Beachmere

wet wet wet

2012-01-26T03:54:00.000+10:00

Beachmere: Heavy rains and rising river levels inundated the road out of town. We were cut off today. Water every where. In the sea, in the river, and in the sky. Local marsh frogs however were ecstatic.

Deadwood

2012-01-23T01:14:00.001+10:00

Dead trees on the shore line. A common feature of South East Queensland's sand islands and protected shoreline near Mangrove and Malaleuca forests. Uprooted trees and drift wood litter the beaches. This is beach on the mainland at Beachmere. Dawn.

Soldier On

2012-01-22T01:22:00.000+10:00

Soldier Crabs at low tide: Beachmere 2012. These crabs are the lifeblood of the tidal flats sustaining birdlife and stingrays.

Tides

2012-01-07T22:35:00.001+10:00

A short meditation on the King Tides over Christmas.

VIDEO: Dawn.Low Tide. Deception Bay

2011-12-28T02:23:00.001+10:00

Sunrise: December 27th,2011. Summer. Low Tide 4.57am -- Sunrise 4.53am... Smooth sea and then a general ripple at the change.

VIDEO: South Swamp

2011-12-27T01:21:00.003+10:00

Where I walk the dogs: the south swamp and mouth of the Caboolture River. Walk event: Boxing Day, 2011. High high tide incoming.

Shot on my new camera: Kodak Zi6.

Download video

Touring Bribie Island on transit sand banks

2011-09-04T13:07:00.004+10:00

Trees/Land Grass/Seagrass/Sand

Spent the morning walking the beaches of Bribie Island. I keep being drawn back to Red Beach which runs along the southern butt end of the place. As location location location goes, Bribie's bottom coastline faces out into Moreton Bay as though it's the stage in a grand amphitheater.

Moreton Island to the east; Deception Bay to the west; and in front -- due south -- is the middle reaches of Moreton Bay -- a vista that obscures as the pollutant haze over Brisbane town drowns out the landscape.

We got there at the head of the tide -- 11.38am as one fisher folk told me with confident precision -- and there wasn't much beach left in these recent days of High High Tides.

While we walked east with sea eagles hovering above us for a couple of kilometres, my fun began when I retraced our steps and decided to follow the beach around the corner into Pumicetone Passage and meet up with the significant other at Buckley's Hole.

En route the beach was littered with the filleted carcasses of large Jew Fish (Mulloway). The story told is that they were caught by trawlers as by-catch, quickly filleted and their remains thrown over board. Given that the fishing limit is set at two -- along this beach there was forensic evidence of a massacre.

As I trudged forth , now with the tide turning, the wet sand was softer and spongy so I sunk into it, up to my knees on occasion, so that trudging with two dogs in tow required some muscular effort.

When I rounded the point and started along the coastline of Pumicestone Passage the risen tide had stolen the beach I assumed existed.

The mangroves were inundated and without evident pathways I had to keep to what was on offer in way of a solid beach. Unfortunately, I soon found myself -- and the two dogs -- wading on a sand bank that ran 50 metres parallel to the Mangrove covered shoreline.

I assumed Buckley's Hole was some where in among the scrub but I couldn't see it from the water, let alone work out a route to get to it. So I just followed my sand spit under water hoping that if I kept to the yellowing I'd keep my head above the deep.

My transit sand bank running parallel 50 metres from shore

I sand banked it like this for about 500 metres, before seeing that at the end of my transit bank the 'gap' between sandbank yellow and the greening depths was about 15 metres -- so into the briny I go holding my gear above my head to keep it from getting wet.

I just made it to the shoreline with my feet still on the bottom and two dogs playing seals around me.

I'd overshot Buckley's Hole by a kilometre and had to find my way back through local roads, in time to catch the significant other exiting the Buckley's Hole Reserve after an encounter with a Brown Snake.

Bribie Island: Buckley's Hole/Red Beach

2011-08-06T23:56:00.008+10:00

We spent another morning walking Bribie Island. This time out, along the shoreline at Red Beach and Buckley's Hole. This stretch of coast forms the northern entrance to Moreton Bay. Across the water lies Moreton Island and offshore, the large sandbanks: Middle Banks, Central Banks and Western Banks upon which the surging waters break.

There's a lot of water activism between the two islands.

At Red Beach walking east toward Skirmish Point -- Bribie's heel -- looking south you get a broad view of the Bay with the Redcliffe Peninsular, Deception Bay and the sand hills of Moreton island making up the vista. You can see the skyline of Brisbane 45 km away and to the east the massive sand hills of Moreton island, 16 kilometres away, form the eastern horizon.

Great place for a dog walk and Red Beach has to be the best 'off leash' option in the region.

Buckley's Hole is an amazing phenomenon -- a fresh water lagoon with water lilies -- separated from the entrance to Pumicestone Passage by a strip of sand.

Red Beach: looking south east toward Moreton Island

Malaleucas at Red Beach

Buckley's Hole

Seafood

Visiting Bribie -- despite weekend traffic congestion on the bridge -- offers the bonus that near the Beachmere turnoff on the Bribie Island Road you can buy fresh fish and shellfish from the roadside. The refrigerated truck outlet distributes the catch from the trawlers that anchor on the Caboolture River, along the Beachmere Road, just west of King John Creek.

But today the word was that the water is too cold to catch Bay Prawns.

Also on Bribie, the locally farmed oysters, Toorbul Point Oysters (5/9 Armitage Street), may be small but they are very sweet and delicious.There has been a long history of oyster farming on Bribie Island. The indigenous Kabi Gubbi Gubbi people relied on oysters as a food staple and there are important midden sites along the shoreline.

Bribie Island: Point Gallagher Walk

2011-07-02T15:29:00.003+10:00

Today we cross the bridge to Bribie Island and walked one of the four wheel drive tracks from White Patch to Point Gallager.

See Map. Click on Google logo for satellite view.

Wonderful mix of sand dune vegetation typical of the great sand islands of the South East Queensland coastline.

If it wasn't for the 4x4 petrol heads...

Point Gallagher looking toward Glass House Mtns
across PumiceStone Passage.

Marsh land bordered by Coastal Banksia groves

Visiting the hinterland: the Glasshouse Mountains

2011-06-25T23:16:00.004+10:00

A day out north of Beachmere to the Glasshouse Mountains -- volcanic plugs that dominate the profile of the whole region. Footed it today around the Trachyte Circuit at the base of Mt Tibrogargan .

Mount Tibrogargan is one of the many mountains in the Glass House Mountains National Park, north-northwest of Brisbane, Australia. It is a volcanic plug of hard alkali rhyolite that squeezed up into the vents of an ancient volcano 27 million years ago.
Tibrogargan is one of the most easily recognised mountains in South East Queensland, bearing some resemblance to a gorilla or old man hunched over. .. The name Tibrogargan comes from the Undanbi words chibur flying squirrel and kaiyathin biting .ref

The headwaters of Tibrogradan Creek which feeds Beerburrim Creek that flows into Pumicestone Passage .

Banksia spinulosa (above) in bloom like so many candles along the track. There were also plenty of Banksia serrata but these had passed their blooming glory. In places the spread of spinulosa turned the area into a sort of open air cathedral with devotional offerings to Nature in a frenzy of tapers stretching off into the distance.

Click to enlarge view.

North of town: wetlands

2011-06-07T22:16:00.007+10:00

I last described the environment north of the Beachmere township where the coast meets the seagrass beds near the mouth of Pumicestone Passage. Its wetlands richness is suggested by these photographs.

With a lake running parallel to the coast ( fed both by a natural spring and tides) the coastal sand dunes and mud flats support a rich mix of flora and fauna.

In later posts I will consider the seagrass question as it relates to this area -- see map, right -- as I do more research on the topic.The green bit above the 'Deception Bay' label is the region reflected in these photographs.

Black swans on lake

The lake runs north south parallel to the shore

Deception Bay shoreline at low tide -- looking south

Lake inlet

Mangroves at low tide

Mangroves: aerial roots. aplenty.

Mixed vegetation skirting the lake

View Larger Map

The green blocks to the north of the 'A' is a sand mine. The dark sliver is the lake but you can see how narrow and contained is the small parcel of wetland surrounding it.

Shady Dark/Crystal Clear -- Beachmere's northern coastline.

2011-06-06T15:22:00.003+10:00

Shady Dark

If you head due north out of Beachmere township along Bishop Rd and turn east into Campbell Parade keeping as close to the sea as the road takes you -- you will be pleasantly surprized.

To your left is a 500 metre long thin lake hemmed by mangroves and Malaleucas with, beside the usual ducks, many black swans.

Many swans...and here and there 2 metre long wooden piers jutting out into the water waiting I guess for the next performance of Swan Lake.

At the end of the road -- Bayside Drive -- is a walking track that takes you into a grove of dense wetland scrub among which are some very tall Malaleucas and a few dense thickets. In places the cover is shady dark.

But then the track opens onto an expanse of white sand and one of the most pleasant beaches in the area. Off shore is a Moreton Bay protected area -- primarily because of the sea grass beds that extend along the coast towards Bribie Island -- and the coastline is sculpted by miniature crescent bays among the mangroves and, stretching out to sea, tidal depressions that in places are deeper than you'd expect so close given Deception Bays penchant for shallow shoals.

Crystal Clear

Eastern Shovelnose Ray

This time of year, as the tide drops to a low ebb the water is crystal clear and on a morning wade everything below the water surface shines back at you. This morning, aside from a lot of jumping about activity further offshore -- mullet and something bigger -- at my feet were juvenile Shovelnose Rays in no hurry to swim away.

With less development and fewer residences this area of coastline is more indicative of the original ecology along the shoreline.

Fortunately, it is now protected.

Stingrays in the neighborhood

2011-05-03T16:16:00.004+10:00

Estuary Stingray

Aside from the birds of the air, Beachmere is also home to many stingrays who approach the shoreline on each incoming tide.

Wading the shallows will more often than not disturb one of them and in a swirl of silt and sand, they'll rise from the bottom and fly away flapping their wings as if they were underwater birds.

You can come upon them in as little as 30 cm of water.

If the water isn't clear --- a common event in Deception Bay-- all you'll see is the swell as the stingray rises and the shock wave causes a surface swirl.

Wading, you need to always think about what may be at your feet.

When wading the shallows you can do "The Texas Shuffle" . In other words, slide your feet as you walk to alert stingrays of your presence. Instead of stepping on a stingray, you will at worst only nudge them and they will swim off (usually).

This time of year with the clear Autumn water it is thrilling to wade the shallows and come upon rays and skates at close quarters. Rather than only seeing the dark shapes and water surges, you can watch them rise from the bottom and swim away -- sometimes in pairs -- directly out to sea.

During a wade or a paddle the number of stingrays you may come upon in each section of beach can seem quite impressive. Wading in the shallows I've counted up to 15 within 300 metres along the shoreline, but it is clear that as the tide recedes the number of 'stingray holes' left behind by the feeding rays suggests that large numbers may come in with each rising tide. And the size of some of the holes -- which are an imprint of the rays that created them -- suggest that many of the visitors are large creatures.

Stingray Holes, Beachmere

After a few observations it seems to me that the most common species along the shoreline may be the Estuary Stingray

The estuary stingray, estuary stingaree, or brown stingray (Dasyatis fluviorum) is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae. It is found along the coasts of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia, and typically inhabits rivers and estuaries in mangroves. Growing to 93 cm (37 in) across*, this yellow-brown to olive stingray has a rhomboid pectoral fin disc and a smooth, whip-like tail with both dorsal and ventral folds. Its long, narrow nostrils and row of thorns along the midline of the back are additional characteristic features.
Crustaceans and polychaete worms are the main food of the estuary stingray, though it has a perhaps undeserved reputation for consuming farmed shellfish such as oysters. This species has declined or disappeared in many parts of its historic range, likely from a combination of habitat destruction, commercial and recreational fishery activity, and persecution by shellfish farmers. As a result, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as Vulnerable....

While other species approach the shoreline each day, I suspect that the Estuary Ray is among the most common of visitors -- intent on a daily feed of soldier crabs.

Of the species the Qld Dept of Environment writes:

Estuary stingrays were once common in south-east Queensland. However, the rapid urban growth along the Gold Coast, Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast coastline has placed enormous pressure on their habitat. Historically, the estuary stingray was present on the east coast from Port Jackson, New South Wales, to the tropics, but it has not been reported along the central NSW coast since the 1880s. Its southernmost limit is now thought to lie around Forster, NSW.... there has been a considerable contraction of its range and a decline in abundance. Numerous human induced threats have been contributing factors in this decline. Development and construction of industries, marinas and urban settlements in coastal areas has been accompanied by substantial losses of estuarine wetlands. The species appears particularly vulnerable to such human activities due to its reliance on shallow tidal and mangrove habitats, particularly within estuaries and rivers.
Bycatch in commercial fisheries, persecution by shellfish farmers and destruction of incidental catches by recreational fishers and during some commercial fishing activities have also contributed to this decline. It has been shown that a high proportion of rays in some areas of Moreton Bay bear hook wounds and fishing-related injuries.

However, in the next digital breath these magnificent creatures are still a marine enigma.

Even the answers to basic questions about the estuary stingray, such as their age at maturity and lifespan, are unknown.

It is recommended than when fishing you avoid using stainless steel hooks " If these are left in the animal after capture they can last for years as they do not rust. They continually wear leaving the wound raw and open for infection that can eventually kill."

Of course the stingray isn't without its defences so it it warrants reviewing the following first aid and wound management:

CURRENT MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES FOR STINGRAY INJURIES

Immersion of the affected part in hot water (about 45C) for at least 30 minutes for pain relief (relief is generally only effective while the affected part remains immersed).
X-ray of the affected body part to exclude the presence of cartilaginous barb remnants.
Local infiltration of local anaesthetic.
Systemic analgesia.
Careful wound examination, removal of foreign material, irrigation and debridement.
Heal by secondary intention (not closing the wound and allow to close from bottom up).
Antibiotic cover, broad spectrum.
Tetanus booster if required.
Early referral of confirmed or suspected penetrating injuries of chest or abdomen.

* Other sources suggest that the Estuary Stingray may measure up to 120cm across the body.

Striking Tree Shots

2011-04-19T19:01:00.003+10:00

Gizmodo: No two trees are ever the same, which is why they make for such interesting photography subjects. Twelve Giz readers pit their photography skills this week to produce some stunning results.

Click on the photos to make them bigger.

Anae Riley

This is a photo I took with my iPhone 4 at Beachmere(near Bribie island) in Brisbane Queensland. I used the Camera + app to give it an antique look. The waters are rising at Beachmere so the tide continually washes away the sand at the trees roots.

Source

Autumn wade in clear sea water

2011-04-13T12:33:00.002+10:00

With the onset of the Autumnish days , the wind drops and the water is less habited to the murkiness which comes with hosting the animal and vegetable mating of Summer. So the coastal waters clear and for once you can wade and see the sandy bottom below your feet.

You can see the sand crabs, the stingrays and the fish rather than wading through grey pea soup and wondering wether the next stingray is below your tootsies.

On the outgoing tide, it's the baby rays you'll come upon --- juvenile rays and skates -- and side traveling sand crabs pulling themselves left or right.

The underwater activity -- so long hidden in the murk except for jumping mullet and the backs of diving stingrays breaking the surface of the water -- is much more than I expected.

And with the stillness and days' coolness, it is easier to follow your preferred tide around the clock.

In one day, wading south along the swamp coast, I saw more marine life than I have before. Close in activity in less than 30 cm of water. Farther out, who knows?

Time to get boating....

Dead turtle at dusk...

2011-02-17T19:54:00.001+10:00

After a spate of high high tides the flotsam we get is mixed.

Been dead long time. Now at dusk, washed up high, an excuse for flies to gather.

Lovely night for a seaside walk nonetheless...

Flooding and the Caboolture River

2011-01-18T09:29:00.002+10:00

In the recent floods when Beachmere Rd was impassable for several days the Caboolture River appears to have inundated the road to a depth in places of a metre.

The inundation at Caboolture, along Morayfield Rd, was significantly deeper.

I cannot find figures for this latest phenomenon but the excellent resources offered by Bureau of Meteorology -- Flood Warning system for the Pine and Caboolture Rivers -- seems to suggest that the rise at Caboolture must have been in the magnitude of over 9 metres -- thus causing a 'major flood' .

The Caboolture River ... rises in the D'Aguilar Range near Ocean View and flows through Caboolture and Morayfield before entering Deception Bay at Beachmere.The catchment covers 468 km².There are no dams on the waterway, except for a weir and the only major crossing is the Bruce Highway bridge. The Caboolture River is tidal for 19 km upstream to the Caboolture Weir. At the river mouth a sand bar reduces the impact of tidal energy. (ref)

But where does all that water go since at Beachmere no significant events occurred?

Any property owner along Beachmere Rd knows where all that water goes to. It seems that this massive floodplain that surrounds Beachmere protects our sand bar existence from inundation. Nonetheless, if the King Tides had been running up river at the same time as the flood was flowing downstream a wall of more than 2.5 metres high of tidal water would have caused more inundation than was experienced this time around.

If you are interested im what is happening upstream the graphs here -- River Height Data at Haussman Lane -- will give you an idea of the current state of the river on any day.

Click on image for enlarged view

PINE AND CABOOLTURE CATCHMENTS - ASSESSMENT OF THE FLOOD POTENTIAL

The following can be used as a rough guide to the likelihood of flooding in the catchment:

Average catchment rainfalls of in excess of 200mm in 12 hours causes minor to moderate flooding in both the Pine and Caboolture catchments. This flooding will cause minor traffic difficulties as well as inundation of low lying areas.
Average catchment rainfalls of in excess of 300mm in 12 hours causes serious major flooding to occur. Rises in stream height will serverely affect traffic

Ah, Queensland

2011-01-14T02:58:00.000+10:00

Tip: Duroyan Fertl.

Beachmere Rd is now open

2011-01-13T18:32:00.006+10:00

...since this morning.

The northern access road from Bribie Island Rd is also OK and there is no more water over it despite the inundation both sides especially along Mynott. The north road has been open for a while although it was inundated and required a detour. Now the main Bribie Island Road is OK.

The potholes have even been filled in!

Beachmere Rd is fine for all of its 12.5 km.

But Caboolture and Morayfield have suffered badly...It is amazing how high the river rose there. So Beachmere peoples: volunteer to help out upstream.

After the deluge, Beachmere gets its low tide back

2011-01-12T12:50:00.012+10:00

River at Mosquito Is with tidal floodplain in foreground...not inundated

After all the water came through the catchment yesterday, the river has eased in sync with a change in the weather. Blue sky, a gentle breeze and singing birds are a sharp contrast to the conditions of the last few days.

For those keen to go the distance, this morning's low tide was as normal as could be in the circumstances -- taking the drop down to just under a metre without its volume being supplemented by river fed surges.

Back to normal?

Perhaps...

But strangely the swamp lakes were almost empty as though they had been cleaned out and not topped up through all the rain.

Maybe we imagined all that brim fullness?

Fish fry there were a plenty among the dead mangrove roots and a lot of insect activity on the water surface augurs badly for the mosquito and sandfly hordes to come.

Overhead a sea eagle was stalking the land as breakfast self serve must have been slim out to sea.

Along the foreshore many trees had been uprooted by the prevailing easterlies and the outlying mangroves, where they remained stalwart and marooned, have had their root systems stripped of sentiment so that they look more like creepers in a rain forest than something sea born.

Elsewhere the shoals have been rearranged by the flood tide and driving winds while a few sandbanks have been turned toward the sea rather than away from it.

Aside from small branches along the tide line washed up by wind, tide and flood or the brown muddy water -- like a thick band extending from the water's edge -- you'd hardly know that over the past so many days, many bits of the Wamuran hinterland are now floating in Deception Bay

Southern swampland: clear water but less of it

Flood options: The tides at Beachmere

2011-01-12T01:59:00.006+10:00

Everyone who lives here knows that Beachmere is married to the tides. They rise and fall to determine how much land we have and sometimes if we can get in and out of town.

So a high high tide running up against any flood coming down the Caboolture River and King John's Creek is very relevant to how much water flows towards us from the river.

If you are worried about this issue -- and you should be -- bookmark the tide chart for Beachmere which can be found here.

You'll see that the tides don't begin to pick up in volume until next Sunday, January 16th when they begin to rise to 2.1 and then to 2.3 metres --when today they are at 1.8 metres and drop to 1.6 metres on Friday...before rising again.

The major problem with the recent high tides seemed to be that with them the strong easterly winds, driving waves and rainfall undermined sections of the foreshore along the bay. But that is occurrence independent of any flooding issues (although the easterlies are going to drive more sea water towards us I'd assume).

The river at Trinity Waters Tuesday January 11th at 5pm

Evacuations: Caboolture. Road closures: Beachmere.

2011-01-11T12:20:00.002+10:00

Since the weather conditions are worsening news to hand suggests that people are being evacuated from low lying areas in the local catchments from Caboolture and Strathpine.

People are receiving an automatic flood warning via phone . So take the call.

However, for up-to-date local information - the Moreton Council web site is very slow to load but the key document on road closures can be downloaded here. It carries updated reports on a regular basis (eg: 9am/12MD, etc)and I assume the file is replaced at each update.

Another useful resource is the Qld Police Facebook page

Queensland Police Service Caboolture is isolated, so evacuation out of town by car is impossible. Those in low lying areas who can do so should move to higher ground, or prepare for rising water.

Queensland Police Service Low lying areas of Strathpine are currently being evacuated due to the ongoing flooding emergency. Water is expected to exceed levels of the 1974 floods. If you know your house went under during the ’74 floods, we advise you to leave your home immediately and seek shelter at higher ground. #thebigwet #qldfloods

Beachmere access roads closed overnight

2011-01-10T11:09:00.006+10:00

With over 200 mm of rain falling over the past 24 hours the roads into Beachmere were closed overnight.

The Bribie Island Road accessed through the north of town was closed last night at around 10 pm when King Johns Creek spilled its banks and this morning -- despite the low tide -- the main road to Caboolture was closed at the marina bend in the Caboolture River and 500 metres west of King Johns Creek Bridge.

A northern road may have been open this morning via a detour through Toorbul and much commuter traffic after trying to exit west streamed north bumper to bumper.

Good luck gang. Hope you can get back in if you can get out.

Given that there is more to flow through the King John's catchment maybe road conditions will worsen despite the easing off of the rain this morning.

It was nice to see the IGA delivery truck arrive this morning from the north so local supplies of some groceries will be topped up if we are to be cut off for hours on end.

While the surrounding farmland may be drowning --and graziers are moving their stock in horse floats already to higher ground elsewhere -- Beachmere looks like its coming out of any old Summer shower. The only major damage is along the foreshore where the strong winds have driven waves against the sea wall and sections have been eroded and collapsed.

After the flood situation has registered on the local consciousness, the bakery is out of bread and the supermarket is without milk after panic buy ups this morning.

A few local businesses are closed because the workers couldn't get into work this morning.

River and deluge

2011-01-06T23:14:00.004+10:00

Since most of Queensland is drowning at the moment it is a nice to come home to Beachmere which is not under water.

Oh the joys of living on sand all the way down!

Boarded by the sea and the Caboolture River to the east and south, the two roads in will become inundated as the bitumen is low lying, especially on Beachmere Rd to the west where the route skirts the Caboolture River (images left: Caboolture River --High High Tide January 4th).

Inundation of surrounding farmland will always happen during a high high tide anyway and when there's a lot of water coming down from the catchment that will cause the river and King John Creek to spill its banks even more.

So the river can be voluminous with or without the rain and getting cut off does happen.

But the sands of Beachmere don't hold onto the wet. The swampland may brim up but underfoot for most of the township, soon after every shower or torrential downfall there's no puddle to muddy your shoes.

Drains away down into the water table.

So Beachmere is 'drier' than most of the surrounding area regardless of the wet weather.

So much water around but not much to show for it the next morning.

Surviving the wet

2010-12-29T10:12:00.000+10:00

Windswept and wave beaten

Beachmere's great advantage when the rains come is that it has feet of sand and the water simply drains away. The main road in -- Beachmere Rd -- which connects the township to Caboolture -- may occasionally be threatened by the rising levels of the river and St John's Creek -- which it skirts -- but that's a standard. Give it a few more years of global warming and Beachmere will be an island.

The road was last closed on October 11th.

In the meantime the local environment weathers what comes across the bay at it. The recent storminess, especially the high winds, have beaten upon the coastline and in some cases, uprooted mangroves. The wetland lakes are brim full with more fresh water than is the norm and this may lead to the death of those species -- flora and fauna -- who prefer their water more saline.

Nonetheless, the heavy and persistent rain has encouraged a massive fruiting of fungi seemingly upon what should be just sand. In the township, pristine ecology mixed with bought in compost or soil means that the botany is mixed and toadstools of many different colours have popped up in the most unlikely of places probably for the first time in decades.

After the storm...

2010-12-17T21:03:00.002+10:00

There was a exotic almost other worldly quality to the foreshore in the wake of this evening's thunder storm. Over bearing stillness and a visual crispness that made everything sharply contrasted except where sea and sky merged.

As the sunset advanced the colours changed as the storm (now spending its fury in the Coral Sea), rainbows and clouds filtered the rays of the dying sunlight.

Stormfront

2010-12-16T08:44:00.003+10:00

The big storm rolled in from the south east impacting across the suburbs of Brisbane...and missed us as it vent its fury to the west.

Much better than Christmas lights.

Malaleuca Stained Tea Tree Water

2010-12-15T13:40:00.003+10:00

Out and about this a.m. -- wading the shallows through the northern wetlands -- the sea water at my feet was in places a reddish brown -- something akin to the colour of brewed tea (pictured above).

Tea? Maybe this is why Malaleuca trees are so often called 'tea tree' ( as in 'tea tree oil').

Malaleuca swamp wetlands are a standard along the coast of South East Queensland and the species rules the flora of Moreton Bay -- holding the islands in place through their root systems.Tannin staining by the Malaleucas will turn water courses and swamps a dark tea colour and the staining will drift away from shore and colour the bay.

After I was out and about this morning in Beachmere I went over to Bribie Island and along the surf beach at Woorim there is a very clear example of how much colour can be produced by the Malaleucas.

A watercourse rushing out to the beach (pictured above left) was so coloured that it was a rich burgundy. I thought that if there was a mythical land of milk and honey, here one produced wine.

The water was so dark you could not see much below the surface and wading in it was like soaking your tootsies in a Pinot Noir.

Why the staining should be so pronounced now may have a little to do with recent rains and the seasons....

Noisy Neighbours: Corellas

2010-12-13T09:30:00.005+10:00

If you can tolerate noisy neighbours who each day want to drop by your house and party out loud then you may be able to relate to Beachmere's resident flock of Little Corellas.

This is one bird who knows on what side its bread is buttered. A real pack animal with seeming altruistic dedication to its peers, any visit is never just in ones or twos.

There has to be many dedicated gofers in the flock who fly around all day telling every other member that the food is being served at such and such an address.

The flock seems to have a grazing pattern as it methodically works the township morning and afternoon, north to south. Of course if a good part of the flock are going to feed, there won' be much tucker -- let alone room -- left for other species at the targeted map reference.

By Corella standards out west, the Beachmere flock is not large -- maybe only 60-80 birds -- but for noise and chutzpah they out parrot the rest of the parrots in the locality. If you decide that you want to shoo the birds away, Litte Correllas will only fly off when they think you are determined about the expulsion and intend serious harm. Bluff won't get you very far as a bogeyman. In the meantime they will offer more collective squawks per minute than any other species in cooee.

Personally I like them. I may find the local Galahs, Black Cockatoos, Rainbow Lorikeets, etc more fun to observe as individual birds, but for the Corella, living is very much about community - a grass roots lifestyle (as they spend so much time on the ground).

One morning I came upon one hobbling from the main drag with a injured wing. The flock drinks from the puddles on the asphalt after overnight rain; and the bird had obviously been hit by a car. But the whole flock refused to abandon their member. They clumped around it or perched above the bird on the fences or electricity wires. They weren't going anywhere while the injured bird was still under threat.

The photograph above -- taken just before a storm hit our street -- gives a feel for the way these birds gather in bulk. The white dots in the background are more Corellas stretched out along the wires.

That's Beachmere: one huge aviary. And if there are so many Corellas on the wing there maybe another 30 or species of birds who call the place home or drop in for a holiday.

Sebastian Sholes, fisherman in diner: Hell, maybe we're all getting a little carried away with this. Admittedly a few birds did act strange, but that's no reason to...
Melanie Daniels: I keep telling you, this isn't 'a few birds'! These are gulls, crows, swifts...!
Mrs. Bundy, elderly ornithologist: I have never known birds of different species to flock together. The very concept is unimaginable. Why, if that happened, we wouldn't stand a chance! How could we possibly hope to fight them?
--Alfred Hitchcock/Daphne de Maurier, 'The Birds'

The South Swamp

2010-12-07T22:39:00.004+10:00

Where Beachmere embraces the Caboolture River the land falls away into a wetland which is dominated by a succession of lagoons.

These lakes are filled by rain water and high high tides so that their salt water content is often much less than the sea that laps the other side of the sand hills.

In the urban area one lake has been engineered into becoming a perennial pond but further south the wetness takes a primeval character -- especially after mangroves in the water have died off because of the drop in water salinity and their dead trunks stick out of the water like gallows.

It is this ecological instability that makes the 'South Swamp' so interesting. It is one big marshland -- a true 'mere' in Beachmere that, to me, looks impenetrable unless you want to wade deep in mud.

Frogs love it of course, as do water birds -- even one feral Peacock whose call at night only adds to the place's primordial exoticness.

In fact it is a busy place where many events come together -- the river flows to the sea, the tides rise and fall, the lagoons fill and pour out, the sand accumulates and is washed away, seagrass is deposited on the shoreline.... It may be constrained and encroached upon by residential development on its periphery but the South Swamp seems to have a life of its own.

The irony is that aside from the road that cuts through the area to the public boat ramp on the river, the one access point is through the Off Leash Dog area and for all intents and purposes the swamp is Fido's domain.

Since it used to serve as the township garbage tip, compared to rubbish dumping, walking the dog is a benign activity...

Moreton Bay Marine Habitat Areas

2010-12-01T23:58:00.000+10:00

This is a useful map that gives an overview of under sea ecology in the context of bay zoning.

Moreton Bay Marine Habitat Areas

This evening's walk...

2010-11-28T21:13:00.001+10:00

I did the usual walk with the dogs this evening but this time I took a camera along.

Walking south through the dog park I tramped the shoreline as the coast turns inland to embrace the river. Moreton Bay to the east on my left, and the swamp, on the over side of side dunes, to my right As the sun was setting I had to return through the shallows of the outgoing tide.

Its' like this every bloody night...

Yawn....

Stingray Holes

Dead Mangroves

Swamp Primeval

Touring the wetlands at low tide

2010-11-24T19:17:00.006+10:00

Each morning when I can, I mount my kickbike and scoot south to the Caboolture River at the boat launch (pictured left).

I then turn due north and travel the length of Moreton Terrace to the environment reserve at the edge of town.

Here the ecology is more pristine than elsewhere along the coast and the area luxuriates in typical wetland features.

At low tide you can walk along the edge of this coastline between flocks of shorebirds and study the way the mix of tide and chlorophyll come together.

At 6am the aspect with the sun just risen above the Moreton Island horizon before any wind stiffens is beautiful.

This morning I walked these sandbanks an hour after low tide -- which was at 4.40am -- and the incoming tide was just picking up momentum as the exposed sand began to disappear below my feet.

Because the area is environment protected and fronts an out-to-sea no fishing zone the slight bend in the shoreline fosters verdant growth of seagrass very close to shore (see below). Since the water was clearer than later in the day the bottom was visible so every mangrove root, sand ridge and shell could be seen. There is less 'mud' here than further south -- less cause for easy silting -- so these times when the tide is out is a great opportunity to experience the wetlands and mud flats as they used to be perhaps along most of the shoreline of Moreton Bay.

A very special spot.

Every morning, what a pleasure...

Click on images to enlarge view

Settling into Beachmere. Bird and dog life.

2010-10-26T02:14:00.001+10:00

Now that we have notched up two whole weeks of residence in Beachmere the place is becoming familiar. It is like being on holiday as the neighborhood has all the attributes of a down scale resort -- sun, sea and lifestyle activities.

But all that aside living here is close to everything. So much is just a walk or cycle away. The terrain is flat so cycling is a major transit medium. Among the young it's micro scooters (the scate bowl is the main youth mecca) and the cycling culture embraces all demographics including the grey hairs. Like me other locals walk to the shops with shopping trolleys in tow and I get many envious looks when I 'shop' using my large two wheel -- 26 inch wheels -- bike cart as a hand cart.

Flat and close makes all this so easy to handle. So you don't need a car to traverse Beachmere although obviously the town has it's petrol heads and octane dependencies. This cosmopolitan street usage is encouraged by the very wide avenues with generous cycle lanes marked each side of the main section of the roads. People walk along these lanes as well as using them for cycling and they are the major thoroughfare for the aged and infirm on their electric scooters.

So there is a lot of traffic that is not petrol generated despite the town's seeming preference for four wheel drive vehicles and , among a section,for motorcycles. Harleys rule.

The irony being that while getting around town may offer many benign options, the road in -- from the west, from Caboolture, Beachmere Road -- is a narrow, rat run that every so often notches up another death. You wouldn't want to cycle it for instance as the road is too narrow and the speed limit too fast for all of it's 12 kilometers.

So you cycle Beachmere in isolation from the rest of Australia.

The other out and about activity here is walking the dog. This is dog town in a very canine way. Along the foreshore there may be signs that read 'No Dogs' -- the legal meaning of which I cannot decipher -- which suggests some tension over the issue of walks, but the sea shore closest to us includes an off leash area that opens to the swamp and Moreton Bay at low tide so that you can walk with your dogs for two kilometers to the mouth of the Caboolture River -- and do that up to half a kilometer ' out to sea.'

From sun rise, the streets are occupied by owners walking their dogs... Or just walking.

So this is dog heaven. Cats would only exist here to slaughter the local bird population and since Beachmere is one giant aviary--who wants to kill off the locals?

'A giant aviary' does describe the built up environment here in a phrase. When I head to the outskirts of town, birdlife, and the accompanying sounds, fall off. But when you head back in , among the houses and avenues, the aviarian cacophony explodes as does the medley of species.

This fauna interface is a big surprise as I have never experienced so much birdlife in one spot as here -- in the town, and very much so, in our own 700 square metre block ( and we have only one tree on it -- a magnificent Silky Oak). With the sea, wetlands to the north and south, farming land all around and the Moreton Bay islands in bird cooee, you can see why Beachmere could function as a species hub for birds. Aside from that, when not killing cane toads, I escorted the biggest green tree frog I've ever seen out of the house three nights ago. Living In suburban Brisbane I saw only two green tree frogs in 15 years.

At night in the swamps the marsh frogs staccato dup drown out the bass notes of the cane toads such that the small marsh frogs sound like Chinese fire crackers at New Year.

That's Beachmere: birds, dogs, frogs and bicycles.

Beachmere -- Week The First.

2010-10-18T23:44:00.001+10:00

We got into Beachmere a week ago just before the rising flood waters cut off the road. Since the house is on sand there was no mud -- let alone surface water -- under foot and our new address weathered the deluge without one iota of sogginess.

Unloading the pod of our worldly goods and chattels between rain squalls was another matter.

What with the unpacking and settling in I haven't explored the place in much detail but every day I go out either on the kickbike or walking the dogs or under some other excuse to reconnoiter the neighborhood.

Just south of the house -- beginning 500 metres away and running parallel to the coast -- is this wonderful primeval swamp which empties into the mouth of the Caboolture River. The terrain and ecology remind me of Moreton Island which dominates the horizon to the east, on the other side of Moreton Bay.

I can also access the river directly by skirting the new canal estate -- Trinity Waters -- a local rarity fortunately. -- to the bank upstream from the main public boat ramp.

So think swamp -- 'wetlands' plus plus -- and flat land with very broad avenues occupying a peninsular at the mouth of a river and you'll get a feel for the local geography.

And yes the tides: the low tide goes out a very long way.

Within this ecological package imagine this massive aviary where birds rule suburban streets such that they are everywhere. Species so many to list and many I don't know.

I also expected more mud especially along the shoreline, but instead there is sand -- some of it built up and very white.... and mangroves (always a standard on Moreton Bay)

Ironically despite the natural environment we're only a short walk from the shops -- grocers, take away, grog, butcher, baker, etc type retail mix. There was a newly opened pet shop but it was burnt out three nights ago.

So with it's own in house caravan park, Beachmere is like a seaside resort if you were into nothing fancy and limited nightlife: the tavern or the bowls club.

The major local industry seems to be the buying and selling of houses. This penchant for real estate turnover is an economic feature I'll explore as I settle in But the cheap land and the seaside aspect no doubt feed the dynamic. It explains why people come, but not why they go. 'Go' may be too general a word as not much real estate is moving at the moment as the local marketplace is not buoyant at all.

So those hoping to go are stuck for now...

We arrive and that 's all about stimulating the local economy. But for those seeking to leave, I'm sure failure to sell or failure to sell at your hoped for price would be cause for much seaside angst. But in Beachmere this week you can buy at both ends of the market -- under $300,000 or over $2 million -- and be shown a range of properties to suit your capacity to pay off your mortgage.And boy! at the top end of the market we 're talking huge palatial castles with absolute beach frontage set in acreage.Some are obscenely grandious.

And when you have a slow sales market you also get a lot of rental offerings on cheap leases. That's Beachmere too -- we even have one shop front and agent dedicated to flogging and administering local rental properties alone.

So come live in Beachmere. Walk the beaches and the swamps at a price you can afford. It's one of the few places where it is cheaper to buy rather than rent. And the money you save can go towards that cabin cruiser you've always dreamed of...

I kid you not...

There is logic in the move but a rationale that few are aware of because I reckon that this township is one of Brisbane's best kept secrets.

Da House as is.

2010-10-02T20:10:00.000+10:00

Some images of the Beachmere house we are to move into on Octiber 11th...

A day out at Beachmere

2010-09-15T17:54:00.000+10:00

We visited Beachmere to reconnoitre the real estate and show the nippers the lie of the land. This gave us the opportunity to walk along the beach north of the Bowls Club accessed from MacGregor Terrace. Despite the strong and very dry South Westerly, along the shoreline we were sheltered and there was a Summery effervescence about the beach with its white sand and clear waters. It may have been high tide when we arrived but there was a a beach nonetheless -- houses to the sands edge (left of figures above))and then to the east (right) -- Moreton Bay stretches all the way to Bribie and Moreton islands.

It was a surprise as I thought sand at high tide was going to be always inundated.

We watched some small Sand Whiting in the shallows and further along folk were fishing no doubt for bigger examples of the Summer Whiting.

The sign on the beach said simply "No dogs." An absurd sign. I spoke to one local walking his dog along the beach-- 'been here 8 years, mate "-- and he reckoned everyone ignores it. I'm sure.

A beach without dogs! How nanny like is that? Signage without authorisation. Beach Nazis...

Leashes fine. Poop collection fine.(We bought home our own doggy bag of it) But no canines? -- be dammed! Just north at Toorbull on Pumicestone Passage you need to leash your dogs because the place is over run by kangaroos -- we're talking front yard, main street, everywhere roos -- but even there dogs are kosher so long as they're leashed.

What's with these Beachmere sign makers?

Surviving Midges when out and about at dawn and dusk.

2010-08-30T17:47:00.000+10:00

The biting midge (also often called sandflies in Australia) are, if you have ever been bitten by a midge, the very worse feature of coastal and marine ecology. Great White sharks, Stonefish, tidal rips and stinging jellyfish have nothing on the minuscule midge.

Biting midges are responsible for acute discomfort, irritation and severe local reactions. Itching may commence immediately after the bite, but often not for some hours later, and most individuals are unaware of being bitten at the time....In some sensitive people, midges can produce persistent reactions that blister and weep serum from the site of each bite and these reactions may last for several days to weeks. (ref)

Best advice: don't get bitten.

But how do you manage that?

Our Beachmere acquaintances swear by a mixture of baby oil and Dettol as a good midge repellent if you are out and about during the schedule times of the Midge descent -- dawn and dusk.Since midges can get through fly screen I reckon there are a few recommendations I can embrace unconditionally:

Increase air movement in the house by using electric fans can effectively create an area unsuitable for Biting Midges as their activity reduces in wind speeds over six (6) to eight (8) kilometres per hour.
Keep vegetation surrounding the house to a minimum. This reduces insect harbouring areas and increases air flow surrounding the house. Also keep lawns well mown as any activity that reduces sheltering sites and lowers humidity surrounding the house will help to deter midges. Landscaping with tallish vegetation with an upper tree canopy is preferable to low, dense vegetation in midge prone areas as it allows a much better airflow near ground level.
Biting midges have a histamine like substance in their saliva which can cause intense itching in sensitive individuals. To prevent acute allergic reaction and allow the body to develop its own immunity to midge bites vitamin B1 (thiamine) can be tried. This vitamin has an anti-histamine type action. Biting midge expert, Dr. Eric Reye, suggests an adult dose of 200mg twice a day with meals, preferably starting 2 weeks before exposure to midge. As immunity is developed this dose can be reduced. The development of personal immunity generally comes with a regular exposure to low numbers of midge bites, not occasional heavy exposure. Persons who have a more acute reaction to midge bites may require anti-histamine drugs at times. You should consult your family doctor before trialling these drug therapies.

Is there something I'm missing?

My working bookmarks on Midges are here on delicious...

Map Moreton Bay Marine Park Zones

2010-08-08T18:34:00.000+10:00

The Moreton Bay Marine Park was established in 1992 to protect ecologically significant habitats in Moreton Bay. The World Heritage listed park extends from Caloundra south to the Gold Coast Seaway. The park's border extends up to the highest tidal mark and covers a total of 3400 km2.

The park provides protection to sensitive reef sites near Tangalooma and Flinders Reef. It includes waterways such as Coombabah Lake, mangrove forests, swamps, marshes, tidal mudflats, sandflats and seagrass beds.[4] It is a temporary home to migrating shorebirds that inhabit wetlands. Dugongs, whales and turtles swim in the waters of the bay.

New Zones

Dugongs in Moreton Bay

2010-08-08T15:01:00.000+10:00

I wanted to start collating information about the Beachmere environment.

I was out yesterday at Woody Point on the RedCliffe Peninsular when I came upon this reference:

Early last century, an enormous herd of dugong, estimated at covering 13 square kilometres (5 square miles), was sighted off the coast of Brisbane, Australia.

Imagining that view, apparently from near Woody Point, needs to be updated by the fact that Dugong are now threatened, especially in Moreton Bay.

My Dugong bookmarks on delicious

It's Beachmere

2010-08-07T19:20:00.001+10:00

Click on map to enlarge view

The ongoing discourse here about shifting house to hither and then to yon has arrived at some resolution and his nibs -- c'est moi -- and his mate have contracted to buy a house in Beachmere (...so long as we can sell the one we have now).

"Beachmere," you may ask,"where the hell is that?"

Made with Slideshow Embed Tool

Beachmere is a distant suburb of Brisbane -- some 55 kilometres by road from the Brisbane CBD. It's a fishing village at the mouth of the Caboolture River and boasts the essential fishers' hardware: a boat ramp.

It has a caravan park(a rare thing indeed!) and a motel but really isn't touristy as most vacationists prefer the metro style of Bribie Island and the Sunshine Coast further north. It's a backwater with its own back water -- a few lakes that have been newsy because all the fish in them died in one foul swoop recently. (Google Beachmere and most of what you'll get is dead fish from a toxic algae bloom.)

Click on map to enlarge view

Why Beachmere?

Price.

10 minutes -- 12.5 km -- from Caboolture and its railway station. But...buses stop visiting Beachmere after 5.30pm weeknights.Four trips in the AM/ four trips in the PM.

Very flat. Great cycling/scootering country. You have to drive alongside goat and horse farms just to get there on the one road in. While there are a few million dollar plus properties on the water's edge, it's more or less an Anglo Celt fishing working class enclave: crab pots and tinnies with retired trawlers.

Since we are rooted in the mud and mangroves of Nudgee Beach. and remain preoccupied with the cultural substance of Cribb Island (extinct -- now buried under Brisbane Airport) -- Beachmere is in like mode.