Cawnpore Lookout

Cawnpore Lookout

Check out this amazingly dramatic landscape? It almost makes you want to reach for the tubes of paint and the canvas, and to reproduce these amazing colours that Mother Nature has thrown together? Or did she throw these together? How did we come to have countryside so spectacular??

This is a picture of Cawnpore Lookout, near Middleton, which is between Boulia and Winton. 95 – 98 million years ago, this area was covered by an inland sea, known as the Eromanga Sea. However, about 95 million years ago, the sediment that was carried to this huge sea by massive inland rivers eventually contracted and reduced the size of the inland sea so that it no longer existed. This landscape which you can see is the sediment that was left behind by the Eromanga Sea.

Interestingly, my mind thinks about the many millions of tonnes of dust whipped up by the dust storm that has blanketed the East Coast of Australia in recent days. This dust is dry sediment from the spectacular floods that inundated the Lake Eyre Basin earlier this year, which is being carried by the winds across the countryside and out to sea – to become part of the ocean. Are their any parallels between what was happening 95 million years ago, and this week?

I invite you to take a look at this Cawnpore Lookout scene, and visualise it as an inland sea. Better still, why not plan a driving holiday, and come out and personally experience the 360 degree vista that Cawnpore provides you with? The Western Rivers Carer truly feels immensely humble when she climbs to the top of a mesa, and imagines the landscape of 95 million years ago.

The Western Rivers Carer Loves this Quote!

The Western Rivers Carer Loves This Quote.

Doesn’t this quote capture the essence of the Western Rivers Country in Western Queensland?


“At the simplest level, water is valued for its uses: watering stock, drinking,
washing, fishing, to cool down in summer. Even at this level, something more than
utility is elucidated: 'to cool down in summer' is about a state of mind as well as body
temperature; 'fishing' is a pastime and social occasion as well as provider of food.

I quickly came to learn that water isn't just water. River water, rain water, bore
Water all have different values, and at a more subtle level, in-channel flow and
overland flow; soaking rain, light steady rain and follow-up rain; Mungerannie bore
water and South Galway bore water, all have different values”. (Leah Gibbs)

What is a Western Rivers Carer?

What is a Western Rivers Carer?



I have a job title and a position description that is a little unique. My official title is WESTERN RIVERS CARER, and I am employed by the Australian Floodplain Association.

So where does one go and what does one do when one is wearing this badge? A Western Rivers Carer has a delightful time travelling in the rural and remote parts of Western Queensland, and working with communities, organizations and individuals who reside in the catchments of the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers and Cooper’s Creek. My key task is to ensure that the voices of local people who are dependent on the rivers for floodplain tourism, pastures, recreation and livelihoods have a voice in how these magnificent waterways are managed, and more importantly, protected from large scale water exploitation or other manmade threats.

As I travel, I will be posting regular blogs to outline my adventures. I commenced working 2.5 days/week in this position in May 2009, and already have collected an abundance of images, thoughts and information to share with you. I invite you to become a regular visitor to my blog if you have an interest in Outback Queensland and our unique natural environment and waterways which form part of the Lake Eyre Basin. There is so much to share about these wild western rivers which are some of the last unregulated water flows in the entire world that still flow free.

“The wild western rivers through the Channel Country flow
From drought to flood in sunshine the Lake Eyre Basin grows
When it rains up in the northland the western stockman knows
The wild western rivers flowing free”

Excerpt taken from a song titled “The Wild Western Rivers” by Dana Lyons, Mark Kleinschmidt and Bruce Honeywill.

National Bilby Day

Who Am I?

I am a native Australian animal that has a very long tongue, a long pointed snout, a long tail and big ears. I am mostly covered in silky soft blue-grey fur; however have a striking black tail with a pure white tip. I grow up to 55 cm long, and I dig burrows where I spend each day, and I come out a night to eat insects, seeds, bulbs and fruit.

I am a Bilby. I am found in Western Queensland, and I am an endangered animal. As a result of my disappearing habitat and competition with introduced animals, my numbers have dramatically reduced in the last century. Prior to European settlement, I could be found on over 70% of the Australian mainland; however there are only a few small populations of us surviving today. One such place is the Western Rivers areas between Boulia and Birdsville at Astrebla Downs. I am a masterful survivor and a proud resident of the Outback.

In tribute to this amazing animal which is a member of the Bandicoot family, the Western Rivers Carer has sketched this image of a Bilby. Aren’t Bilbies an amazingly special animal?

Do you know that this Sunday 13th September is National Bilby Day?

Re-igniting the Passion

The Western Rivers Carer has recently added creating digital place stories to her skill repertoire. One of my very favourite things to do is to watch the sun disappear below the horizon from the top of a sandhill. These images were taken near Windorah. Why not check out my clip and enjoy the magical moment that Mother Nature provides at the end of each day?

Ships of the Desert

When I was in my middle Primary school years, I can remember learning that camels were the ‘ships of the desert’, and immense respect was accorded to these beasts and their remarkable survival skills. In recent years, Camel Racing has been a feature of many Outback (and not so Outback) communities who host an annual event, and the sight of camels with their eccentric natures and quirky antics as they attempt to race around the track is a source of great amusement for spectators – and maybe the jockey!

Camels are a reasonably familiar sight in parts of far Western Queensland, and I recently saw this camel on the side of the road between Middleton and Winton. In fact, many hundreds of thousands of camels roam the outback of Australia. Camels were first bought to Australian in the 1840’s to assist with transport in remote areas. Well, those explorers were pretty keen to get out and investigate what lay in our great land beyond the coast!

In 2009, we have a rapidly growing camel population that is plodding over the Outback countryside, breaking through fences, trashing installed watering points, disturbing sacred Indigenous sites; destroying fragile desert plant communities and eating scarce pastures that are valued by graziers. Camels do not have a large fan club in rural Australia.

Last month, Mr Rudd proposed spending $19 million on a mass camel culling program, which certainly drew a range of supportive and non supportive responses nationally and internationally. CNBC in the USA even called Mr Rudd a ‘serial killer’. However, the fact remains that these ‘ships of the desert’ are growing in numbers and doing untold damage to our fragile arid and semi-arid countryside.

Does the solution to this problem lie in us all indulging in a camel sausage at our summer BBQ; a camel pie at the footy in winter and enjoying a medium-rare camel steak with a whiskey and mushroom sauce at our favourite CBD restaurant? Or do the logistics of supplying a camel meat product from such a large animal that is found in extremely remote areas mean we will never really indulge in camel meat? One way or another, a solution must be found to curb our growing camel numbers, and reduce the impact that they are having on our truly unique arid and desert plant and animal communities.

Spring – Western Queensland Style


Forget the usual spring flowers of sweet peas, jasmine, azaleas and camellias. Here in Western Queensland, we have our own special spring flowers that appear. This year we have had unseasonally warm weather in August, and the magnificent outback wildflowers have popped their happy faces up already. And how spectacular it all is at the moment………as far as the eye can see! Don’t you just love this image taken between Quilpie and Windorah?

There is one stark reminder in this photo of the many years of drought. Can you guess what it is?

Notice how the Mulga trees are all lacking foliage? Did they die in the drought?

It is too early to answer this yet, as these native trees are have adapted superbly to our arid country side. During dry periods, the Mulga tree drops most of its foliage to the ground in order to provide an extra layer of mulch and nutrients. How wonderful is that?

However, closer examination of these trees shows that there are no leaves left, so chances are the drought of the 2000’s has been a little too harsh and too long for these trees. This area where this photo was taken is still declared an exceptional circumstances area. The survival story of these trees will be revealed in the fullness of time and the return to good seasons. Will the foliage return?

I trust you are enjoying your Spring days, wherever you may be!

What is a Western Rivers Carer?

So what exactly is a Western Rivers Carer?

Welcome to a brand new blog, and more information will be revealed soon. However, here is a little visual hint as to where a Western Rivers Carer might be found.

Thanks for popping by, and I will be sharing more information shortly.