Thala Beach Lodge was host to a rare and beautiful visitor this week; a dugong, or ’sea cow’ as they are sometimes called. The rare sea mammal was spotted by a lucky group of guests as they took guided nature walk through the forest and beaches around Thala Beach Lodge. The dugong was spotted just off Pebbly Beach where sea grass, a primary source of food for the dugong, grows.

A dugong was spotted off the coast of Thala Beach Lodge this week!

The name sea cow comes from the dugong’s grazing habits rather than any similarity in looks. It’s head actually resembles that of an elephant, which is it’s closest relative. In contrast to their upper half, dugong sport a long graceful tail that brings to mind that of a mermaid, and it is rumoured that these creatures inspired this myth; that  female dugong were what lonely sailors saw so long ago and imagined as maidens of the sea. This is rather surprising as a mature female dugong can reach  up to three meters in length, and weigh in excess of  four hundred pounds.

Australia is home to the largest concentration of dugong left in the world – around 80,000 occupy waters reaching from Shark bay in Western Australia to Morton Bay in Queensland.  Dugongs are regarded as environmental indicators in coastal marine ecosystems, and their significant presence on the Great Barrier Reef was one of the reasons it was given a World Heritage Listing. Today, there is estimated to be around 12000 dugong in the Great Barrier Reef region

The dugong’s native habitat extends throughtout the Indian and Pacific Oceans however, various threats to the species have seen a dramatic drop in population of dugong in many areas and even reach extinction in places such as the Maldives and around Mauritius.

Sharks, crocodiles, and killer whales are natural predators to the dugong, however their biggest threat is humans. Like dolphins, dugong are prone to getting caught in fishing nets or hit by boats, and the sea grass that so integral to their diet is threatened by industry, mining and agricultural practices that greatly affect the health of coastal waters. Despite their ecological importance and dwindling numbers, dugong are still only partially protected.

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I have been in the water for fifteen minutes. The water is thirty-five metres deep and clear. It is now silent and shafts of sunlight meet at a point beneath me in the blue void.  I feel surprisingly relaxed. Out of the stillness, a shoal of five large and energetic remoras swim directly to me as if they are lieutenants preparing a visit for their eminent host. They spin around heading back towards the whale, which again rises to the surface now only a hundred metres away.

Looking through my mask above the surface, I can clearly see a ridge on his rostrum directly in line with the blowhole and dorsal fin. He is now perfectly aligned facing me and moving forwards slowly, but not yet visible underwater.  He moves closer until at the edge of my underwater visibility (I estimate about sixty-five feet), I first see the huge white flippers glowing white and the outline of his head.  There is a sense of calm.  I have a feeling of pure wonderment.
He is five hundred times my size and has enough power to raise his forty tons clear of the water.  His sophisticated brain has formed a clear impression of me and my internal organs. I only have my eyes to rely on.  I can see just 45 feet with clarity and a basic outline at 65 feet, beyond nothing. I am in his world. He is the master. His is a world of perception through  sound and electromagnetism that passes unseen through my body: In both respects, I am illiterate.

With spectacular ease, he glides down and takes up a position head down at an angle of forty five degrees from the surface. The posterior tips of his flukes just eight metres from the surface and now directly below me. There he lies absolutely motionless; not a movement. There is a sense of perfect balance and symmetry. Whilst he holds this position with precision and ease, I am adrift.

I remain in wonder at the grandeur of this magnificent humpback whale.  His world and experiences are so different from mine. Our lives seem worlds apart, yet we are very close. We are both mammals and depend on our mothers care and milk at birth. We are intelligent. We breathe the same air.   We have social and family ties. We have a comparable lifespan. We have much to learn about each other and from each other.

I, not he, am the representative of greatest danger: A member of the species that has nearly brought his to extinction: Justified by putting oil in our lamps and meat on our plates.  He has good reason to be aggressive and disgusted. He will have heard the painful cries of harpooned whales echoing around the ocean depths. Still he chooses to satisfy his curiosity by approaching  me gently and with no malice.

I am humbled.

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Some new and fairly rare species of Australian birds are being seen at Thala probably due to the very dry period. A Noisy Pitta (Pitta versicolor) has been spotted, a very uncommon sighting so close to the coast. This beautifully coloured very shy ground feeding bird has been in residence for the past 3 months. Also, a Bassian Ground Thrush (Zoothera lunulata) which feeds in a similar manner to the Noisy Pitta, has taken up residence. This is very uncommon as they are normally found in the higher country of North Queensland.

A pair of Little Lorikeets (Glossopsitta pusilla), have been seen feeding on the nectar from the flowers of the Poplar Gums. Very rarely seen so close to the North Queensland coast. This has been the first sighting of Little Lorikeets at Thala.

The resident pair of Papuan Frogmouth (Podargus papuensis) the largest of the Frogmouth species, started breeding 3 weeks ago. The nest looks very flimsy, just a few sticks in the fork of a tree. The nest has been made only 100m from where the pair were observed in their winter non breeding area. True to form the male is observed sitting on the nest during the day. The eggs are expected to hatch any day.

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Thala Beach Lodge has earned a spot in Travel Ninemsn’s article “Top 20 places in Australia to Propose” by David Whitley.

” Oak Beach is one of the most seriously underrated beaches in Australia. It comes straight out of the rainforest and has magnificent views of the Tropical North Queensland coast. It’s also so quiet that it’s practically the private beach of the luxurious Thala Beach Lodge. The lodge can organise for picnic hampers and wine to be brought down to the beach at the right moment. “

Full article at Ninemsn here.

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Miguel Maestre

Thala was proud to play host to Spanish Celebrity Chef Miguel Maestre during a two week filming session in Far North Queensland. Tropical Kitchen evolved from the cooking show Boys’ Weekend which also starred Australia’s Gary Mehigan. Tropical Kitchen will be aired on the lifestyle channel in 2010 with producers planning to screen the show at Cannes, France in October.

Miguel Maestre is a Spaniard who calls Sydney home. Miguel first started cooking when he was 21, before moving to Scotland to hone his skills. After returning to Spain for a stint he moved to Australia 4 years ago and worked as Head Chef of Tony Bilson’s Number One Wine Bar in Sydney’s Circular Quay, originally working under his friend, mentor and co-host on Boy’s Weekend Manu Feildel.

Miguel has begun to develop a following in the media with appearances on Channel Ten’s “9am with David and Kim”, Channel Seven’s “Better Homes and Gardens” and cooking spots on MixFM in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Miguel’s passion for food and life is infectious, developing a talent for incorporating Spanish ingredients and cooking styles into his modern Australian menus.

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These shots of a Green Sea Turtle were taken at Low Isles off the coast of Port Douglas, Australia. They are one of the few species still in existence that would have seen the evolution and extinction of the dinosaurs. Green Sea Turtles are herbivores and breathe air. Adult Green Sea Turtles live most of their lives in the sea with females returning to land to lay their eggs. When sleeping or resting Adult Green Sea Turtles can be underwater for more than 2 hours without breathing.

Green Sea Turtle

Green Sea Turtle at Low Isles

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Port Douglas, despite extensive development over the years, has always maintained a  community rich in creativity. From the creator of exquisite shell jewelry who played a significant roll in the culture, and history of the community – to actress and author Diane Cilento, who adopted the town while it was still no more than a sleepy village. Diane has since developed the renowned Karnak theatre on her Rainforest property where the beautiful and talented flautist, Jane Rutter, has performed hanging, Jane like, from a jungle vine.

Join in the Festivities at the Go Troppo Arts Festival in Port Douglas

The Tropics of North Queensland exemplify renewal and abundance. This is a region that draws artists from around the world to be inspired by trees laden with flowers and fruit and coral spawning in the heady spill of moonlight. The prolific underwater documentary maker Ben Crop, based in Port Douglas, captured the essence of life on The Great Barrier Reef, it’s islands, and the fertile mangroves that serve as nursery for so many marine life forms.

Sometimes artists just never leave, choosing instead to nurture their creative muse in the relaxed lifestyle and luminous light of the Tropics. At Thala Beach Lodge you can  watch the moon rise over Coral Islands and reflect it’s light onto Rainforest mountains – that’s when you too will feel the magnetic draw of the tropics fix you in place.
September is when the community of Port Douglas celebrates the creative fecundity of Far North Queensland at the Go Troppo Festival. ‘Go Troppo’ being a delicious play on the friendly jibe when one tends to unravel a little too loosely in the fungus soup of a monsoon season.

At a festival it is permissible, even for the uninitiated, to dabble in clay, oils, coconut cream, writers block or a whiff of grease paint as a piece of local community history is masterfully brought to the Clink (used to be the local jail) Theatre.
‘Go Troppo’ and you may never want to leave either! – More info at the Go Troppo Blog here…

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When I was staying at Thala Beach Lodge, the ocean was clear and I spent a day swimming around the rocks with my underwater camera. Within 200 metres of Thala’s shore is another world that only a handful of people have ever seen. Freediving to the bottom in just 5 or 6 metres of water I entered an astonishing world of corals, algae-encrusted rocks, sea fans and sea whips. I was also surprised by the variety of fish: Including tuskfish, barracuda, sardines, butterflyfish, blennies, rock-cod, trevally, surgeonfish, darts, wrasses, butterfish, drummers, sweetlips and damselfish. At one point only 20 metres from the shore, I held onto a pinnacle of an oyster encrusted rock just breaking the surface, trying to remain as motionless as possible. The rock rises up from the bottom like an arching rhino horn. In the gentle surge, my body was swaying rhythmically with the algae when a large Green turtle approached. Normally they are very timid, but this individual allowed me to watch as it grazed algae from the same rock and less than two metres away. Underwater, I could even hear the rasping of its bill. After ten leisurely minutes it drifted away around the point towards the long sandy beach. I am posting up a few of my photographs taken in this magical ‘other-world’.

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Snorkelling on The Great Barrier Reef

The world’s biggest living structure is The Great Barrier Reef. The only living thing visible from Earth’s orbit. The Great Barrier Reef runs parallel to the Queensland coast and spans from North of Cape York to near Bundaberg in the South – a total distance of 2600 kilometres and covering an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres.

Built by billions of coral polyps (tiny organisms) and playing host to a diverse range of species including more than 1500 species of fish and over 400 species of corals the Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage area and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Comprised of over 3000 individual reef systems and hundreds of tropical islands many vulnerable and endangered species are inhabitants of The Great Barrier Reef.

Coral Trout

Coral is ‘alive’ due to its thin coating of coral polyps which develops a chalky limestone skeleton. Coral grows from the division of these polyps. This multiplication of polyps is called budding. Reproduction of the corals of the reef occurs through coral spawning. Over one third of coral on The Great Barrier Reef reproduces this way. This event can be witnessed on the inner reefs during the week after the full moon in October and on the outer reefs in November/December. This mass spawning sees corals releasing gametes leading to slicks of spawn on the surface of the sea. Spawning always occurs at night and the slicks won’t last longer than two days. Corals are inventive reproducers and it is likely that many of the mechanisms used are still undiscovered.

For most people coral wouldn’t be considered aggressive, yet they can grow over the top of neighbours and at night some corals can attack each other in a battle for space. Some can extrude mesenteric filaments to digest the tissues of their neighbours or, in the case of some species, tentacles up to 7cm long to sting their competition.

Humpback Whale at The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is also a breeding ground for Humpback Whales, migrating from Antarctica to use the warm waters of the Coral Sea between May and September. The whales come to calve and build up strength before returning to the Antarctic in Summer. Minke whales can also be seen, mainly around the ribbon reef area.

The coral reefs exist offshore from the coast of Queensland. Coral thrives better in clean water free of nutrient and freshwater. The best corals are generally found in the clean waters of the outer reef. Thala is located in close proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. With a short boat ride you can visit the crystal clear waters and stunning colour of the reef. Popular points to access The Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland are from Port Douglas and Cairns.

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Here’s some recent shots taken from around Thala!

The unique North Australian environment that Thala is located in is host to a wide variety of rare Australian flora & fauna.

Spotted Python

Spotted Python

The beautifully marked (and harmless) Spotted Python likes rocky coastal areas of North Australia and feeds on small mammals, including insectivorous bats that it catches at the entrance of their caves, small birds and reptiles. They are one of Australia’s smallest snakes by only growing to a length of approx 140cms!

Ardenia Vine Australia

Ardenia Vine

Ardenia Vine – a host vine to many butterflies including the Red Lace Wing which is Australia’s only red butterfly (quite rare – but often seen at Thala!).

Cooktown Orchid at Thala

Cooktown Orchid

In 1959 the Cooktown Orchid was declared Queensland’s floral emblem. First collect collected by Dr Thomson on a small island about 18 km north-east of Cape York. The only natural habitat for the Cooktown Orchid is a small area of North Queensland.

Grevillea Pteridifolia

Grevillea Pteridifolia

Great bush tucker! The flowers are absolutely dripping with super-sweet nectar! A local species that attracts many sugar gliders, honeyeaters & other nectar feeding animals.

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I had never taken so much note of the eucalyptus of my homeland, the Northern Tropics of Australia, as when I read Eucalyptus, a novel by Australian novelist Murray Bail.

I saw them straight and sparsely leafed. I saw them lean and sinewy with tufts of foliage. Heavy with flower and bearing painted birds, spreading their limbs for roosting flying foxes as the sun sank beneath the Coral Sea. They were always there, 700 species in all, but I had not really seen them.

It is fitting that a literary work that makes you see your world anew should win the Miles Franklin Award – and it did in 1999.

That was when I started musing and gazing at the Poplar Gum. There are great stands of them at Thala. They wind the paths and push against the rock walls. They shiver in the breeze and sprinkle their leaves. White powdery bark, stark in sunlight, is luminous when caught in the shine of a fat, full, tropical moon. The shadow of stout, ovate leaves dance across the gleam. The image is sensuous, secret and alluring.

It is easy to see what could have inspired Murray Bail to write his fairy tale novel of a man who rears his young daughter and watches her grow into a beautiful young woman on a property he has planted with hundreds of different gum trees. When she is nineteen, he announces she can only marry a man who can name all the species of eucalyptus he has planted – down to the last tree.

In soft morning light I watch the white bark peel to show the soft salmon of it’s under skin. It rains. The bark is a sheen of pale pastels painted by a master. This is how you come to know the name of a Eucalyptus.

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A day trip from Thala Beach Lodge takes you via the Rex Range to climb to the Atherton Tablelands. The views are spectacular as you begin a journey that can take you from 500 to 1000 meters above sea level. The Coral Sea, home of the Great Barrier Reef, spreads below the lush surrounds of Tropical Rainforest.  Volcanic in origin, the landscape of the Atherton Tablelands is an undulating rich fertile plain of rolling hills interspersed with World Heritage Rainforest, spectacular waterfalls and crater lakes.

The history can be traced to the late 1870s when European explorer James Venture Mulligan accidentally discovered the Atherton Tableland. His original purpose of exploring Australia was to look for fertile land and minerals, particularly tin and gold. Aborigines had already inhabited the region for about 10,000 years.

Grazier, John Atherton, and European explorer John Newell joined Mulligan. Together they set out to find rich deposits of tin, gold and other natural resources such as timber and lumber. Vast tracks of forest were cleared for grazing and crops. Conservation has now seen much of the land regenerate and large tracts of original forest preserved to form one of the largest conservation zones in the world. There are a number of extinct volcanoes, caves and hills to explore.

The Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo

The unique natural environment of the Atherton Tablelands is also home to the rare Lumholtz’s tree kangaroo, a small arboreal kangaroo, discovered by Carl Sophus Lumholtz, a Norwegian naturalist, ethnologist and explorer. He worked in South and North-Eastern Australia from 1880 to 1884 to collect new mammal specimens for the zoological and zootomical museums of the University of Christiania, Norway. He also studied the customs and anthropology of the Aboriginal populations. Lumholtz enlisted the help of some Aboriginal hunters to collect specimens and in 1882 they told him of an unusual animal species that lived high up in the trees of the coastal mountains. These turned out to be what are now known as Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroos or, among the Aboriginal people, the Boongarry.

They are about the size of a dog. The tail is long, cylindrical, and tufted on the end. It is used as a counterbalance while climbing or hopping and is not prehensile. The head is small and round with a large snout and small, rounded ears – rather like a bear. They are generally brown or black, solitary and nocturnal, sleeping in tree branches during the day. They live in small, loose-knit groups of three to five, consisting of a male and female mates dispersed within a strongly defended home range.

To sight them during the day, the long pendulous tail is the best give away as they nestle high in the canopy. On wet drizzly days they will avoid the heavier foliage and perch on the outer branches. Night spotlighting is difficult since the eyeshine is a dull ruby red and they are skittish at night.

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You may be lucky enough to see the rare (and currently endangered) Southern Cassowary on your visit to Far North Queensland, Australia. This large flightless bird is actually the third tallest bird in the world– only exceeded in height by the Ostrich and Emu. Female Southern Cassowaries may reach 2 metres in height and 58.5 kilograms in weight. This shy bird is at home in our Northern Tropical Rainforest.

Southern Cassowary

The Cassowary has a very distinct horn like crest and bright colouring around the head and neck. They communicate by producing low frequency sounds (the lowest known bird call) registering on the edge of human hearing.

Generally solitary animals the males care for the eggs and chicks. A female will lay her eggs in a males nest before moving on to leave the male to incubate the eggs for approx 50 days. The population of Cassowaries in the Wet Tropics region is estimated to be between 1200 to 1500.

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Port Douglas is a small coastal town with a current population of approximately 4000 permanent residents. It is sometimes seen to attract celebrities drawn to its sleepy charm and discretion. It was during the 1980s that Port Douglas was discovered as a popular destination for Australians to spend winter months and visit the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest and other northern tropics attractions.

Originally established in 1877 due to its close proximity to the Hodgkinson Goldfields it was named Port Douglas after the 7th Premier of Queensland, John Douglas. John Douglas was in office for just under two years from 1877 until 1879. He later died on Thursday Island, north of Cape York.

In 1876 James Mulligan discovered gold fields on the Hodgkinson River in Central Far North Queensland.

Port Douglas is a popular Far North Queensland destination.

Consequently, during the Gold Rush of the late 1800’s the town expanded with industry and lodgings. Port Douglas accommodation options were growing and during this time and by 1882 14 hotels were established to accommodate the town’s population boom. During this time Port Douglas overtook Cairns as the main port for gold mining fields.

The easy route from the Goldfields to Port Douglas’s protected port made Port Douglas an important place for receiving and transporting supplies. During the peak of the Gold Rush Port Douglas’s population was recorded at 12000. The population later dwindled with a State Government decision to build an all weather railway link from the Hodgkinson Goldfield to the larger port of Cairns.

This bypassing of Port Douglas led residents to turn to other forms of income. With tick fever impacting cattle herds Sugar Cane became the primary produce. Large quantities of Sugar Cane was shipped out of Port Douglas and sent south until the opening of a cane crushing mill in Mossman (a small town North of Port Douglas) once again dwindled the population of the town as development was focused elsewhere. A major tropical cyclone in 1911 (during which 16 inches of rain fell in 24 hours) caused further damage to the town’s infrastructure and by 1914 the population of Port Douglas had fallen to 250 people.

Port Douglas continued to be a small fishing village and minor port to ship sugar from Mossman until 1958. It looked to become another doomed gold mining town, a left over relic of a past era.

The 1980’s became a major turning point for Port Douglas as investors identified the potential of Port Douglas’s position in a growing tourism area. Port Douglas became identified as a holiday resort destination for the rich and famous. This thinking was aided by the notorious Christopher Skase who gained notoriety through his fraudulent business practices. Although Skase’s questionable business deals caught up with him he is credited with building the modern face of Port Douglas in the 1980s.

Port Douglas today is a laid back village conveniently located between two world heritage areas, The Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.

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Rainbow Lorikeet at Thala

I could watch Rainbow Lorikeets for hours, given the time. At Thala they pierce through the forest at lightening speed. Their wing beats, perfectly synchronized, can carry their irridescent colours darting through the foliage to hang upside down with cheeky confidence on the most fragile leafy stem.

They are gregarious, volitile, impulsive and screechingly bossy. All the qualities in fact of an unruly mob. The range of body language is vast and there is no mistaking the head bob or pupil dilation when an unwelcome feathered friend decides to share the same leafy limb. On the other hand there is nothing more enchanting than the whispered squeeks and tweets of a  bit of shared head rubbing.

The northern tropics of Australia has an incredibly diverse bird population and the Rainbow Lorikeet is unmistakable with its bright red beak and colourful plumage. Both sexes look alike, with a blue (mauve) head and belly, green wings, tail and back, and an orange/yellow breast. They are often seen in loud and fast-moving flocks, or in communal roosts at dusk.

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