MOONBI 101

Four wheel drivers opposing minor road and beach closures for motor vehicles on Fraser Island continue to swim against the flow of public opinion. They are under the mistaken belief that Fraser Island should be managed for THEIR recreation rather than protecting its World Heritage values.

An increasing number of Australians wanting to use National Parks and World Heritage areas such as Fraser Island in other ways than driving through them. Every other National Park and World Heritage site in Australia has restrictions on where vehicles can go and can't go and where people can camp and can't camp and there is no good reason why Fraser Island should be any different. More and more Australians cherish an image of Fraser Island as a pristine wild and natural place and an increasing number are appalled by the presence of the ever growing number of motor vehicles they see there and are demanding that numbers and access to some sites be restricted.

Responsible Government: Closing of only one kilometre of the 120 of the eastern surfing beach and only 11 km North Wathumba Road and 17 kms beach in the northern part of Fraser Island to all motor vehicles was the very minimum that the Beattie Government could have done.

What the Queensland Government has done is in line with what all other World Heritage managers around the world have had to do to manage a growing demand for access to wonderful places. The four-wheel drive lobby is swimming against the tide in trying to reverse this necessary trend.

Australia has fourteen World Heritage sites and while motor vehicles are permitted in all but the sub-Antarctic islands (Macquarie, Heard and McDonald Islands) access in all is strictly controlled with the distance which any motor vehicles can travel in each be regularly reduced.

Public wants more traffic restrictions: There is a widespread public groundswell demanding even more beaches be closed to traffic. Last year in response to the question, "Should four wheel drives be banned from Fraser Island?" a surprising 47% of Sunshine Coast respondents to a phone in poll said they wanted 4WDs banned from the island. One said, "They're responsible while the individual drivers can be downright dangerous". Another said that restrictions should apply rather than a total ban. "Perhaps they could be allowed up there once a year." Another supported a total ban for safety reasons.

Fraser Island is one of the natural wonders of the world. There are many other ways to appreciate it without driving over every inch of it. The majority of people treasure Fraser Island as they treasure Antarctica as a wild natural place. They want to expunge the image of it being over-run by four-wheel drives.

A Little Knowledge is Dangerous

The Friends of Fraser Island have obviously suffered from having just too little knowledge. MOONBI 99 carried an article by FIDO member, Judith Tambling recalling the safaris that she and some other members of FIDO had enjoyed with the Environment Minister, Dean Wells back in the early 1980s. This has spawned all sorts of fallacious speculation which has been published and distributed by the Friends of Fraser Island which did even less to check their facts than Senator Heffernan did before erroneously libeling Justice Michael Kirby.

There are many erroneous conclusions drawn by a mischievous organization trying to discredit Sinclair and FIDO to reverse provisions of the Great Sandy Region Management Plan especially as it affects road and beach closures. They want open slather to use every track and beach possible.

More Dingoes

Another Killed by Rangers: At 1.30 am on 24 January a dingo bit a 26 year old English doctor. She was playing in the darkness on the beach at One Tree Rocks with four friends just North of Eurong. She said the dingo came from nowhere after she fell. It bit her on the left ankle and right buttocks leaving two puncture marks on each. She reported the attack to the rangers the following morning within 24 hours there was a fatal response for the dingo.

Acting Senior Ranger, Eric Glassop said a "well developed" dingo matching her description had been caught in a dingo trap that night. He said a dingo in the area had been showing "undesirable" behaviour for two-to-three weeks and that the rangers had no option but to destroy the dingo if it was being aggressive. The report showed "Probable cause of death" as "Dingo attack".

Two other dead dingoes were cited under "Probable cause of death" as "Dingo attack". Both had stomach contents analyzed in March. Due to the cryptic nature of the reports coming through we could be forgiven for thinking both were also shot. However inquires show that the Lake McKenzie dingo was engaged in a fatal dog fight. It is not known what caused the death of the Waddy Point animal.

Accident or Assassination?

Two other dingoes were run down and killed by 4WDs - one at Sandy Cape and one at Orchid Beach. Although the cryptic reports said "no details known" FIDO believes that these animals were deliberately run down by rednecks as was foreshadowed to us in an E-mail published in MOONBI 100.

This is a most disturbing trend. To lose at least 3 dingoes in just over a month as a result of unnatural causes is not sustainable for a population already seriously depleted after the May 2001 Massacre.

It is not good enough for the EPA to accept the death of dingoes and to seek no details. Our inquiries suggest that running down dingoes is a red-neck reaction in the same way that red-necks introduced foxes into Tasmania in a deliberate response the introduction of the new gun laws.

While FIDO is also considering what actions we can pursue under the EPBC Act, we are also urging people who share our concern about dingoes to collect as many signatures as possible on petitions. The petitions will make all state and federal politicians aware of the precariously low state of the gene pool on Fraser Island and its very great significance.

Dingo Policy needs much more fine-tuning: FIDO remains concerned that so little is known about the dingo population dynamics on Fraser Island. FIDO believes that this will only be resolved when every dingo on the island has been trapped and marked. Then lay-people can ensure they can give a positive identification such as, "It had a nick on the left side of its left ear" or perhaps, "It had a green marker on its right front leg". It is possible to develop a humane and permanent not disfiguring method to identify wild animals and such methods have been employed by zoologists and animal behaviourists for years.

Marking every individual dingo would produce some much more positive outcomes:

Dingoes are recognized as being one of Fraser Island's World Heritage values. They are also proving to be one of the most expensive and difficult management issues on Fraser Island when one considers what has transpired in the last 12 months since the death of Clinton Gage.

FIDO has some serious reservations about the fencing placed around some camping areas. The fence erected around the Lake Boomanjin camping area looked more like the style applied to the Woomera Detention Centre than for a natural area.

There also needs to be some rethinking of the hazing strategy. At present only Rangers can engage in hazing (i.e. chasing the dingoes away and making them more wary of people). Anyone else engaging in "hazing" could be deemed to be "harassing" and be fined $1200. The problem of restricting hazing only to Rangers has run into problems because the dingoes are only associating the deterrents with Ranger and people driving ranger vehicles.

The Commonwealth Government funded the development of a Fraser Island Walking Tracks Management Plan back in 1996 but this has so far failed to materialize.

MOONBI 99 reported that progress was being made on the Walking Track Management Plan for Fraser Island. We understood that we could soon look forward finally after a wait of many years to the release of the Draft Walking Track Management Plan. Regretably this Plan seems to have hit a brick wall and stalled in a similar manner to so many of the island's other proposed great plans of the past.

The CAC hasn't heard a word since we commented on the preliminary "Draft Fraser Island Walking Track Management Plan - On Shifting Sand" in April 2001. There still hasn't been a formal DRAFT PLAN released inviting wider comment from the public. We had expected that about a year ago. The management's December Report there was a note that the QPWS had selected an officer, Anthony Thomas, to work on the Plan. He took up duties in early 2002 and is based at Maroochydore.

In December 2000 the Hervey Bay City Council submitted a proposal to the Beattie Government to initiate work on Stage 1 of the Kgari Walking Trail on Fraser Island which FIDO had initiated. FIDO was alarmed to discover that the Beattie and Commonwealth Governments had committed over $5 million to a walking trail network in the Wet Tropics World Heritage area but had omitted Fraser Island entirely from consideration in this program. We were able to discover though that there was a small residual in State Coffers from this Federation Heritage Trails funds which could allocate up to $100,000.

FIDO had proposed to define the Kgari Trail through 70 kilometres from Lake Garrawongera to Wathumba Creek in the North. However the Beattie Government rejected that very modest application. They then held out hopes that Fraser Island would be the beneficiary of a $10 million program which was part of the Beattie Government's 2001 Election promises.

What is most disturbing is that having rejected FIDO's earlier submission for walking trails, now everything seems to be stalled on Fraser Island.

While work is actively proceeding spending the $5 million in the Wet Tropics, we haven't even got any commitment for any actual money being spent on Fraser Island. We can't even have a DRAFT Fraser Island Walking Plan released for public discussion let alone initiate planning to get the walking trails proceeding. Fraser Island management seems to be perpetually in WAIT mode.

One FIDO member, Frank Earley of Toowoomba recently wrote to us to congratulate us on MOONBI 100. In doing so he recalled how he was able to circumnavigate Fraser Island in 1978. He wrote:

"My adventure with my 2 daughters in 1978 from Rainbow Beach to Indian Head on my "long distance, cruising type" land yacht was absolutely fantastic and as far as I know, we were the first to use a land yacht there.

"Exactly one year later another guy and I circumnavigated Fraser by sail.

"We started by my land yacht at Hook Point and swapped over to his catamaran at Rooney and finally reached the starting point.

"I said 'finally' because we had to break the journey at Ungowa for a couple of days to fly him out from orchid beach to attend a pharmaceutical meeting back here in Toowoomba. While he was gone I had some fun up and down Eurong beach in some pretty wild weather and have that on film. We raised $1000 for the Junior Choir of the Toowoomba Choral Society for their NZ concert tour.

"Apart from helping you a couple of years later at the Eli Creek boardwalk working bee, I haven't been back to that beloved Island."

It is therefore wrong to say that the most of Fraser Island is "locked up". The Great Sandy Region Management Plan has zoned most of the northern part of Fraser Island as Remote. There is an area of 53,000 hectares. The plan has four approximately equal areas, Remote (53,000 ha.) Semi-remote non-motorized (47,000 ha) Semi-remote Motorized (48,000 ha.) and Natural (48,000 ha.). Another 23,500 ha. are designated "Intensive and Urban"

The Plan specifically says:

"Areas of remote non-motorized recreation with no facilities or formed access and a requirement for total self reliance. Limited evidence of previous human activity and very little 'on-site' management".

Thus the innovative transport Frank Earley used back in 1978 could still be used as he used it then. It is a challenge.

It is interesting that some people now see the only way of circumnavigating the Top end is by 4WDs.

Although the QPWS has long stalled on removing the remaining handful of brumbies which is part of the Management Plan there is now widespread support for the removal of the remaining animals mainly located in the Orchid Beach - Waddy Point area. The Waler Horse Society of Australia believes that these animals have heritage value and want to remove them. Before they can be removed though they must first comply with EPA rules on issues of the ownership of the horses, disease risk to domestic stock, animal cruelty issues and the method of removal. This seems to be stalling the settlement of the brumby issue but the CAC which was strongly unanimous in its resolution that the brumbies should go sooner rather than later (they had put a deadline of before Christmas).

FIDO and CAC members had hoped that the last brumby would be removed early in 2002 but in April a mob of brumbies were still grazing around Orchid Beach and Indian Head. There has been no word on how long the EPA will allow them to continue to remain.

Tailor In Trouble

There is now belated an acknowledgment by Queensland Fisheries that the stock of Tailor are seriously declining in Eastern Australia. As a result they recently released a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) on a proposed new regulation to reduce the take of tailor and to help conserve Tailor fishing stocks.

In brief it proposed a bag limit for Recreational Fisherman of 20 but for extended trips to Fraser Island it proposes that fishers can take up to 30 tailor per day.

FIDO is unhappy with this differentiation on Fraser Island. It doesn't overcome the general complaint that "amateurs" are filling freezers over a week on Fraser island and then becoming defacto professionals and selling the fish on their return to Brisbane and other centres to recover the costs of their holiday.

FIDO would prefer to keep Fraser Island on the same standard as elsewhere because of difficulty of enforcement and determining what is an "extended" trip.

One other factor affecting Fraser Island is a proposal to extend the closed season Fraser Island in the area from Waddy Point to Indian Head from all of September now to 1^st August to 30^th September. While FIDO welcomes this move as a chance to give the stocks a chance to replenish, we are unhappy that there has been no extension of the area closed to include Breaksea Spit. The RIS says that the Waddy Point to Indian Head area encompasses the largest known spawning aggregation of tailor. However Breaksea Spit is now believed to also be a very significant spawning ground and FIDO believes that this area also needs the protection of a closed season.

The limit for the total commercial catch has been set at 120 tonnes for Queensland (which is effectively only as far north as Sandy Cape because even globally tailor is mainly found only at latitudes above 24 degrees and below 40. The move to restrict professional catches is at least a positive but with the catch continually declining from a 176.2 average since 1988, this may not be such a decline in the potential take and may not have been set low enough.

The Fraser Island World Heritage area extends 500 metres to sea all around Fraser Island. It includes the fish stock as well as the terrestrial flora and fauna. FIDO is as concerned to see that the natural marine resources are protected as well as the terrestrial natural resources. That is why FIDO is arguing that more strenuous efforts are made to conserve the fisheries resources off Fraser Island.

MOONBI will keep members and the conservation movement informed on developments. Unfortunately the Queensland Department of Primary Industries have failed to act on a Discussion Paper to prepare a Fisheries Management Plan for Fraser Island back in 1996 and have let the tailor stocks run down as they stalled on taking any action. FIDO will be more active in ensuring that more urgent action is taken over Fraser Island's most famous fishery tailor. After all it was the Butchalla who gave the name of the fish "Tailor" to the world. Tailor is a corruption of the Butchalla name for the fish, "dhailli".

Recreational Fishing Values

A survey into the spending habits of fishers was conducted for Sunfish Inc. and published in "Recreational Fishermen and Their Contribution to the Economy for Hervey Bay and Great Sandy Strait region June 2000 - January 2001".

It found that Hervey Bay and the Great Sandy Strait region is the host of about 300,000 visitations a year by recreational fishermen. In the region there are 7906 registered boats, valued at $89,992,590, 77% that are less than 5 years old. Regional boat registrations raise $514,282 per year, with boat owners spending $1,117,339 on insurance and $2,624,792 on maintenance per year.

7.5% of fishermen use hire boats spending $601,544 on boat hire per year and 27.9% of fishermen use charter boats spending $4,512,950 per year.

Fishermen in the region own $10,008,900 worth of fishing gear, $3,073,440 worth of specialized clothing to go fishing and $7,488,563 worth of electronic equipment. They spend $1,419,047 on safety gear, $3,708,900 on bait, $2,970,000 on terminal tackle and $2,676,150 on fishing lures per year. They also spend $7,217,100 on boat fuel and $5,910,720 on car fuel per year in order to go fishing.

Survey results also show that;

Fishermen who choose to live in the region for the fishing access also generate significant economic activity in other areas such as the automotive and real estate markets because of their specialized needs.

Recreational fishermen in the region own a total of $101,911,279 of capital equipment and spend a total of $38,345,904 per year to go fishing in the Hervey Bay/Great Sandy Strait region. Visiting recreational fishermen spend $102,817,400 on accommodation.

FIDO thanks Sunfish for its permission to reprint this summary.

Correction: MOONBI 100 stated that rangers are picking palm leaves out of Wanggoolba Creek. Whilst this once happened at the request of tour operators, this is has not been true for at least the past four years. Rangers though are responsible for removing trees from the beaches.

July 2001 Toyota Fishing Expo Report Arrives in January 2002

On 17 January John Sinclair finally received the "official" "Monitoring Report for the Toyota Fraser Island Fishing Expo" which was dated "July, 2001". It is pointless to ask where this report has been gathering mould since because the QPWS is very touchy on this issue and continues to stall on its reporting of this event which FIDO firmly believes has no place in a World Heritage area.

There is a lack of transparency in the dealings between QPWS and Toyota.

The following aspects of the report need to be noted.

About 1413 competitors and 300 associates attended the 2001 event. Of these about 660 camped in the national park; the remainder were accommodated at Orchid Beach township. This concentration of campers in the area required more intensive patrolling and management to mitigate the impact on the environment.

Highest concentrations of campers in the national park "A large proportion of people attending the event stayed in the Orchid Beach township. This has implications for the impact of the event on the township itself. As the township is under the jurisdiction of the Hervey Bay City Council it may be desirable to negotiate for a City 'Commons' ranger ... for future events"

The highest concentration of campers in the National Park were at the Waddy Point beachfront camping area. The number of people camping in the National Park this year was similar to 2000.

It will be noted that there is a significant discrepancy between the figure "660 camped in the national park" (above) and the table.

"Twenty-nine (29) vehicle permits and seventy-two (72) camping permits were issued to competitors from the Waddy Point Ranger Station during May 2001. "

Fish Frames: One of the ongoing problems of waste management on Fraser Island is to find an acceptable means of dealing with fish waste. This is certainly a major problem during the Fishing Expo. Rangers continue to find fish frames, offal and bait inappropriately discarded by contestants even after Toyota has conducted cleanup efforts.

Gulls: "The influence of the concentration of fish comp fishers on Silver Gull population has not been monitored previously. There is no baseline data of the population levels throughout the year and particularly during the tailor-fishing season. Anecdotal reports suggest that there may be an increasing number of Silver Gulls annually which persist after the Fishing Expo at least for the tailor season."

A table provided showed the median number of Silver Gulls between Middle Rocks and South Ngkala Rocks rose from about 28 to 42 in the week during the event. What worries FIDO most is that when FIDO began monitoring Fraser Island in 1971 it was remarkable even to see ONE (1) Silver Gull anywhere on a Fraser Island beach.

Professional Fishers Camps Stay Put

At the June meeting of the CAC in Hervey Bay there was unanimous support for removing the professional fishers camps which have been in place at Waddy Point for more than a decade in clear contravention both of the Recreation Areas Management Act and the Nature Conservation Act. The former Act has been used very discriminately in 1990 against conservationists protesting about logging on Fraser Island and they were forced to move their camps every three weeks. At the same time a blind eye was turned to the professional fishers Waddy Point. A decade later even after the unanimous support of the CAC the fishers still remain in contravention of Queensland's RAM Act.

Now it is not only FIDO who wants to know why. The fact that the implementation of the Management Plan is stalled more frequently in the Waddy Point- Orchid Beach area more than anywhere else on Fraser Island is of particular concern to FIDO. The QPWS always seem to have some reason to stall on implementation in this area.

The QPWS provided us with the following background information that includes the latest stalling reasons:

For many years FIDO has complained about the lack of flow of information from the bureaucrats to the stakeholders. That dearth has just been demonstrated by contrasting the information distributed to stakeholders of Fraser Island with what is distributed to stakeholders of Kakadu National Park.

Why the contrast is so significant is that both Kakadu and Fraser Island have the same sized bureaucracy. It just seems that the organization of the Kakadu staff results in better productivity and a more informative outcome.

The Kakadu Model: The Kakadu information is not only mailed to stakeholders, such as tour operators who are not directly involved in management. These reports are contained in a wonderful newsletter, "Gun-wok" which is placed on the Internet.

"Gun-wok" is the Gundjeihmi word for news or information and the newsletter aims to provide valuable information on park management, activities and planning issues to tour companies and tour guides operating in the Park. However, any other parties interested in the newsletter are encouraged to have a read.

Each edition provides details on the management of the Park from various perspectives. All districts and project areas submit a brief summary of material from their section that is relevant to members of the tourism industry. Included is information on seasonal conditions, visitor statistics, road works, fauna and flora features, notices of closures and openings and other general issues of interest or concern.

1. The number of camping permits issued for Fraser Island has plateaued and has remained relatively static over a five year period.

2. The number of people per permit is increasing while the number of camper nights remains relatively static. This is an indication that the average camping stay is of shorter duration.

3. One explanation based on observation is that increasingly Australian visitors are opting for house and unit accommodation in preference for camping. These are from groups that usually stayed on Fraser Island for a week or more.

4. The use of accommodation continues to grow. The number of beds in accommodation continues to grow with the expansion of Eurong and Kingfisher Resorts and other accommodation at Eurong, Happy Valley and Orchid Beach. Apparently the occupancy rate of available has been maintained except for some aberrations due to external factors such as the 2000 Sydney Olympics and 11^th September, 2001.

5. Increasingly international travellers (backpackers) who visit Fraser Island for 3 day - 2 night ventures are progressively replacing the Australians who are taking accommodated holidays. Because they are the international tourists in larger groups (usually 8 people to a "troop carrier") than traditional Australian camping groups, the aggregate number of camper nights remains relatively constant.

1. 1 FITs are "Free and Independent Travellers" who visit as families or small groups. Commercial tour operators are people carried by Commercial Tour Operators. Almost all of the FITs stay on Fraser Island for more than one day. It appears that about a quarter of visitors on commercial tours do more than just day tours. These usually patronise 2 or 3-day tours, staying in a resort.

2. While there was some aberration due to the Sydney Olympics there has been a steady and consistent upward trend in the number of FIT visitors. Because the number of camper nights (See Table 1) remains relatively constant, it indicates a greater use of accommodation by FITs. There are now about 17,000 fewer camper permits issued annually than vehicle permits. This may be construed to imply that there are now almost as many FITs staying in accommodation on Fraser Island as staying in camps.

Liability Costs Millions

It has been revealed in the latest Queensland EPA Annual Report that nearly $10 million has been paid out to park users in the last five years as a result of accidents including out-of court settlements of claims. Four cases were then still outstanding in the Queensland Supreme Court and four in the District Court. Legal action can arise from "falling over natural obstacles, standing under trees that drop branches or being the hand bitten by the animal being fed" (even though it is illegal to feed the animals.

FIDO believes that the price of compensation is now ridiculously high and is being pushed too hard by predatory lawyer urging people to sue the socks off the Queensland Government so that they can profit by a share of the proceeds from any litigation. Other countries and states have been forced to introduce legislation to limit the extent of their public liability and we urge the Queensland Government to move quickly to put a limit on this incredible drain on the public purse.

FIDO believes that the public interest will be better served if the limited public resources are directed more to improving management of National Parks than it is by making overly generous pay-outs for accident victims. If a similar accident occurred in their own homes or back-yards the victims would receiver nothing. The State shouldn't pay windfalls to victims who elected to enter National Parks.

Permanent Police Presence on Island

In January the Queensland Police confirmed that they are to spend $1.5 million to enhance the presence of law and order on Fraser Island. A police station to house two (2) officers will be established in the EPA reserve, close to the QPWS Eurong Visitor Centre, about 500 metres north of Eurong Township. The new station is to include a residence. It is expected to be operating by the end of the year.

At present there is a permanent police presence on the island during holiday periods and police from Hervey Bay, Maryborough or Gympie, respond to incidents by sea or air, depending on the gravity of the situation.

Just prior to Easter thieves raided many camps on Fraser Island stealing thousands of dollars from campers wallets (but leaving behind the wallets, credit cards and personal papers). It took two days for police to arrive to investigate.

4WD Licences Needed for Fraser Island

The increasing incidence of motor vehicle accidents on Fraser Island including head on collisions on the Ocean Beach have highlighted the need for the Queensland Government to introduce a requirement that drivers of 4WDs need to have a special endorsement on their drivers licence. Treating casualties of these accidents (including expensive helicopter evacuations) and other consequences are posing a heavy drain on the public purse. The obvious inexperience particularly from overseas backpackers who are probably driving 4WDs for the first time in their lives is also heavily impacting on the environment and reducing the amenity of other Fraser Island users. While the Queensland Government has until now shunned this option there is now compelling evidence that it is time to act now not only for Fraser Island but in the interest of public safety everywhere.

What is Fraser's Permanent population?

For some time FIDO has assumed that the population of permanent residents on Fraser Island exceeded 100 and may be as many as 2 people. We had based this assessment on the expansion of the Orchid Beach community but without knowing just how many people were permanently living there. The recent statement by the Police Service that their new Eurong Station will cater for the "80 permanent residents and 350,000 yearly visitors" has FIDO asking questions of the ABS on what can the Census reveal about on the Fraser Island demographics. It is hard to

New Ways to Widen Fraser's Roads

The February management report referred to "roadside vegetation trimmer" when it reported that the "Ranger in Charge Roads inspected a new type of vertical mower which may be an alternative to a flail mower for roadside vegetation trimming." The pruning away of Fraser Island extends from roadside banksias and vegetation that may scratch the paintwork of wide tourist buses to now removing large blackbutts to help "manage recreation".

The Battle of the Barges

An issue at stake for the future management of Fraser Island is to have determined just how much predatory pricing is involved to re-establish a monopoly on the Fraser Island barge services.

One of the figures revealed in the Kleinschmidt Study is that the ferries running to Fraser Island are on Permit vehicles alone worth $4,377,408 annually. With the value of commercial, residents, exempt and QPWS vehicles plus the value of carrying people on Commercial tours the gross revue of all ferries is now estimated to be worth over $8 million per annum - a very substantial market. From 1971 until the late 1980s two barge operators competed on the Inskip Point to Hook Point run which is only a large part but not all of the ferry traffic. Then following some predatory pricing Gordon Elmer was forced out of the market and almost immediately prices began to escalate. This continued until the advent of a new competitor, Ian Dean, into the lucrative Inskip Point to Hook Point run. Again predatory pricing forced the withdrawal of Ian Dean's ferry service and again the prices almost immediately returned to their pre competition days and then began to escalate again.

In 2001 some local entrepreneurs put a new barge, the "Manta Ray" into service on the Inskip Point to Hook Point run charging$55.00 per return trip without charging for any passengers. Immediately the price of the opposition barges were lowered to $35.00 per vehicle and then to $20.00 per vehicle (less than the estimated cost of operation). The "Manta Ray" was forced to lower prices to $40.00 They appealed to the ACCC which seems to be quite disinterested in such aggressive and consistent predatory pricing policy on route. A 25 year history shows that the Inskip Point - Hook Point route can support two rival ferry services provided that no predatory pricing is permitted.

FIDO and a legion of regular Fraser Island users are at a loss to explain why there has been no intervention to ensure that there is fair competition for patronage on the Fraser Island ferry runs.

Turtles

The Great Sandy Region is a more significant breeding ground for turtles that we had previously suspected. This is made clear in the latest management reports on the turtle monitoring at Sandy Cape where Loggerhead turtles (possibly more endangered that other species found in the region) are turning up in significant numbers. A total of 23 Loggerhead turtles have nested at Sandy Cape this season. Just under 5000 Loggerhead turtle eggs have been relocated to a secure compound to prevent dingo predation.

Great Sandy Strait Fatalities: There has been an unacceptable number of turtles dying in Great Sandy Strait recently. In November a Poona resident reported counting 8 dead turtles within a month most of which had suffered serious injury, believed to have been inflicted boats. Great Sandy Strait is a Ramsar site and as such has the marine equivalent of World Heritage listing yet it is not getting the management it deserves. Turtle deaths are being attributed to an increasing number of powerboats traversing the shallow waters of the turtles habitat and not keeping to the deep water channels.

Adrian Peace and Peter Mühlhäusler

This issue of MOONBI features 2 contributed articles - one from Griffith University researcher, Wade Hadwen, on the status of the lakes and this article by Adrian Peace and Peter Mühlhäusler, two University of Adelaide academics on eco-linguistics. This article follows up an article detailing some their research on the application of language specifically as it applies to Fraser Island. It takes up one of John Sinclair's themes, "The Language of Exploitation."

It is FIDO's intention to use MOONBI increasingly to feature articles relevant to Fraser Island from outside sources

Any genuine commitment to the protection of the environment requires us to be simultaneously attentive to the language which is used to describe it. This is not some rarefied academic claim. It is rather to highlight the fact that human beings are unique among animal species in making sense of the environment by discoursing about it at great length, and, most importantly, being able to change the ways in which we do both when we consciously decide that is appropriate. Other animals do not have that capacity to reflect quickly, urgently, deliberately on the ways they relate to their respective environments. We not only spin the webs of meaning which allow us to relate to the environment: we also make adjustments to those webs of meaning all the time. This fact alone means that talking about the environment and having the power to transform it - for good or ill - are simply two sides of the same coin.

This perspective is important when we are engaged in debate over the developmental future of a location like Fraser Island, not least because the very term 'development' is culturally loaded in the extreme. In general terms though, the striking point about islands is our Western tendency to idealise them, and in this respect Fraser Island is a front runner. Our field notebooks are full of such terms as 'pristine', 'natural', and 'primordial', as well as such phrases as 'natural wilderness', 'as Nature made it', and so forth. Any piece of advertising which tries to sell Fraser Island is replete with this kind of language.

Yet as anyone who is remotely familiar with the history of the island well knows, it is most unlikely that any part of it remains - as yet another sales pitch puts it - 'untouched by human presence.' Quite to the contrary; in certain respects the island can be taken as a microcosm of all the major phases of capitalist development which have swept across the Australian continent. Farming, forestry, mining, fishing and tourism - what else does this history add up to but a condensed narrative of 'development' in rural Australia as a whole?

The obvious question to pose is why does such idealization matter? Isn't this something which we do as a matter of course where the environment is concerned? Basically the answer is that whilst we can easily live with the fact that terms like 'pristine,' 'untouched', 'primordial', and the like are somewhat misleading, it would be far more appropriate, and probably profitable too, to turn the diverse historical experience of the island into a resource with which to reflect more knowledgeably and deliberately on the many ways in which this island environment has been actively constituted by human beings - and, therefore, where we choose to go next.

To do this would certainly be difficult in the first instance. It might be somewhat confronting for, let us say, a prosperous German tourist to be told by a bus tour operator that s/he is not looking at 'pristine forest' but a rural space that loggers tore the heart out of 30 years ago, so that what is currently being viewed is forest growth since then - and no more! On the other hand, it remains entirely possible to claim that what can be seen is strikingly impressive and remarkable, a testament to the reproductive capacity of Fraser Island's environment, and - here most important - a potential object lesson in how we should intelligently approach the prospects which face us right now.

So thinking about the limitations of the language we already use sets up the possibility of talking about Fraser not as an environment which preceded us - 'untouched', 'primordial' - but one which our Aboriginal predecessors (over a very lengthy period of time) and those of us of European origin (over a much shorter one) have ourselves made. This is to underscore the point that now, in the new millennium, we have the opportunity to talk about doing things in an extensively informed way.

There is another, more specific, justification for examining how we talk about Fraser Island in a reflexive fashion: it relates directly to the pressing issue of human-animal interaction. If we talk about the island as if it remains in some primordial state, it is inevitable that we will use the same language to describe its animals. Indeed, we already use the presence of particular animals and their relationship to one another in order to underscore the island's supposed primordiality. Like the island, the animals long preceded us, and they remain - or so it is claimed - much the same as in the past.

This mind set is constantly exhibited when tour guides talk about 'the animal population' or 'the animal kingdom' of Fraser Island in essentially Darwinian terms - 'the survival of the fittest, and all that,' as some tour guides incline put it when explaining changes in the number of species. But once again this is to be historically blinkered: intra-species and inter-species animal relations throughout the island cannot fail to have been transformed by the presence of human populations, whether indigenous or otherwise.

More problematic still, the terminology of 'the war of all against all' entails a level of anthropomorphism which is not only unwarranted by scientific standards but can also prove profoundly threatening to the well-being of the animals themselves. Once again, we refer to the content of our field notes where Nature is consistently described as a continuous 'war zone', a ceaseless 'battle field', in which swallows have the capacity to 'bomb', friar birds have the ability to 'terrorize', crabs function as an 'army unit', and dingoes constantly 'stalk their prey' and 'cunningly outwit' their varied food sources.

The implication of this kind of anthropomorphic terminology is that these animals not only 'act like us' but that they 'think like us' as well. Again it is by no means mere academic word play to underline the implications of this, because whilst it may come easily to us to conceptualize animal behaviour as if it is always some variant on human conduct, the real danger lies in attributing to Fraser Island animals an ability to reason and a sense of rationality which simply isn't warranted.

The result is that we hold animals responsible for their actions on roughly the same plane as we hold one another responsible for ours. However commonsensically we might do that, it is not an appropriate strategy to adopt if we are genuinely concerned to preserve the environment. To describe a dingo as 'terrorizing' tourists is to simultaneously establish some justification for killing it; that is the direct implication of the linguistic label. But treating human terrorists with the force that they deserve, as we put it, rests on the clear assumption that terrorists know precisely what they do and why they do it. But no one knows what is going on in a dingo's mind, even less are we able to establish the significance of the animal's conduct. Similarly, when it is claimed that a kookaburra 'attacks' local residents and tourists, the language infers a sense and a degree of intentionality - specifically here, a malevolent intent - which in truth cannot be justified. Once again, however, the specific terminology adopted provides the seeds of legitimacy for the bird being killed.

To this extent, the reason for asserting that anyone who takes their environmental credentials seriously has to be equally concerned about language use is quite straightforward: to do otherwise can facilitate the destruction of Nature rather than work towards the preserving of it.

In a move that may reflect the shape of things to come the cash strapped Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) has sought expressions of interest for the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park for a range of new commercial activities. This follows a report on the future management of the protected area determined the capacities and suitability of nominated sites.

Senior Ranger at Cooloola, Greg Walker, said, "We are looking for ecological sustainable proposals that will complement the management of the area but provide recreational opportunities for the park's visitors."

He said some of the proposed types of activities may include: Canoe based camping trips on the upper Noosa River; Day tours to Teewah Landing, Carlo Sand Blow and Searys Creek; Cultural tours to Poverty Point; Guided walks along the Cooloola Wilderness Trail; Guided safari tours to Freshwater; Mobile food vending on Teewah Beach* (such as bread, milk, ice and firewood); and Tag-along tours through certain sections of the National Park.

This has potential implications. The EPA may be considering more commercialization of Fraser Island.

There are serious weed problems on Fraser Island which are outside the normal jurisdiction of the QPWS. These occur mainly in association with the human settlements but they are not being addressed by either property owners or the two local authorities responsible for the settlement areas of Fraser Island. This is despite the fact that Maryborough and Hervey Bay City Councils are spending most of the rates collected on Fraser Island and on the mainland. Councils are still unwilling to spend any of these pocketed proceeds to eliminate weeds where they are posing serious problems.

In July 1999 FIDO organized a working bee on weeds at Eurong (Maryborough City Council) which saw over ten truckloads of weeds removed from the island. Despite FIDO pleas that the City Council follow up this there is no evidence that any more weeds have been removed from the public lands in Eurong. During FIDO's January Inspection almost a truckload of weeds which had sprung up in the foreshore reserve were pulled out. These included Easter cassia, groundsel, lantana, and sisal.

Weeds Threaten Fraser Island Integrity

One of the requirements of World Heritage Listing for any natural site is that respective State Parties, (in this case the Commonwealth Government) ensure site maintains its "integrity". That means containing any threats to those identified values. In the case of Fraser Island one of the major threats to the ecology, and thus its biodiversity comes from weeds, mainly introduced plants which are alien to the island. So far approximately 35 of the more than 780 species of plants identified from Fraser Island are introductions or weeds. Most of these introductions have occurred in or close to human settlements particularly townships.

If the war on weeds is to be won, the townships which are the major source of weed infestations in the surrounding National Park need to be purged of weeds. Failure to do so will mean that ultimately a significant part of Fraser Island's biodiversity will be lost as unnatural species displace the native vegetation. FIDO, the QPWS the Commonwealth Government can't stand aside and let this happen.

Wade L. Hadwen

Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism and Centre for Catchment and In-Stream Research, Griffith University, Nathan Qld 4111.

Email: w.hadwen@mailbox.gu.edu.au

As the number of tourists visiting Fraser Island continues to grow, so too does concern over potential environmental impacts on the freshwater lakes where so many visitors like to swim. In addition to physical disturbances (e.g. trampling reeds along the shoreline), tourists can adversely effect water quality - particularly through the addition of nutrients, like phosphorus and nitrogen. Small perched dune lakes on the island (i.e. those that sit perched above the regional water table) are especially vulnerable to enrichment because nutrients will accumulate in their sediments over time. In a worst case scenario, prolonged and unregulated nutrient additions in these nutrient-poor lakes may lead to water quality problems, unsightly blooms of algae along shorelines and impacts on some of the island's unique and unusual lake biota. If this occurs, visitors may have to be excluded from some of the worst affected lakes.

In view of these concerns and the fact that increases in nutrient concentrations are often irreversible, much of my PhD research with the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism has aimed at detecting impacts from tourist activities before they develop into problems.

In order to achieve that aim, my first goal was to establish a baseline dataset documenting the range of nutrient concentrations in these unique lakes, to enable comparisons between a broad range of visited and unvisited systems. In February 1999 I sampled 15 dune lakes (Ocean, White, Allom, Boomerang North, Boomerang South, Coomboo, Garawongera, Wabby, Basin, McKenzie, Jennings, Birrabeen, Barga, Benaroon and Boomanjin) for nutrient and algal concentrations. Using historical nutrient and algal data recorded by Arthington et al. (1990) I was able to compare changes in these variables over the past decade in lakes Wabby, Jennings, McKenzie, Birrabeen and Ocean (Figure 1).

In the window lakes (Ocean and Wabby), nutrient concentrations and algal biomass have increased since 1990. In contrast, all of the perched dune lakes (McKenzie, Birrabeen and Jennings) had elevated algal biomass levels but no increases in nutrient concentrations compared to 1990 levels. This result highlights the fact that there is not always a simple relationship between measured values of nutrient concentrations and algal biomass. This is because in nutrient poor systems like the lakes on Fraser Island, nutrients released into the water are taken up very rapidly by algae. The algae then show a growth response, but leave little evidence of the nutrients associated with their increase in biomass.

These early comparisons highlight the fact that monitoring nutrient concentrations in these sensitive lakes may not be the most useful method for detecting impacts from tourist activities, despite the fact that nutrient additions are our main concern. As a consequence, I have turned to the use of biological indicators to detect impacts from tourists. These methods have gained support all over the world as they reflect biological responses to long-term changes in nutrient loading.

To test the utility of biological indicators in the perched dune lakes on Fraser Island, I conducted a more detailed monitoring program over the 1999-2000 summer in five lakes - McKenzie, Basin, Birrabeen, Jennings and Boomanjin. Whilst still monitoring nutrient concentrations I measured the biomass of algae both in the water column (phytoplankton) and growing on reeds (attached algae or periphyton). Samples were taken from designated disturbed (tourist access points) and reference sites (inaccessible points) within each lake, in an effort to examine differences between visited and unvisited areas in each system.

anticipated from my earlier analyses, nutrient concentrations rarely differed between the disturbed and reference sites. Only once were phosphorus concentrations higher in visited sites than in reference sites. On that occasion, samples were collected from Basin Lake shortly after a tour group had left the area and these results indicate that the activities of those tourists may have lead to this increase in nutrient concentrations. Whilst it is impossible to prove unequivocally, it is plausible that a combination of sediment (and nutrient) re-suspension and nutrient additions from tourists may have generated this result.

Tracking algal biomass during the summer proved to be much more illuminating than monitoring nutrient concentrations. Although water column (phytoplankton) algal biomass was highly variable, the biomass of attached algae (periphyton) showed strong differences between disturbed and reference sites, particularly in the clear lakes (McKenzie and Birrabeen). In these systems, the biomass of attached algae increased over the summer in disturbed sites, whilst remaining relatively low in reference sites. Whilst it is impossible to associate these higher algal levels in disturbed sites directly to the effects of nutrient additions from tourists, it is clear that differences did develop between the visited and unvisited sections of both Lake McKenzie and Lake Birrabeen over the summer. On the basis of these findings I developed a conceptual model of nutrient enrichment for perched dune lakes (Figure 2), wherein increases in nutrient levels from both natural and human nutrient sources, progressively lead to the proliferation of unpalatable periphyton.

Having decided to build a tennis court type fence around a small open area, the management decided that one huge blackbutt near the fence that had just previously dropped a large branch and had to be removed. That made an already seriously degraded area even more unattractive. However more than 20 metres away where there was no chance of anything falling from a falling tree into the ugly camping compound or even likely to make a dint on any parked vehicles nearby, two other healthy blackbutts were removed. FIDO doesn't believe that the removal of all of these three trees can be justified.

Ian Matthews describes his revulsion as follows:

"What happened at Boomanjin is disgusting. Not only did they fell trees several decades old, but destroyed the ambience of ones arrival at the Lake by blocking views of the lake with a tennis court fence. The uglification of Central Station, and now Boomanjin, will spread everywhere. Simply building the compound near the toilet block would have been subtler, and may have actually led to people using it for convenience (pun not intended)"

Sediments continuing to flow into the lakes: FIDO is alarmed to note that despite how dry the summer has been sediments continue to flow off the roads and into the lakes with it seems almost greater volume than when we first drew the attention of it. When FIDO first made the issue silt traps were installed at Lakes Boomanjin, McKenzie and Allom. Our most recent inspections show that each of these silt traps is not working and sand and woodchips are now resuming their former flow into the lakes.

Lake Birrabeen: At Lake Birrabeen there are no silt traps and not only woodchips but also firewood blocks are spilling on to the beach and into the water. Despite years of complaints from other Fraser Island users the QPWS continues to allow the buses of only one tour operator to run along the shores of Lake Jennings and to park at the top of the beach. When the buses approach roaring through the loose sand of the gap between the two lakes it sounds like an approaching Panzer Division of tanks. Worse the method of urging the disgorged passengers out of the water is for the drivers to start the motors and let them run. If you want peace and tranquillity, it isn't available at Lake Birrabeen when these tour buses are approaching and until they have left.

Is this supposed to help Fraser Island?

The Commonwealth Government has announced $3 million funding for the Fraser Coast Interpretive Centre. This is part of an integrated tourism development proposed on a site adjacent to the Great Sandy Straits Marina. Forester Kurts has announced that it will proceed with the $27 million Outrigger Resort also within the Hervey Bay marina precinct.

In 1993 following a long dispute over the Park Service's deliberate policy of going out of their way to eliminate Banksias near any road, we thought the issue was resolved. Peter Stanton, one of the nation's most respected fire ecologists had said that if a fire was so serious that it required a huge firebreak to contain it, then the Parks Service had failed to implement a proper and adequate fire management plan. That led to the development of the Fraser Island Fire Management Plan which unfortunately like so many Plans for Fraser Island then stalled for years. However although it took until 2000 to get the Fire Management Plan back on the agenda again largely as a result of FIDO's constant urging.

FIDO is one of the major advocates for more management burning of Fraser Island to re-establish the type of environment and ecology which had resulted from millennia of Aboriginal fire practices. We are most mindful of the risks that achieving this burning regime poses for QPWS rangers. However FIDO believes that the fire management regime can and must be achieved without making every road and by-way on Fraser Island banksia (and tree) within 10 metres of the carriage-way. This is a very poor presentation of Fraser Island and a denial of its World Heritage values.

Removing banksias and other significant species adjacent to roads and tracks refutes Australia's obligation to present Fraser Island's World Heritage values to all visitors. Th QPWS now has to rethink its practice and ensure that its tractor drivers are cautioned about being species specific and over-zealous in their general work.

Banksia Serial Killing

In the last couple of years we have observed that the killing of banksias which was one of FIDO's major criticism of QPWS practices has resumed. At first it was fairly surreptitious but now it is being practiced with a vengeance. Banksia Serial Killing can be observed along almost every track where a QPWS tractor has been engaged in any work. It is not just the back-roads where such practices are observed. Now it is occurring on major tourist routes.

These indefensible and ecologically unsound practice observed along the Woralie Track was raised in the CAC in October. In February the CAC received a written response which claimed that it "was a general push back of most vegetation, was not species specific". It was also claimed, "Although in this instance the work was done opportunistically, such work is in accord with Fire Protection Plan intentions to similarly widen key firelines to improve fire management capacity".

Unfortunately our FIDO inspection just days before had found that banksias are being specifically singled out. We noted that the tractor had gone out of its way to take out a banksia more than 10 metres from the road. This conforms with observations made elsewhere during the past year on little used routes from Hook Point to Wathumba Creek.

What we observed is that the trees and banksias being deliberately bulldozed down were not all "potentially dangerous ... (those of particularly high flammability overhanging roads)" as described by the QPWS. The a tractor drives in more than 10 metres from a road to push over large banksias which don't exceed 5 metres in height it is a sign of a deliberate intention and is unconscionable.

A banksia 10 metres from the road between Lakes Boomanjin and Benaroon - one of many hundreds as all Fraser Island roads and tracks are progressively being cleared of banksias in an act of paranoia.

Unjustified Paranoia: The paranoia over banksias though has proven to be wholly unjustified. When we inspected an area between Yankee Jack Creek and Garrys Anchorage we found that the QPWS had effected a good back-burn without the necessity to widen that road at all. However we also observed south of Garrys Anchorage where a road had been excessively widened which had been burnt to a cinder on both sides of the road despite this obsessive clearing.

Wild Fires

The two wild fires caused by lightning strikes last December demonstrate that fire is an inevitable part of the Australian environment and that we have to accept that it will occur and be prepared for it.

We observed a fire impact that varied from extremely severe to benign to beneficial. Although nominally a 20,000 hectare block was burnt out, there were extensive patches including an isolated rainforest patch which escaped any flames. The swamps in particular were scorched to a cinder which has caused some concern for the ground parrots and the impact on those birds is now being investigated. The fire was also severe when running before the wind up hills but the recovery has already started there.

The fires have demonstrated the need for more regular burning to avoid the severity of the fire in some of the places most severely burnt. As far as we can recall, this is the first fire to occur in this block since FIDO was formed 31 years ago. This has resulted in a huge accumulated fuel load. There are many other similar places on Fraser Island where huge accumulated fuel loads are a recipe for disaster. Large parts of the area around Lake McKenzie have gone for more than 50 years without a fire.

Our overall assessment of the December fire though is that the outcome has been a desirable mosaic. Although the area burnt is yet to be mapped from the air, we estimate that about 20% of the block may have escaped any burning. This is a good and should allow wildlife to restock the burnt areas as they recover.

The fires have also led the QPWS to accelerate their plans to reopen some former fire control lines that FIDO had been urging for a long time. They are well advanced with this work to "improve access to fight future fires and to provide discrete blocks both for prescribed burning and wildfire suppression activities." While FIDO commends the QPWS on its efforts and the recognition of the need for prescription burns, we remain critical of the overzealous clearing to establish the fire control lines.

URGENT

Section 248 of the Companies (Queensland) Code provides that all members be given 21 days notice of any meeting (including A.G.M.s) at which they are entitled to vote. It is important that as many proxies as possible are received. The Proxy Form is also taken as your apology for non-attendance. This form (or a copy) should be completed under Article 31 of the constitution. If you cannot attend the meeting please photocopy this form and return it promptly. posted to reach Secretary, FIDO, PO Box 70, BALD HILLS QLD 4036, on or before 25th August, 2002

People who want future generations to enjoy the naturalness of Fraser Island can't rely solely on FIDO to carry the load of advocacy without wider practical support. FIDO seeks assistance from members, supporters and others who care for Fraser Island to assist in the following ways:

1. Demand of ALL Federal and State politicians an increase in the funding to better manage the natural resources. We ultimately need a budget of $13-14 million annually (i.e. just a mere 5% of the $277 million that Fraser Island is worth to the economy). We don't expect that amount in the next budget but we expect that there should be some positive moves to increase the budget by at least a million over the next year.

2. Support the strengthening of the Great Sandy Region Management Plan to protect the World Heritage values. There are many people trying to unravel it for their own selfish reasons without a thought for future generations.

3. Read and help propagate FIDO's educational supplement on the value of wilderness on Fraser Island. This is a concept that the 4WDers seem incapable or unwilling to grasp. It needs to be networked widely.

4. Dingo Petitions: Unless we alert all Federal and Queensland politicians to the threat to the survival of dingoes on Fraser Island this World Heritage value and Australia's purest dingoes may be wiped out within our lifetime

5. Weed Working Bee: Make a note in your diaries now of the weed working bee on Fraser Island on 19-20 October. Urge anyone who can help to join us in an attempt to bring the weeds in the townships under control

6. Write to the Queensland Minister for Primary Industries, Hon Henry Palaschuk urging him to implement a Fishing Management Plan for Fraser Island as a matter of urgency.

7. Write to Queensland Premier, Peter Beattie, urging him

There is a lot more to be done and FIDO needs all the assistance we can get. Urge anyone you know who is a supporter to become a member.