teacher/tourist guide Ken who was staying with Angus joined us.

Out in cars by 9am to lay 75 small mammal traps in a restricted area.  Each group, led by Harry, Finan or Amelie, placed traps under shrubs or in rock fissures 10 metres apart.  Bait was peanut butter & oats.  Traps had to be protected from heat using cow dung, grass, leaf litter and marked with pink tape.  

Buds on Corymbia terminalis

Rat tails Dysphania rhadinostachya

Some lucky ones including David saw a Spotted Bowerbird before returning to the cars.

Then we walked through nearby scrub – little to see except for animal tracks and an ant nest.

  

Spinifex pigeon droppings

After lunch, we went to another area. 

Gidgee Acacia cambagei

River Red Gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis

Acacia cyperophylla - note the minniritchi (red & curly) bark

Warrior bush Apophyllum anomalum

Neat mud nest

Mistletoe Lysiana exocarpi

Harry digging for frogs

 Ghost Gum Corymbia aparrerinja

and the Nats keep wandering and wondering ...

Tues 27 June  Lochern National Park

Lochern Ranger Headquarters

The ranger, Peter, met us and gave an interesting talk before we explored the park.  He spoke of having 10,000 kangaroos there in a drought, but they did not eat out the Mitchell grass as happened on neighbouring properties.  The roos threw sand in their faces to get rid of sandflies.  They died in droves later.
Dingo numbers spike when kangaroos are plentiful.  Dingos are important in controlling feral cats and piglets.  Pig hunters lose dogs which breed with dingoes.
4 or 5 years ago there were foxes in the park.  No camels here.  Rangers have got rid of goats and there are just 7 cattle - used to be 300.  Good relationship between rangers and graziers - National Parks supply materials and graziers build fences.
Parkinsonia is the worst weed species here.  Grasses suffer (but not chenopods and herbs) if there is no summer rain.  Burrs occur on alkaline soils.

Eric talks about Downs Lignum Eremophila polyclada

Eremophila binnoniiflora

Eremophila duttonii

Seeds from the high Sensitive Plant, Neptunia monosperma

Eucalyptus coolabah

Acacia stenophylla

Resin on Acacia stenophylla

Gecko  Heteronotia binoei

This old dam has been drained to create a more natural environment which encourages native fauna.

Archidendropsis basaltica, Red Lancewood, is commonly known as Dead Finish. The name may come from Aboriginal pidgin - "when this tree die, this country, him dead - finish."  It is endemic to Central Queensland and a problem on sometimes on grazing land, growing to 10 metres.  The timber is prized by woodturners, very hard but turns and sands well. (from www. ttit.id.au)


Wed 28/6 Noonbah spinifex area
 This day we spent the morning at an area of spinifex on Noonbah.

Casemoth on Gidgee, Acacia cambagei

Lynette and Peter Haselgrove

Gomphrena sp.

Owenia acidula Close-up of leaves below

Eremophila mitchellii

Lunch time

I was told the item below is a comet ???

We returned to camp and around 4pm went to an area near the airstrip where a magnificent flowering gum had attracted a variety of honeyeaters and bird-watchers.

Corymbia terminalis

Brown Honeyeater

Black Honeyeater

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

Thur 29/6  Noonbah
At 10am we had a session looking at Angus’ study/lab which was crammed with interesting exhibits and books, including a live Black-striped Dunnart awaiting release.
 
The afternoon was spent exploring the area close to the house and dam with John & Kathy.  Birds were the main focus, particularly a large flock of Major Mitchell Cockatoos, some of them pictured below

The dam had an interesting variety of birds.

Black-fronted Dotterel

Pink-eared Duck

Pacific Black Ducks and Grey Teal

Coots and GreyTeal

Australasian Grebes

Juvenile Pied Butcherbird

Restless Flycatcher

Other birds seen were Apostlebirds, Masked Lapwings, White-faced Heron, Jacky Winter, Willie Wagtail, Yellow-throated Miner, Crested Pigeon, Corellas, Magpies, Magpie-larks, Australian Raven, Zebra Finches.

Fri 30/6  Mt Felix 

Worried about my ability to climb up, I set off at fast pace and saw nothing en route.  Stopped at the 2-car parking spot and waited for DPS.  He checked the next part of the climb to the flat-topped mount.  Decided I could do it but I found it quite difficult.
An ABC reporter joined our group for this day. 

Wedge-tailed Eagles

Crotalaria sp

Senna sp

Ready for the ascent

They soon found items of interest

Climbing up

Isotoma petrea

Fearless young Nats

Harry found this bat in a cave up Mt Felix

View to the north-east

View to the west with Jundah Road in centre

View to the north

Back at Noonbah:

Corellas at Noonbah

 Waterloo 1/7
Angus led us to 'Waterloo', a red soil region on Noonbah.  It was named after an incident when a drover met his Waterloo after losing 8000 sheep over the first channel.  In 1956 there were floods and 3 good years, but the Coolabah trees are now 4m taller after 60 years.  He referred to a patch of Gidgee so thick that a dog's got to back out before it can bark (perhaps the sanitized version of the saying?).
 At a waterhole we saw many Spinifex Pigeons, a dead Owlet Nightjar, Red-capped Robin, Jacky Winter, Zebras Finches, a female Brown Songlark, Cockatiel, Crested Bellbird and Australian Raven.

Owlet-nightjar

Acacia cambagei Gidgee - flowers below

Black-fronted Dotterel

Eagle nest with Zebra nest underneath

Zebra Finches

Spinifex Pigeons paraded around the dam

Lunch at long waterhole

Coolabahs

Men - our host Angus is 3rd from left

Noonbah 2/7
I spent much time this day washing clothes, updating photos and diary, saying good-bye to those leaving and wandering around the area near our camp.  Birds near our campsite:

Apostlebirds

Grey Shrike-thrush

Grey-crowned Babblers

That night our generous hosts asked us to their home for a barbecue which was enlivened by music from some talented Nats including Peter and Judy. 

Noonbah 3/7 and 4/7

Santalum acuminatum

Mistletoe Lysiana sp.

Most of our party left yesterday or today.  We had to identify things ourselves as the experts were not available.  Apologies if we are wrong.

Ctenotus leonhardii

We left on Tuesday morning after saying goodbye and thanks to Karen Emmott (Angus was not there).  Karen was busy with her usual (and unusual) chores including care for 7 orphaned joeys, one puggle and stroking her pet pig.

The joey is a male red kangaroo.

Karen and Angus are such big-hearted, warm, nature-loving people.  It was a privilege to meet them and get a glimpse into their lifestyle.