Done with New Zealand on to Australia

[Johnnie Phatt]

So again I am watching Knowledge From B.C. and today's show is about Australia
Now it was a show from 2013 so much of it may have changed but here we go anyway
While I did know they imported single hump Camels there may years ago because The British do silly things.
What I did not realizes is they are now wild animals. They number into the hundreds of thousands and are a heck of a nuisance. They live in the desert so the are no natural predators They destroy crops Fences and facilities in search of food and water. Some farmers are forced to simply shoot them and leave them where they lie due to a shortage of processing plants in the VERY rural areas of Southern Austrailia. Others who are relatively closer to slaughter houses and packing plants have been capturing them and sending them to market for meet which is similar to Beef ( I have tried it and a quite like it) and to Middle eastern countries for Riding Animals, Pets, females in particular and breeding stock. How ironic that they go from Aussie to the Middle East
I also learned than in south and western Australia They was at the time in a mineral and metal boom With gigantic open pit mines for Gold Nickel Silver and Iron Ore. One such Super pit open gold mine is over 2 miles long and 1/3 of a mile deep. The big Ukes were like tiny toys by comparison. Lots of fly in fly out employees. They could make up to 200,000.oo AU dollars a year. Not sure what that is in US dollars
I also learned they are trying to make Southern Blue Fin Tuna procreate in captivity with some limited success (in 2013) So a commercial enterprise can in fact turn into a conservation project. That was not their main reason for doing this. However the Tuna were very endangered and the big boss did not want to give up his nice lifestyle by emptying the southern ocean and so it began Win Win
next week The Great Barrier Reef. !!
Over to you Road Toad. Is any of this still happening?

 

[ottafish]

Yes, Camels are still a problem. Actually, it's reported in the local press that Australia has the largest population of wild camels globally still. Every now and then the Government has an official cull to help deduce the numbers. One of the problems is that they wander onto the path of cars and trucks. We have what's called "Road Trains" here which will hit a camel and maybe stop.... maybe... problem is they take miles to stop and then ages to get going again.. These things once they get going, don't really stop for much except fuel and food.

In North Victoria, we also have a large population of "Brumbies" (wild horses) that are also classified as pests/vermin. Which the Government is considering culling also as they are eating the native forest growth and vegetation.

The open cut and underground mines are still there, but the mining boom we had 4-8 years ago has gone. During that time we had a massive boom in ore export and the mines made a heap of $$$. And it was fly-in fly-out for a lot of workers and many, many made alot of money during this time.

 

[Johnnie Phatt]

wow I thought two trailers was fun. I guess when the road is dead straight and very long it makes sense. but yeah I can see that rig would not stop for much in any great hurry
That picture is the one they showed on TV if you look closely you can see the tiny little yellow Euclid or "Uke" as we call them which gives it some scale

 

[fallenarch]

Man those trucks must be the inspiration for Mad Max! What were they minning?

 

[Cantab]

Man those trucks must be the inspiration for Mad Max! What were they minning?

Looks like guzzaline ( ) and Cattle.

 

[ROADTOAD1340]

Everything Otta said is fact , and also those road trains are driven pretty well , but I have been run off the road once driving in a car , because one truck has overtaken another couple of trucks on a bend , and the bastard sent me off or face certain death , there was plenty of run off luckily . Right across the mid to top end of Australia you will find the really big / long road trains on the roads , but even up close to suburbia in outskirts of cities , you can fairly regularly see trucks with up to 3 trailers loaded .
The Blue Fin Tuna industry is going strong , making huge piles of money from the Japanese market most of all . They sometimes have trouble however , the Tuna , are a natural prey of the Great White Shark , and now and again a shark will open up the enclosure and run amok .
Abelone industry is also very lucrative and successful down south , and subject to very real risk from shark attack . Those boys that earn from that are a breed apart .
Also down south , you can get a cage dive experience , up close with White Sharks , now also a successful industry , mostly run out from Port Lincoln . I have been told , sometimes a really large semi resident male is known to come in for a free feed , but most sharks attracted will be sub adults . Of note , the biggest White Sharks are actually the adult females .
There are options to free dive with the sharks if you are a more qualified diver , and game enough !!