ABC Wednesday, M for Miner

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC, and thanks to Roger. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar. This week we are looking for words beginning with   M.

 

Off to seek his fortune

  Seeing this statue I became curious about this piece of history of Queensland, called the Gold Rush.

 

Gold Rush

In 1872, William Hann discovered gold in the Palmer River, southwest of Cooktown. His findings were reported to James Venture Mulligan who led an expedition to the Palmer River in 1873. Mulligan's expedition found quantities of alluvial gold and thus began the gold rush that was to bring prospectors to the Endeavour River from all over the world.

The Queensland government responded quickly to Mulligan's reports, and soon a party was dispatched to advise whether the Endeavour River would be a suitable site for a port. Shortly after, a new township was established at the site of the present town, on the southern bank of the river and 

Cooktown Post Office opened on 1 January 1874.^[11]

The Palmer goldfields and its centre, Maytown, were growing quickly. The recorded output of gold from 1873 to 1890 was over half a million ounces (more than 15,500 kg). Cooktown was the port through which this gold was exported and supplies for the goldfields brought in. Word of the gold quickly spread, and Cooktown was soon thriving, as prospectors arrived from around the world.

Population estimates vary widely, but there were probably around 7,000 people in the area and about 4,000 permanent residents in the town by 1880. At that time, Cooktown boasted a large number of hotels and guest houses. There were 47 licensed pubs within the town boundaries in 1874 although this number had dropped to 27 by the beginning of 1880. There were also a number of illegal grog shops and several brothels. There were bakeries, a brewery and a soft drinks factory, dressmakers and milliners, a brickworks, a cabinetmaker, and two newspapers.

The port of Cooktown served the nearby goldfields and, during the goldrush of the 1870s, a Chinese community many thousands strong grew up in the goldfields and in the town itself. The Chinese played an important role in the early days of Cooktown. They came originally as prospectors, but many established market gardens, supplying the town and the goldfields with fruit, vegetables and rice, while others opened shops.

However, largely through cultural misunderstandings, conflict broke out between the Aboriginal people and the new settlers, and the diggers. The Cooktown Herald, 8 December 1875, reported: "The natives wholly ignorant of the terrible firepower of fire-arms, and confiding in their numbers, showed a ferocity and daring wholly unexpected and unsurpassed. Grasping the very muzzles of the rifles they attempted to wrest them from the hands of the whites, standing to be shot down, rather than yield an inch...." It was an unequal struggle. Whole tribes were wiped out as European settlement spread over Cape York Peninsula.

ABC Wednesday, K for Keatings Lagoon

Park features                                   

 With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC, and thanks to Roger. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar. This week we are looking for words beginning with   K                

Keatings Lagoon is fringed by paperbarks. Photo: Tamara Vallance.

 When I spent my holiday  in Cooktown, Australia, where my daughter lives, I 'll never miss an opportunity to pay a visit to  Keatings Lagoon, where there is a variety of plants, and animals collected for food and medicines among other things. by the Waymbuurr people—the Traditional Owners of this park— for thousands of years. 

To enlarge photos click once or twice on photos

Paperbark trees are everywhere.

Waterlilies

"Waterlilies, sedges and algae grow in and around the lagoon which is fringed with paperbarks and shrubby wrinkle pod mangroves. Tropical woodland and small thickets of vine forest surround the wetland." You can read about this on the informationboards.

"The wetland is a refuge for thousands of waterbirds, especially in the dry season (May to October) when they congregate to feast on the rich aquatic life. Birds include the magpie goose, the black-necked stork, the strikingly-marked Radjah shelduck and the comb-crested jacana—slender agile bird with large feet that is able to walk across the surface of water lilies. Aquatic wildlife in the lagoon includes rainbow fish, snakehead gudgeon cod and freshwater shrimp. The wetland is also an important nursery area for juvenile barramundi which instinctively swim upstream into the lagoon during flood periods. To help protect these fish, fishing is not permitted within the park."

Facilities and activities

Key to symbols

Welcome

The Aboriginal Traditional Owners of this park, the Waymbuurr clan of the Guugu Yimidhirr people, welcome you to their country and ask that you respect their special place.

Location

On the Mulligan Highway, 325 km north of Cairns and 5 km south of Cooktown.

What's special

This 47 hectare park protects a scenic wetland in the Annan River catchment, an important refuge for thousands of waterbirds that flock here in the dry season. The area has been a source of food and medicine for the Traditional Owners for thousands of years

ABC Wednesday, D for Didgeridoo

The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia potentially within the last 1,500 years and still in widespread use today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe".
There are no reliable sources stating the didgeridoo's exact age. Archaeological studies of rock art in Northern Australia suggest that the people of the Kakadu region of the Northern Territory have been using the didgeridoo for less than 1,000 years, based on the dating of paintings on cave walls and shelters from this period.^[2] A clear rock painting in Ginga Wardelirrhmeng, on the northern edge of the Arnhem Land plateau, from the freshwater period^[3] (that was begun 1500 years ago)^[4] shows a didgeridoo player and two songmen participating in an Ubarr Ceremony.^[5]
A modern didgeridoo is usually cylindrical or conical, and can measure anywhere from 1 to 3 m (3 to 10 ft) long. Most are around 1.2 m (4 ft) long. Generally, the longer the instrument, the lower its pitch or key. However, flared instruments play a higher pitch than unflared instruments of the same length.
David Hudson demonstrates how to play this wonderful instrument in various ways. It is an excellent tutorial on Didgeridoo playing.(see You Tube)

The Didgeridoo is a traditional instrument of the Aboriginal people from Arnhem Land in Northern Australia. It was originally known as a Yirdaki in the traditional language..

An uncle of my daughter's ex husband made my didgeridoo. In order to find the right material he went to the forest and tapped on some thin tree-trunks until he found one with a good hollow sound. He then cut the tree, blew the termites out of the hollow pipe, and prepared it for its final shape.

Termites are needed to make tree-trunks hollow.

The first time I heard the sound of the digeridoo, I got goose-pimples and was highly impressed by its deep sounds. I love the way  animal sounds are imitated.

Sorry my video doesn't work, but on the photo you can see my didgeridoo leaning against the cupboard

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created the ABC meme.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar . This week we are looking for words beginning with D

ABC Wednesday,X for St.Andrew's Cross

When I was in Australia in July and August this year  I saw this spider. It was not the first time that I saw this kind of spider.

 This one made its web outside the window in front of the room where I slept. It is called a St. Andrew's Cross Spider because of the shape of the web. It's a perfect X., which is the letter of this week.in the ABC on Wednesday meme, invented by Mrs. Nesbitt.

from Australian Museum

The X is called the St. Andrew's cross because it is believed that the saint was martyred on a cross of this shape rather than the conventional + shape. St.Andrew was St.Peter's brother.

 

 

 

The prey of the St Andrew's Cross Spider includes flies, moths, butterflies, bugs and bees. These are usually secured by silk wrapping into a neat parcel before being bitten - although smaller prey may be bitten first.

Other behaviours and adaptations

When threatened, the St Andrew's Cross Spider responds either by dropping from the web or shaking it so vigorously that both spider and stabilimentum become a blur, confusing its attacker. These measures don't always succeed, as indicated by empty, damaged webs and the presence of these spiders as food in the mud cells of wasps.
- See more at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/st-andrews-cross-spider#sthash.GqHt5NnU.dpuf

 

 

The prey of the St Andrew's Cross Spider includes flies, moths, butterflies, bugs and bees. These are usually secured by silk wrapping into a neat parcel before being bitten - although smaller prey may be bitten first.

Other behaviours and adaptations

When threatened, the St Andrew's Cross Spider responds either by dropping from the web or shaking it so vigorously that both spider and stabilimentum become a blur, confusing its attacker. These measures don't always succeed, as indicated by empty, damaged webs and the presence of these spiders as food in the mud cells of wasps.
- See more at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/st-andrews-cross-spider#sthash.GqHt5NnU.dpuf

Animal Species:St Andrew's Cross Spider, Argiope keyserlingi

St Andrew's Cross Spiders are named for their bright, cross-shaped web decorations.

St Andrew's Cross Spider, Argiope keyserlingi
Photographer: John Gollan © Australian Museum

Standard Common Name

St Andrew's Cross Spider

Alternative Name/s

Saint Andrew's Cross Spider

Identification

St Andrew's Cross Spiders are named for their bright web decorations - zig-zag ribbons of bluish-white silk that form a full or partial cross through the centre of the orb web. Females have a silvery carapace and a silver, yellow, red and black banded upper abdomen with two longitudinal yellow stripes below. The spider sits with the legs in pairs. The brown and cream coloured males are smaller than females.
The cream-coloured young spiders make a circular stabilimentum (like a white silk doily) that disguises them well and may also act as a sunshade. As the spider grows the 'doily' is gradually transformed into a 'cross'.

- See more at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/st-andrews-cross-spider#sthash.VeNU3zDG.dpuf

Animal Species:St Andrew's Cross Spider, Argiope keyserlingi

St Andrew's Cross Spiders are named for their bright, cross-shaped web decorations.

St Andrew's Cross Spider, Argiope keyserlingi
Photographer: John Gollan © Australian Museum

Standard Common Name

St Andrew's Cross Spider

Alternative Name/s

Saint Andrew's Cross Spider

Identification

St Andrew's Cross Spiders are named for their bright web decorations - zig-zag ribbons of bluish-white silk that form a full or partial cross through the centre of the orb web. Females have a silvery carapace and a silver, yellow, red and black banded upper abdomen with two longitudinal yellow stripes below. The spider sits with the legs in pairs. The brown and cream coloured males are smaller than females.
The cream-coloured young spiders make a circular stabilimentum (like a white silk doily) that disguises them well and may also act as a sunshade. As the spider grows the 'doily' is gradually transformed into a 'cross'.

- See more at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/st-andrews-cross-spider#sthash.VeNU3zDG.dpuf

ABC Wednesday, V for Venomous

 

 

Australia's snake variety

Australia has some 140 species of land snake, and around 32 species of sea snakes have been recorded in Australian waters. Some 100 Australian snakes are venomous, although only 12 are likely to inflict a wound that could kill you.

The most dangerous snakes belong to the front-fanged group, which in NSW include the tiger snake, brown snake, death adder, mulga or king brown snake and a few species of sea snake(.I personally think that the Taipan also belongs to this group).

Australia's other snakes are the solid-toothed non-venomous snakes (such as pythons, blind snakes and file snakes) and venomous rear-fanged snakes (such as the brown tree snake and mangrove snakes). All native snakes in NSW are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.

 However the Taipan is the most venomous snake, not even in Australia, but of the world.

 We thank Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC, and we must thank Roger too for the weekly job to find  ten bloggers for each of the ABC Team members  to visit and to read their posts. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar . This week we are looking for words    beginning with V.

Sky Watch, North Qld warned on Cyclone Nathan

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml

Like last year I have a reason to worry,
as Cyclone Nathan is heading for Cooktown in Queensland, Australia.

The family is well prepared and had put all loose items inside. But we do hope that the water won't cause any damage Last week the land around my daughter's house was flooded, but the house was still dry. I am really, really concerned about the situation over there.

The VERY DESTRUCTIVE CORE of severe tropical cyclone Nathan, with maximum wind gusts forecast to 250 km/h, is expected to make landfall between Cape Melville and Cape Flattery early this morning.

Under that footbridge you see in the distance, are crocs. This is the road where  my daughter lives. So crocs can invade her property. 

ABC Wednesday, Z for Zoomorphism

Zoomorphism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Zoomorph" redirects here. For the toy line, see Zoomorphs.

Zoomorphic decoration from the Book of Kells

Zoomorphism is the shaping of something in animal form or terms. Examples include:

• Art that imagines humans as non-human animals^.
• Art that portrays one species of animal like another species of animal
• Art that creates patterns using animal imagery, or animal style
• Deities depicted in animal form, such as exist in ancient Egyptian religion^.

The word derives from the Greek ζωον (zōon), meaning animal, and μορφη (morphē), meaning shape or form.
 Long before the common era, people tried to communicate by means of drawing images of animals. First these paintings were important for hunters to know where animals were available. Lateron the paintings got a religious meaning. Cave paintings were found all over the world in mountainous regions with caves

Emoe, Australia

Dingo, Australia

Bats, Australia

Rock paintings by Aborigines in Australia

Egyptian Religion

Thot with the head of an ibis

Horus  Zoomorphic representation in religion in Egypt.

Israel

Zoomorphic representation in religion

Some tribes of Israel are

 represented by animal symbols.

Read Gen.49

 

The stained glass windows by Marc Chagall  Israel

 

 

The Milbi Wall in Cooktown Australia represents a wall of stories told by the Aborigenes .

Each story is represented by an animal.

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  Tribal animals depicted by the Indigenous people of Australia
  
  
• Tribal animals depicted by the Indigenous people of Australia
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• We thank Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC, and we must thank Roger too for the weekly job to find  ten bloggers for each of the ABC Team members  to visit and to read their posts. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar . This week we are looking for words   beginning with Z.

  Norway

  

  The Vikings used a dragon as their symbol.

  

  Norwegian legends often used animals.

  
  

  

  The dog Garm guards the entrance of the other world

  
  
  
  
  

  

  Odin on his eight-footed horse Sleipnir

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
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