We book an ecotour. In Australia an ecotour is "an ecologically sustainable tour with a primary focus on experiencing natural area that fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation".
Geoff is our tour guide. Here we are on the boat ready and listening. We are going on an eco tour of Weyba Creek and Noosa river.
Can you spot Hay Island, and Weyba Esplanade? Those are where are going.
A little bit about Noosa. It has a population of 62,000 people, and 87 varieties of fish (28 edible). Noosa is a biosphere. There are 580 biospheres around the world. Biosphere reserves are areas where humans strive to live sustainably within their environment, share best practice approaches to sustainability and work in partnership with like-minded communities. The original Aboriginal owners of the land had been living in harmony with plants and animals for tens of thousands of years. There are none living like they used to now since Europeans arrived.
Some Noosa History Facts.
1824 Discovered by men looking for Sydney. Captain Cook missed discovering Noosa. John Finnegan, Richard Parsons and Thomas Pamphlett were shipwrecked on Moreton Island. Although treated kindly by the aborigines, Finnigan and Parsons trekked north thinking to reach Sydney. When they arrived at Noosa River they encountered indigenous people, who were crossing the waterway in canoes, but refused to let them traverse. The three men were rescued by John Oxley, Surveyor General, who was in the area searching for a suitable site for a new settlement for incorrigible convicts. He chose Moreton Bay (now Brisbane) which became a convict settlement also in 1824.
1868 Gold discovered near Gympie
1978 The newly extended Noosa Spit was declared open in December. In the frame of this development the river mouth had been shifted from its original position at the end of Noosa Woods several hundred metres to the west. The objective of this enterprise was to protect the area from cyclone damage. The works were financed jointly by the Noosa Council, the State Government and the developer of Noosa Sound. (This was huge as it altered the depth of the river and the whole ecosystem.)
In 1983 the council allowed 6-8 floor builds and the Noosa Pacific Riverfront Resort was built. After this build the council restricted builds to 3 floors. Apart from Sofitel Noosa Pacific ( I don't know why that was allowed to be built 6 stories high) Noosa has not succumbed to a Surfers Paradise look.
This is an 8 million dollar home on Hay Island. Because the house could slip in to the sea it is required to have a 12 metre concrete wall underneath the sand between water and sand. Maybe that is why it is so expensive.
And another.
This is an example of trees growing close to the shore without mangroves. There was a time when the job the mangrove played in the ecosystem was not fully understood. 40 year old mangroves were ripped out. In the '80's it was realised when they did this the trees behind were unprotected, and would fall into the water.
The girls climb on to the top deck to get a better look.
Mangrove doing it's job to protect native trees growing behind it. They do this because they absorb the salt and don't let the salt go to the trees behind. If the trees absorb the salt they fall in the water. Mangroves also help to remove algae.
Spot the stingray. The mangroves also protect little fish at high tide. They can swim in between mangrove roots and the stingray can't.
Low tide and mangrove root systems.
Not enough mangrove in front of trees, shows trees can fall.
There are many different birds with different beaks. Different beaks means they eat different things. These are osprey. They drop their poop, killing the trees.
These are cormorant on a low branch.
And a high branch.
A video of cormorants.
Cormorants and pelicans like each other, and are good friends.
There are 120 pelicans around this area of the Noosa River. When there is more than one pelican one is standing up on lookout duty, the others lay beaks across their chest.
In the Noosa River sandbars regenerate. They are good for shore birds. The river has gone from 20m deep to 4m deep because of moving sands. There are 50-60,000 birds here. Crustaceans multiply. Some shore birds like the tern are here for 6 weeks. They migrate. Over 44% of all Australia’s birds species reside within the Noosa Everglades and 700 native animals and 1,365 plant species call it home. The Noosa River system combines with the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park to make a haven for both endangered and more common species. The Noosa River is Australia’s only river system with its entire upper catchment protected in National Park. This is a dredge to move sand so boats can get through.
Two teal ducks.
We leave the boat and go on a board walk.
First stop is to look at mangrove shoots under the water. They take 40 years to grow, so don't pull them out as a weed.
This plant is good for making men sterile.
Mum loving the plant talk.
And back in the boat to the surf club.
We watch a pelican.
Op shopping on the way home. Mum bought books. Mary shorts and a top. Robin a dress. I am wearing it. Not sure about Linda? A very fun day.
