Weeds, weeds and more weeds – some of them are very pretty!

Some of the areas we have landed on over the past six weeks have not had a human stand foot on them in years, we know this because you cannot get to them by land ( cliff faces) and you cannot get to them by sea unless you are in a kayak ( some of the areas are so remote that kayakers are very rare) / you have to cross shallow reefs and rock lines to get to them so boats cannot get there either.

The human footprints in these areas take two forms, the first is litter, mostly plastics, and when you read the unfamiliar  labels the litter seems in the large part to originate from countries other than Australia. On some of the beaches you cannot walk a square metre without some man made object offending your eye.

The other form the footprint of man has taken is exotic (non native) plants and weeds. They are less obvious than the litter to most who look at the beach but present a significant problem as they displace and compete with native vegetation in what is a narrow and sensitive and very important plant community. Prickly pear is on every beach, cliff face and headland, Lantana is in the hind dune areas, invasive grasses make up the bulk of the invaders right down to the high tide line but almost every hardy weed I know is present up and down the coast to some degree. 

The litter and weeds need to be addressed but the scale of the problem is so huge I cannot think of just how  it can be done. I know of a lot of good work is being done near cities and populous regions, people demand it. Who is going to look after the areas that people don’t see? The wilderness areas rarely visited by people yet are so important to our wild animals and native plant communities? Maybe this could be a new and useful environmental focus for our Queensland government? Anyone want to join me on a remote places clean up mission?

Tomorrow we leave Mackay for a seven day tour of the Whitsunday island group, I am excited! We have carried out numerous repairs to the kayaks. Black magic has a new shiny rudder system and a new carry handle. Gracious Joy has had a day hatch seal replacement, cockpit bulk head repair and nose repair after a collision with a small rock. We have re stocked the food and have carried out a few minor medical repairs to the paddlers. Six weeks sitting in a kayak has taken its toll on our feet, skin, knees and shoulders – we are a little banged up and very wooley but eager to get back on the water.

We are still on a high from our whale encounters paddling up the coast, we are hoping for many more over the coming week. I am searching for that white sand, champagne beach so I can photograph it for you Mum, I have a feeling we are about to find it.

We expect to have some coverage over the coming days so should be able to post. Take care all. DT