Hervey Bay Gossip

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist … or have a degree in wildlife … to know that dingoes are smart animals. Just how smart they are has become obvious since the state government started building those wire fences around the villages over on Fraser Island.

Since the first fence went up we can now see that dingoes are smarter than your average Queensland state government because the fences aren’t keeping the dingoes out at all - the dingoes are simply walking over the cattle grids that have been put in place to allow vehicular access.

And if you want proof that dingoes are accessing the protected areas via the cattle grids you’ll find a photo right here.

It seems that it would have been just as effective and a hell of a lot cheaper … not to mention more environmentally friendly … if the Minister hadn’t gone round nailing up a few signs that said “Dingoes Keep Out”

I guess the government is just going to have to move to plan B to keep those pesky dingoes away from humans. Do we have a plan B? Or are we just going to start shooting dingoes that are smarter than your average state government.

If we do that there may not be any dingoes left pretty soon.

We’ve all seen the usual photos from Fraser Island, the dingos, the beach, Eli Creek, the coloured sands and the Maheno but follow this link and you’ll find a very different photo taken by a tourist. It’s easy to imagine some prehistoric creature popping out of the ferns at any moment.

It’s hard to believe but it looks like there’s going to be a marathon run on Fraser Island - you can read more about it right here

A four-year-old girl was attacked by a dingo near Eurong on Fraser Island yesterday. The girl suffered bites to the thighs, buttocks and lower back that required treatment by a paramedic. The bites were later described as being ‘minor’.

Rangers are now hunting the dingo.

Dingo numbers are reported as being at their lowest for some time but that doesn’t mean that visitors can be complacent about the risk of attack and visitors are warned not to feed them or leave scraps where they can be scavanged by the animals.

The ABC Wide Bay is running an interesting report on their website today that raises some doubt as to whether the jellyfish found off the northern tip of Fraser Island really were irukandji.

Of course it was enough to stop the filming of a movie and it gave the local press here in Hervey Bay something to talk up on a what was possibly a slow news day but there is no guarantee that those jellyfish really were irukandji.

In fact George Hill, Lifesaving services manager for Surf Life Saving Queensland is quoted as saying “… they have not been confirmed as irukandji yet.”

You can read the full story here

Of course, if the jellyfish turn out to be something other than irukandji the damage will have already been done.

I’ve lived here in Hervey Bay since 2003 but until yesterday I had never made the trip across the water to Fraser Island.

A visit from one of our daughters was a perfect excuse to take a day off and make the trip and I’m so glad I did. If you’ve been living here in Hervey Bay but haven’t made the trip to Fraser Island yet then don’t wait a moment longer.

It is the most interesting place to see and the guided tours are excellent. We went across on the Fraser Island Company’s one day tour and we would recommend that for anyone. Colin the tour guide was excellent and we had plenty of time to see all the places of interest.

One word of warning though, Fraser Island is 4 wheel drive territory - even the buses - and that’s for a very good reason. The roads are nothing but rough tracks and all the seats in the buses are fitted with seat belts for a very good reason … they help to keep you in your seat as the bus bounces around on those rough tracks.

Would we go again? Absolutely!

And even after you leave the island heading home there’s the spectacular sunset to enjoy.

Six Japanese tourists have been injured when their tour bus rolled on Dilli Village Road around 3 pm today. There are currently no reports as to the extent of their injuries

Reports of a bus crash this afternoon on Fraser Island are beginning to appear.

It’s understood that the bus rolled on a dirt road at the southern end of the island. Initial reports suggest that two people have been critically injured.

It seems to be almost out

The fire over on Fraser Island was discussed here last week and you can see that discussion here in Hervey Bay to Fraser Island

As mentioned in that discussion the original report that the Gossip had that they fire was not being fought is incorrect. There has been a small team of men fighting that fire all along and our thanks should go to them for the sterling effort they have put in.

It’s just a shame that the autorities couldn’t have found more than 10 men to assign to the task.

There has been a fire burning unchecked on the mainland side of Fraser Island sinced Wednesday afternoon. Smoke from the fire can be seen from anywhere along the beach in Hervey Bay.