Talegalla.

[hairymick]

g'day guys.

Miz Robin is away at the moment. I had a day off and have been hearing good things about this little creek.

Been studying how to get there on Google maps for a while now and off I went bright and early.

After a short drive to Tiaro about 30 miles, it is off through pine plantation forests searching lots of unmarked forestry tracks in generally, what I hoped was close to the right direction. There are millions of acres of these pine plantations here.

After about an hour seemingly going round in circles - bugger this! time for a cuppa and a little re-think

Eventually, I came to a farm house adjoining the forestry and I called in to ask directions. Was met by the biggest and ugliest dog I have seen in a long time. Got diections from the farmer and I was only a couple of hundred yards from my target.

Talegalla is a small weir on a creek that flows into the Mary River and while I took my fishing gear, the real purpose of the trip was exploratory and hopefully to get some shots of platypus. I have heard they are in this creek in numbers and that I stood a good chance. 8)

Came to the end of the track and found this.

View from the weir wall downstream.

There were no obvious tracks or paths to the water from where I could park (about 100 yards away) and it was down a pretty steep and rocky bank.

Quick unload and cull all of my unnecessary gear and off in to the bush to the put in.

This is the "track" back to the car.
:lol:

and away down stream. Bloody worked up a sweat allready.

I think I took this one on the return leg.

Went about a mile or so down stream till I came to this strainer

and the creek sort of dissappeared into the bush after that. With no place to get out to do that most hated of all things - p - p - p portage I turned round and headed back to the put in.

time for plan B.

 

[hairymick]

Plan B,

While studying the satelite imagery on Google Maps, I kept coming back to a small bridge / causway looking thing that crossed this creek several miles down stream. might be a better option there.

Another 3/4 hour of searching, I found it and it looked very promising but absolutely nowhere to put in that I could find. Vertical, rocky banks with a drop of around 4 feet to deep looking water.

mutter mutter.

Continued across this bridge and through more forestry on a track that ran roughly parrallel to the creek down stream about another 5 miles to the start of the sugar cane farms. Cane on one side of the road and pine trees on the other.

I took the first promising looking track into the cane fields and came to a farm out buildings with a couple of blokes working on some tractors.

After introductions, I explained who I was and what I was about and looking for. and asked if it would be Ok for me to launch from their farm Both these blokes were watching me very closely and they questioned me even more closely until they were satisfied that I was fair dinkum ( genuine)

What sealed the deal was they had a couple of real bad dogs and they also sussed me out. One of them in particular had the hairs standing on my kneck. I gave him the back of my hand to sniff and he decided I was OK and was my new best friend

The farmer was dumbstruck! He told me he has never before seen his dog behave like that with anyone. He keeps his dogs for killing wild pigs that eat their crops. Naturally, they need to be very big and very rough and these dogs were all that and more. (Seems everybody round those parts has bad dogs.)

Back to the story,

"Follow me" he said, and off he went in his tractor. through the cane fields :shock:

and we eventually wound up at one of his irrigation pumping units. 8)

right beside the creek. 8)

he told me he owns about 4 miles of the bank on this side of the creek :shock:

 

[john the pom]

And!!!. You know you can't just leave us all hanging Mick. If you go back and read the forum rules there's probly something bad gonna happen to anyone that starts a tale and...

 

[bearridge]

That dang Billy Gates....I bet our fair dinkum pal's hiz Vista Pig went south. :?

 

[oldsparkey]

That dang Billy Gates....I bet our fair dinkum pal's hiz Vista Pig went south. :?

WHAT .... did Bear say ?????? Can anyone transulate it :?:

 

[oldyaker]

WHAT .... did Bear say ?????? Can anyone transulate it :?:

Chuckles! Without me being able to see his hands and arms move....I can't understand a damn thing he said! :?

 

[hairymick]

Chucky,

I been having a little rant back channel about my vista pig.

Never mind whacking the surly bartender, Gonna whack this bloody thing real soon.

John, LOL sorry mate, my stinking 'putor hasn't been playing nice. Will try to finish the posts now.

I put in beside the pump house and paddled down stream for a couple of miles. Like further down stream, ALL of the farmers along this creek have left a buffer zone of about between 50 yards and several hundred yards of genuine, old growth, sub-tropical rain forest along the banks. There are still large trees of quality furniture timber growing here including Kauri. I thought the timber getters had cleaned this area out of all the good stuff.

A few random piccies that I like.

This was my put in,

After a couple of miles, I came across the farmers who had kindly let me use their land, working on another of their pumps, with my new best friend, the pig dog in the for-ground. :lol:

Stopped for a chat and they were both concerned that I mightn't be able to drive my car back up the hill from where I had parked. It was pretty steep and well washed out with recent rain so we agreed on a time to meet back at my car and they could pull me out with their tractor if necessary. Talk about country hospitality! Bloody nice pair of blokes.

As an aside, I just noticed that they were both wearing side-arms - something I haven't seen in years. When I asked them about them, they explained that they often come across feral pigs and wild horses (brumbies) on the farm. The animals do enormous damage to their crops and they shoot them at every opportunity. One of them, Blue told me he shot a boar the previous week that dressed at over 140 kilograms.

Another river shot. This is pretty typical of the heavy rain forest that lines most of both banks of this part of the creek. 8)

Oh yeah,

I finally got a half way decent piccie of out endangered Mary River Turtle. 8)

 

[hairymick]

I got back to the put in a little early and was able to get back up the track OK.

Once out, I had a little break and a cuppa under some gum trees (river red gums) so names because of the red hard wood timber they produce and one of our species of Eucalypt. Beautiful timber, structurally very strong, straight, tight grained and comes up a treat as bright work. It is very heavy and completely unsuitable in building paddle craft.

The outer edge of the buffer zone and the start of broad acre agriculture,

I went back to the farm house and thanked these blokes profusely for allowing me in. While we were talking, it became clear to me that these blokes are genuine conservationists. They are passionate about their land and look after it. They are even practising crop rotation. a practice of a bygone era where farmers rotated the types of crops they grew, each year.

They are doing this in preference to using artificial fertilizers and chemicals ie, in between sugar cane plantings, they are planting peanuts.
The crop is allmost as profitable for them as cane and gives the benefiet of naturally replacing the nitrogen and other goodies in the soil. Apparently the practice is fairly wide spead in their area now. :shock: 8)

After our chat, "Blue" took me down to another part of the river in his battered old 4 wheel drive pick-up to show me a better place to put in - and he invited me back! 8)

As I got in the truck, my new best friend the pig dog, who had been swimming in a pond or something, jumped right in with me and sat on my lap. 150 pounds of wet muscle, fur and teeth sitting on my lap and grinning at me. :shock:

"Blue" muttered something like "@#$%^ dog, used to be my #$%@^ dog. Get in the @#^%$ back you ^%$#&"

and pushed him over into the back seat.

As we went, he was identifying big old trees that I have never seen before and explained their use. All premium grade furnishing timber. I asked him what he planned to do with them. h must have notices a glint in my eye or something cause he looked me straight in the eye and said simply, "WATCH THEM GROW"

hint taken

I am very definately coming back here. Exploring the options available for a powerful bow that is suitable to shoot from a canoe right now.

Both these blokes reckon I would clean up on the pigs from the water here. 8)

 

[Wannabe]

Mick,
Really did enjoy that. Thank you.
Bob

 

[oldsparkey]

Mick...

Great trip report and I'm glad you made a new friend along with the farmers.
One thing that gets me when I look at the pictures of your area , they look like they could of been taken over here. There are not that much different in the makeup of the land and creeks.
If you had Cypress and Palm Trees then no one could tell them apart.

Chuck.

 

[oldyaker]

Thanks for the mental vacation Mick!

 

[Lazyriverguy]

Mick
I agree with Chuck. Several of the pics on this post look like they could have been taken over here. I do thank you for the travel tour. We may be from different continents but they sure do look and sound like the folks in the woods think alike. Thanks agin.
Joe And Val
PS. She was sitting behind me at the puter lookin at the post and pics.

 

[jimsong]

Mick,
I have never met these guys, and chances are, I never will. But, I like them. They have their priorities in proper order.
There are elements in this realm far more important than gold, contrary to popular belief. ( But then, I have never been all that popular.)
I am not a tree hugger, but I think it's obsene to cut down every freakin' tree that can be used to make a profit!
One simple example: I drove a truck for 31 years. At my home dock, twice a month, we took a 45 foot trailer of wooden pallets to a land fill.
We didn't discard the ultimate pallet, the oak four way. we didn't discard "Blue" pallets, Those were actually privetly owned, and were only intended to hold groceries, therefore were saleable. But it broke my heart to see thousands of pounds of solid lumber consigned to rot in the ground.
I have actually seen pallets made of black walnut and teak and luan.
I actually took more than a few of those home. I took many pallets home to burn in my wood stove.
But my meager efforts used a very tiny percentage of the wood wasted.
The attitude of business in general, we can afford it, cut down another tree!
Until fairly recently, in the construction trade, a piece was cut off a board, and the remainder tossed in the dumpster. That practice still occurs, but it's dying out. Now there are cut plans, so that board lengths are ordered so that there is very little waste.
Things are getting greener, too little ,too late.
I am NOT against cutting down trees, I enjoy working in wood. But I appeciate an old tree growing as well. What really gets me POed is the waste of an old tree. Or the waste of almost anything. Almost anything has worth. It's just that many people would rather waste than work.
A political commentator, that I usually agree with, has a saying;"A tree is worthless, until it is cut down, and made into something of value".
This, I disagree with vehemently! A living tree has as much value as a piano, a table, even a kayak. But we need pianos, tables, and Kayaks. And there a real need for quality guitars!
I just don't want trees wasted, and I particularly don't like to see very old trees cut down just for money.
I have strayed far from my original intent when starting this post. But enrages me to see trees wasted. Another atrocity just came to mind, But I shall spare you.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Mick,

Your eucalyptus tree bark looks like ours. Also like a sycamore.

They, like we, found out you're genuine. They, unlike us, have not discovered our mental maladies about boat building. I'd bet, however, that the dog read it right away.

 

[hairymick]

Mick,
Really did enjoy that. Thank you

G'day Bob,

Tank you mate, You are very welcome, my friend.

Mick...

Great trip report and I'm glad you made a new friend along with the farmers.
One thing that gets me when I look at the pictures of your area , they look like they could of been taken over here. There are not that much different in the makeup of the land and creeks.
If you had Cypress and Palm Trees then no one could tell them apart.

Thanks Chuck, We got plenty of Palm trees but no Cypress that I know of. The water in these creeks, while very clean, is similar to what you guys call " Blackwater" I think. It is heavily stained with the tannins from the trees and sort of looks like black tea.

Probably the biggest difference that I have noticed is that there are very few spring fed creeks here. None that I am aware of on the mainland, but Fraser Island has a lot. All our creeks rely exclusively on local rainfall to keep flowing and this country is very dry in most parts. We are blessed here in this little part of the country in that we have fairly consistant and reliable rainfall as opposed to much of the more heavily populated areas that are still experiencing the worst drought in recorded history here.

G'day OY!

Thanks for the mental vacation Mick!

Anytime mate, anytime.

G'day Joe & Val,

Mick
I agree with Chuck. Several of the pics on this post look like they could have been taken over here. I do thank you for the travel tour. We may be from different continents but they sure do look and sound like the folks in the woods think alike. Thanks agin.
Joe And Val
PS. She was sitting behind me at the puter lookin at the post and pics.

I am real glad you enjoy my little stories guys. I just love to share them here. Recently, I am finding myself, more and more, looking for places that I think might interest you guys and all my other friends here.

One day, I hape to be in a position to visit your amazing Country and explore the real America properly. I think I will probably have to retire in order to see all that I want to see and meet you guys at last. I would love to paddle your rivers with you. Also, I really want to try your fried Catfish. 8)

G'day Jim,

These two blokes impressed me. Absolutely polite and courteous to a tee, salt of the earth, but there was an obvious strength and quiet confidence to them that is hard to define. They are what I would like to think of as classicly Australian but unfortunately, they are a dissappearing breed.

I was talking to one of the senior, administrative support officers at my work today who is a keen paddler herself. She is married to the nephiew of one of these blokes and she also lives on a farm just downstream from them. She extended an open invitation for me to put in or camp at their place anytime I like. 8) only bring beer. I think I can manage that. :lol: bloody small world.

G'day Jack,

Thanks mate. appreciate it.

 

[Kayak Jack]

If you have to take beer, best have TWO trucks. You Aussies have a well deserved reputation there.

 

[Maxi]

you certainly get around mick.. your writing skills make me feel as if ive been there.. and your pics ..well they speak for themselves....

great read mate..... thanks....

Maxi