AUSSIES IN CRIME

Scully- the "porn king"

Though this story is not really related to our visit to Australia, I just wanted to share it with everyone, so we are all on guard, wherever we might find ourselves.

Today, the Australian Federal Police are preparing to travel over to the Philippines to assist local authorities who have charged an Australian national from Melbourne with homicide, kidnapping  and sexual abuse of young kids, some even as little as a year old.

51 year old Peter Gerard Scully was arrested on the sexual abuse charges last week, after authorities recovered the remains of a young girl in his former rented home. On February 25, 2015, a team of National Bureau of Intelligence (NBI) operatives went to Surigao City in Surigao del Norte, Philippines to check on a house where Scully used to live where they recovered the remains of what they suspect to be the 10-year-old girl that Scully allegedly abducted from Talakag town in Bukidnon, based on information received from Scully’s former live-in-partner named Margallo. It is believed that the girl was murdered in July 2013. Scully had promised the girl's parents that he would send the girl to school. He took her to Cagayan de Oro, then to Surigao City. The NBI has already started the DNA test on the remains, to check if they match the sample taken from the girl's parents.

This is just one incident out of the many he crimes he is being charged with. Scully is also accused of sexually assaulting girls as young as a year old, who is now three – horrible acts he recorded and broadcast over the Internet for his paying clients who were located all over Europe. He is known to have preyed on girls in depressed areas and lured them with the promise of food and clothes, after which he abused them sexually. He worked with a female victim-now turned accomplice, Carme Ann "Angel" Alvarez, whose job was to lure hungry unsuspecting innocent little girls with food into their lair- the rented apartment which was a chamber of horrors of sorts. There, the girls were forced to perform certain sexual acts both on each other and on Scully, while being photographed and filmed. Scully performed these sexual acts according to his client’s instructions. They were also made to dig their own graves in the backyard of the rented apartment so they could be buried easily- just in case they died from the torture of their abuser. Aside all these, he forced the little girls to drinks bottles of alcohol, so he could have his way easier, otherwise, he just tied them. Investigations by local authorities have led them to at least seven other girls that he had abused his cybersex operations. His racket has been active for around three years and he had been on the  "wanted list" for numerous cases of alleged human trafficking and child pornography in Cagayan de Oro City.

Angelito Magno, head of that region's National Bureau of Investigation, said Scully's arrest was ordered last November on charges of rape and human trafficking, after two teenage girls were found naked and chained in the bedroom of an apartment he rented. He was however finally arrested in the southern city of Malaybalay on February 20 after a three-week stake-out. Authorities in the Philippines said Scully was working with foreign accomplices in his child pornography operation and launched a manhunt for four foreigners believed to be involved. Certain videos showing the sexual abuse of minors, including a one-year-old child, were recovered from Scully. He is believed to have killed a lot more children than the one body recovered indicates, with some sort of systematic torture of these children until death.

The AFP confirmed that it had worked closely with Philippine and Dutch law enforcement officers in relation to the matter. A team from the federal police would head over to the Philippines as early as Monday. The Interpol is leading the investigation to uncover the scale of Scully’s network.

All over Australia, crimes involving manslaughter and murder have been reported, with the perpetrators arrested and charged. Today, the South Australian Police reopened over 100 unsolved murder cases, whose details are to be reviewed. The police still hoe to solve the 13 murders, some of which date as far back as the 1960s. This review is being done with the hope that people with any information relevant to the investigations would come forward and help apprehend the criminals involved.

 

Authorities leading a Handcuffed Scully away after arrest.

 By Edwina Owusu-Adjapong. 

References: http://www.rappler.com/nation/84555-cagayan-de-oro-cybersex-ops 

http://www.rappler.com/nation/85289-peter-scully-sexual-abuse?cp_rap_source=arfy#cxrecs_s

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-01/afp-to-travel-to-philippines-for-peter-gerard-scully-case/6272004 

 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-01/sa-police-publish-details-of-more-than-100-cold-cases/6271948

DEADLY NEW ATTACK ON TASSIE WILDERNESS

Giant Eucalyptus trees could be at a risk.

It turns out the logging and paper industry is the not the singular most dangerous threat faced by trees in the Tasmanian wilderness. The discovery of a devastating plant disease in Tasmania, which could wipe out large areas of the state’s wilderness and forestry reserves, has triggered a biosecurity emergency. As interest groups try to reach the decision as to whether to allow tourist projects in sensitive wilderness areas, a breach of the state’s biosecurity protocols has the potential to have a great effect on the tourism and forestry industries and hurt small business operators such as nurseries and landscapers.

The myrtle rust disease has reached Tasmania. Though experts believe the disease has been in Tasmania for a little over two months, it has already been confirmed in 15 properties around the state, the affected plants all being lophomyrtus.

Uredo rangelii, commonly known as Myrtle Rust, is a fungal plant pathogen native to South America that affects plants in the family Myrtaceae. Myrtle rust was first recorded in Australia in mid-2010 and currently poses a major threat to the continent's ecosystem given that almost 80 per cent of Australian native trees are Myrtaceae, most indigenous species rely on healthy trees for their survival. Additionally it poses a major threat to Australia's primary industry sector. Its current range includes much of the eastern coastal fringe of the Australian mainland.   The disease attacks a wide range of plants, from natives such as eucalyptus, paperbarks and tea-trees, to garden favorites like bottlebrush and lophomyrtus. About 300 native species have been proved susceptible but many more of the 2250 ­native plants in the family could also be at risk. At least two species of ­native plants (scrub turpentine and native guava) on the mainland have already undergone a catastrophic decline as a direct result of myrtle rust. Both of those species were widespread in eastern mainland Australia and before 2010 were regarded as of no conservation concern. The disease results in a high degree of pustule coalescence which can result in distortion of the leaf. Myrtle rust also makes plants more susceptible to secondary infections, which may occur within days of the initial appearance of the pustules.

Plant affected by Myrtle rust disease.

In Tasmania, an incident control center has been set up to tackle the disease, and more reports from the public are being investigated. The cause of myrtle rust’s arrival in Tasmania is unknown but theories include its transportation on a bushwalker’s gear. The disease produces a huge number of spores that can survive on the wind, clothing or vehicles. Tasmania restricts the importation of myrtles but illegal plant movement is not being ruled out.

The New South Wales government spent $5 million attempting to eradicate the disease. However, efforts to contain it failed and it spread rapidly north and south along the eastern coast. In response to the increasing threat, a Myrtle Rust National Management Group was formed on 2 July 2010 with the aim of eradication however due to the extent of its spread at that point of time, the group conceded that it had become impossible to eradicate. The original plan to eradicate myrtle rust in Australia was declared to be infeasible by the Myrtle Rust National Management Group in December 2010. The Myrtle Rust Response Plan was cancelled and focus was placed on minimizing the spread and the impacts on myrtle rust. The Australian Government established the Myrtle Rust Coordination Group to manage the investment of $1.5 million of research funding into the control of and propagation of the disease-resistant strains.

There is still hope for the complete eradication of the myrtle rust disease in Tasmania because of its early detection as compared to the other states.

By Edwina Owusu-Adjapong

 References: http://news/tasmania/deadly-new-attack-on-our-wilderness/story-fnj4f7k1-1227243062809

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uredo_rangelii

8 Life Lessons from Tasmanian Animals (w/GIFs!)

My last blog post and presentation on Tasmania’s news media was quite academic, so I thought I would balance things with this listicle of cute Tasmanian animals and enduring life lessons they can teach us.
Enjoy!
-Haiy

http://gifrific.com/man-feeding-a-kangaroo/
1. Kangaroos encourage us to strive high in life

https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/platypus-gif
2. Platypuses teach us to bring the swag, always

http://i.minus.com/iXUY4RU5BnOXh.gif

3. Wombats motivate us to chase hard after what we want in life

https://24.media.tumblr.com/e345ac97f1bda00e63fc205856baa143/tumblr_mucochirBG1skeo27o1_400.gif

4. And if we fail, koalas encourage us to never let go of our dreams

http://www.collegehumor.com/post/6814452/kangaroo-doesnt-care-about-ball

5. Kangaroos instruct us not to take $#!% from nobody

 
http://giphy.com/gifs/cheezburger-cute-bq8XDezX5EXf2

6. Tasmanian devils teach us to play nice

http://giphy.com/gifs/1qz4aKGUmnfHO
7. Kookaburras show us how to focus and achieve our goals

http://imgur.com/Gjlz5AU?tags

8. At the end of the day, koalas remind us that we should 
always set time aside for fun and relaxation

A Standoff Between Millipedes

I came across a New York Times article with quite a bit of relevance to what we're interested in.  The article summarizes a study by millipede specialist Robert Mesibov describing the boundary in northwest Tasmania between two congeneric species of millipede: Tasmaniosoma compitale and Tasmaniosoma hickmanorum.  According to his study, the boundary is not geographical as is common and expected.  Normally a species divide would be a river, a hill or ocean, etc. This boundary goes across hills and rivers and took 100 days of field work over the course of two years to map out.

Pictured above, this 140 mile long boundary separates the two millipede species that look very much alike.  Nevertheless, they stay separated.  Pretty fascinating stuff.  I don't have much experience with biogeography, but this seems highly relevant and would love to hear hypotheses as to why this might be happening.  I suppose this is a case of biology and is considerably lacking in the geography portion.  The study called the boundary "environmentally incongruent".

Brittany Hallawell

Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/science/a-standoff-between-two-species-of-millipedes-on-tasmania.html?_r=0
http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=2248

Tasmania Fracking Ban

Current Situation

There is a current year-old fracking ban in Tasmania that is set to expire on March 31. The government is currently weighing whether to extend the ban while the opposition is accusing it of hypocrisy. They have received more than 150 submissions as part of its review (>90% of which are from those who oppose fracking, according to an anti-fracking group "Frack Free Tasmania").

Many believe that the ban was completely political in the first place, but most just believe that the government needs to make a decision and stick to it.

What is fracking?

Fracking is the injection of liquid at high pressure into underground rocks with the purpose of extracting oil/gas. This practice has led to large amounts of controversy both in Australia and elsewhere.

What happens next?

An announcement will be made before the moratorium expires after each of the submissions have been considered. One large problem that will have to be faced is the fact that a large portion of Tasmania is already covered in fracking exploration leases, according to "Frack Free Tasmania". This may prove problematic through lobbying efforts and show a lack of consideration for businesses who have spent time and money exploring shale oil and gas in Tasmania.

Sources

• http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-23/pressure-over-tasmania-fracking-as-ban-comes-to-end/6225874

"Man and Beast"

I've found an awesome post from the New Yorker about an artist, Walton Ford, in Massachusetts.  Walton's story and the New Yorker's telling of it is particularly fascinating for me a relevant to this class: he paints the Tasmanian Tiger or Tasmanian Wolf in an artistically thoughtful way.  As many of us know, the tiger went extinct at the hand of the European settlers in the early part of the twentieth century.  As Ford describes to the writer, "The settlers were sheephereders, and they built up this myth of a huge, bipedal, nocturnal vampire-beast that sucked the blood of sheep. The settlers put a bounty on these animals and began killing them off in every possible way--poison, traps, snares, guns.  The last known one died in captivity in the nineteen-thirties, but the lived on in people's imagination."

This history of violent extinction and culture is precisely what he uses his art to point out (something I personally very much respect, admire, and attempt to relate to).  As we can see in the pictures above, he choses to paint the tigers in a violent pile floating in the water: an island of tigers.  He deliberately shows the picture of the tigers that the settlers created even though it is wrong.  His words are better than mine: "I want it to be a brutal picture of thylacine bloodlust, a blame-the-victim picture, a sort of fever dream of the Tasmanian settler alone in the bush with these animals, although there was never any evidence of one killing a human being, and very little evidence of their eating sheep."

His art is fascinating because of the way it takes advantage of human and animal relationships throughout history and the depth with which he studies these relationships for his art.  Also, he uses a considerably large scale for the medium he is painting in (watercolor) which is also noteworthy and very artistically powerful.

I'm really excited about this artist and this article, if you couldn't already tell. I really love that it combines an intellectually powerful art form with the academics of our class.  Please let me know if you want to discuss this with me!!

Brittany Hallawell

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/01/26/man-and-beast

Freycinet National Park

Continuing with the trend from past weeks, I decided to explore yet another national park: it's called Freycinet National Park. Inclusive of the majority of Freycinet Peninsula, this national park is found on the east coast of Tasmania northeast of Hobart.
Some of the popular points of interest within the park include Wineglass Bay and the Hazards. Voted one of the top ten beaches in the world, Wineglass Bay provides an intimate, natural experience with pristine beauty. Whether the white sandy beaches or crystal blue waters, the bay is a must for anyone visiting Tasmania, so I'm almost certain we'll be going there.  The Hazards, on the other hand, are a rugged mountain chain found in between Wineglass Bay and Coles Bay. Made of granite and filled with pink feldspar, this gives this mountain range a pink, glowing tint. The mountains also provide a great view of the bay!
As with many of the national parks around the island, the fauna are inclusive of possums, wombats, mice, rats, and devils although their numbers have decreased dramatically due to the devil facial tumor disease. Finally, with a climate similar to France, the park is graced with more than 300 days of sunshine per year.

The Tragedy of Tasmania's Forests

The article that this post is based on is a fascinating look at the impacts of clearfelling in Tasmania. One of the areas the article talks about is the Styx Valley, where over 85% of Tasmanian Regnan's forests are gone. Most of these, the article says, will end up as paper in Japan. The plantations that are set up in place of the logged forests often used herbicides such as Atrazine (banned in Europe) that pollute the local water sources. We haven't talked too much about clearfelling yet in the class and especially the impact of plantations and their effects on the environment. It simply isn't enough to replace the trees, since the way in which they are replaced can have have many negative impacts both on humans and the proximate human population.

Rehan

http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2007/may/1348543148/richard-flanagan/out-control

Prime Minister Makes it Rain: $60m in Irrigation Scheme

Unlike the sticky political situations surrounding our #CaliforniaDrought, the Tasmanian government seems to be having a great time splashing cash on its thirsty farmers. The plans will deliver an extra 40,000 megalitres of water to farms, and confirms the government’s rising interest in agriculture and viticulture. Prime Minister Abbott, who gave the announcement at an irrigation site near Evandale in Northern Tasmania, expressed his excitement for, “more jobs, more exports, better products and a greater future for the people of Tasmania.” This comes as yet another installment in the wake of several initiatives to burgeon food and agriculture scenes in Tasmania. The island is responsible for the majority of Australia’s fine wine exports, and chefs have been migrating to Hobart en masse. Travel & Leisure Magazine calls Tasmania a “gourmet paradise,” and applauds its microbreweries, family farms, and high quality seafood and grass fed beef.

As Abbott says, “There is $60 million now, there could be some more in the future.’’

Foodies, pack your bags!

Source: http://ab.co/1vHqjbL

Source: http://tandl.me/1JshUEV

Economics of Tasmania

Tasmania's economy consists of several different contributors, mostly exports, that provide wealth and income to natives. The top ten contributors to Tasmania's economy include:
 1. Processed metals (more than 1.3 billion Australian dollars per year)
2. Tourism
3. Manufactured goods (textiles, machinery, etc.)
4. Wood and paper
5. Ores (copper, zinc, lead, etc.)
6.  Seafood
7.  Meat
8. Dairy products
9. Other food and drink (fruit, vegetables, chocolate, beer, wine)
10. Information and Communications Technology Services

Although living on the island is relatively cheap, especially in comparison to living on the mainland, many of Tasmania's resources are controlled by monopolies, much to the dismay of the average Tasmanian consumer since monopolies will reduce the overall consumer surplus. Tasmania is still recovering from a recent economic downfall, but seems to be doing so at a slower pace than the rest of the country. However, prospects are still high for the country's recovery process as unemployment has been falling even though the population has been growing. In fact, Tasmania's public sector generates the most demand due to the substantial number of government job positions.

-Jessica Tam

Works Cited:
1. http://www.tasmaniatopten.com/lists/economic_contributors.php
2. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-21/signs-of-recovery-in-tasmanian-economy-after-rotten-run/5610626

New Zealand rejects world's first climate refugee

Ioane Teitiota is attempting to become the world's first refugee due to climate change. The Kiribati native and his family recently lost an appeal to the NZ courts asking for refugee status. He claims his homeland is already in peril due to rising sea levels - his low-lying property is envisioned to be engulfed by the ocean in a matter of years. The island of Kiribati is expected to become uninhabitable in the not-so-distant future - saltwater intrusion, storms and flooding are causing environmental degradation and making it difficult to grow crops. The government of Kiribati has reached out to developed, wealthy nations asking for help - pointing out that these nations are primarily responsible for these climate change induced problems. The government has also bought land in Fiji and is considering building an artificial island for the anticipated uninhabitation of Kiribati.

Unfortunately, New Zealand's court of appeal has stated that Teitiota's situation is no different from that of most other Kiribati nationals, and warmed that acceptance of this proposal would be followed by streams of requests by millions of other people living in similar situations. While not specific to Tasmania, this is going to be a growing issue in the near future as climate change permanently alters environments and habitats. Particularly for islands in the Pacific and elsewhere, rising sea levels are going to drastically affect economies and societies. This debate is only going to get more heated - at what point do we acknowledge and accept that we are dramatically affecting our planet and harming the lives of people worldwide? Time will tell how this plays out for the residents of Kiribati - hopefully some countries will step up and help them bare the burden of this issue for which we all carry blame.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/worlds-first-climate-change-refugee-has-appeal-rejected-as-new-zealand-rules-ioane-teitiota-must-return-to-south-pacific-island-nation-of-kiribati-9358547.html

-Isabella

LESSONS IN MARINE BIODIVERSITY aka SCUBA DIVING

So I just begun swimming lessons, hence my new-found fascination with getting wet and splashing in water. I was looking into cool things to do on an island that revolved around water and learning and voila!!! SCUBA DIVING!!!!

When people refer to diving in Aussie, most of the time, thy mean they ant to scube dive in the Great Barier Reef, which is the largest and healthiest coral reef system in the world. The great Barrier Reef system, found in Queensland, is the only living structre on earth visible from outer space, It is made up of nearly 2900 individual reefs, 600 continental islands and 300 coral rays; the world’s largest single strcture made up of living organisms. Every day divers from around the world visit the reef either on liveaboards or day charters. Divers revere the reef for its biodiversity and the local aboriginal people hold it as a culturally sacred site. This reverence is perfect for perfect place!






Queensland takes up almost a quarter of Australia and offers more diving adventures beyond the Great Barrier Reef. The Sunshine Coast, southern Queensland, has purpose-sunk wrecks, sandstone formations covered with corals, ledges, caverns and pinnacles to explore. Topside, Queensland offers kangaroo-filled bush, lush green tropical rainforests, stunning white sand beaches and urban experiences. Below are some great dives!!
Ribbon Reefs, Northern Great Barrier Reef – This area is known for a variety of pristine dive experiences. At Cod Hole, you’ll see how the site got its name as giant potato cod surround you Also, Challenger Bay is a hotspot for cuttlefish encounters.
Osprey Reef – Only accessible via liveaboards departing from Cairns or Port Douglas, this exposed coral mesa sits in the middle of the Coral Sea far from anything. North Horn is perhaps its most famous dive site because of its shark feed, colorful soft coral and the chance to see manta rays as they pass through this site.





SS Yongala – The Great Barrier Reef’s signature wreck is the SS Yongala, a 109-metre/357-foot luxury passenger ship that went down during a cyclone in 1911. On this wreck everything is supersized – sea snakes the size of your bicep and sea turtles so big they look prehistoric.
The Whitsundays – Comprising of 74 idyllic islands, the Whitsundays are perfect for divers looking to complement their diving with multiple activities, such as sailing, island exploring or just lying on top rated beaches. While scuba diving, expect colorful shallow coral gardens and a wide variety of marine life like green sea turtles, patrolling white tip reef sharks and striking Napoleon wrasse.

Casually Chilling with a turtle




Heron Island – On the Great Barrier Reef’s southern reaches, this famed resort island is accessible via ferry or helicopter. Scuba dive on a bommie that serves as a manta ray cleaning station and also watch for schools of jack, barracuda, eels, sharks, eagle rays and very curious sea snakes. Other dive sites are frequented by sea turtles and nudibranchs.

· HMAS Brisbane – Off Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is the great wreck of the former HMAS Brisbane, a 133-m/433-ft guided missile destroyer. This purpose-sunk artificial reef went down in 2005 and sits upright in 28 m/92 ft of water. There’s a lot of ship to see and a lot of marine life that now call HMAS Brisbane home. The most popular time for Australia liveaboard diving is July to November, although in the Coral Sea at Osprey Reef and North Horn, visibility peaks during June and September. The calmest sea conditions tend to be between September and February.








References: http://www.dive-the-world.com/diving-sites-australia.php

http://www.padi.com/scuba-diving/scuba-diving-travel/vacation-spotlights/great-barrier-reef/

http://wikitravel.org/en/Scuba_diving_in_Australia



By Edwina Owusu – Adjapong.

CLIFF DIVING DAREDEVILS

If you are a hydrophilic daredevil who loves the thrills like I do, cliff diving will definitely be on your to-do list. Cliff diving is about a lot more than the jump. Many would argue that the destination is just as important as the dive itself. Cliff divers are constantly scouting and sharing new diving destinations with their fellow athletes because only another diver can understand and appreciate a perfect cliff. There are hundreds of spots all over the world that boast unusual geological formations and fantastic scenery, but the most famous cliff diving spots are in Hawaii, Jamaica, Australia and Switzerland.

With its amazing landscape, Australia was sure to make it in the first three locations of the world. Australia is home to a number of different cliff diving destinations as well. However, Australia is unlike other destinations because many of the best diving spots are not along the ocean front, but rather along the banks of various lakes and rivers. Kimberley, Australia offers cliff jumping enthusiasts a one of a kind experience. The Kimberley region in Western Australia is an example of an inland cliff diving destination. Kimberley is home to a number of breathtaking cliffs, gorges, waterfalls and mountain peaks that provide ample jumping sites for avid cliff divers. These jumps are usually made on the ocean’s edge, but what this location offers is the possibility to make an inland jump.



Probably, the best known place for cliff jumping is Ord River, more specifically the cliffs that surround it. Some of the cliffs along the Ord River are more than 28 meters high, which is over 84 feet. Think about having the chance to dive in the clear water from a height of 80 ft!!!!! What you will feast on in this particular spot are the lakes around which you can notice impressive gorges, mountain tops and waterfalls. Although the cliffs along the Ord River are ideal in terms of water depth and scenery, dives from such high cliffs should only be considered by experienced divers. If you are a beginner in this extreme sport like I am, then you should know that you can jump from smaller height as well, there are plenty of options from which you can choose.








References: http://www.redbull.com/us/en/adventure/stories/1331672691583/7-cliff-diving-spots-to-jump-off

http://news.discovery.com/adventure/the-worlds-best-cliff-diving-spots.htm

By Edwina Owusu-Adjapong

For Photography Fanatics

Many of you, like me, have expressed a great deal of interest in photography. Not only can this complex art form, be aesthetically pleasing, but it can be extremely empowering and inspirational. Take for example, Scott Rankin's organization, Big hART. Scott Rankin is the creative director and co-founder of the Tasmanian-based social change arts organization.

Rankin, who lives on a part of the state's north-west that overlooks the roiling waters of Bass Strait, recognizes that the seafarers of the world do not have conventional or easy lifestyles. Rankin also knows that with no-one far from the coastline and many people living by it, Tasmanians have a strong connection to the sea. As a result, his most recent project seeks to express the message that the world should not take it's reliance on shipping, or its shippers, for granted.


Currently, there are 1.3 million seafarers working around the globe, many in poor conditions. Ninety per cent of everything that most first world countries consume comes by ship. According to Rankin, "
A lot of the people that are bringing that are essentially invisible to us and slaves".

His latest production, Blue Angel, displays his typical award-winning features: multi-faceted and aimed at making a difference. Blue Angel not only celebrates the romance, mysticism and folklore of the sea but emphasizes the poor working conditions, economic pressures and shocking safety records of the international shipping industry.

Rankin states that, "Big hART wants to make that story visible and make a work of art, a theatre piece, and we also want to get the idea of fair shipping on the agenda in the same way as fair trade."

Next month, Blue Angel will have its world premiere in Hobart. In the following seasons it will premiere in Melbourne, Adelaide and Rotterdam.

From the website: "Exploring stories of the sea and joining the global push for fair shipping, Blue Angel premieres at the 2015 Tasmanian International Arts Festival in Hobart":





sources: http://bighart.org/#project/blue-angel/
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-19/theatre-production-shines-light-on-maritime-industry/6090758

Author: Alicia Menendez

Maria Island

Four kilometers off the Eastern Coast of Tasmania lies Maria Island. Named after Governor Van Diemen's wife, Maria, the entire island is now a national park, with no permanent inhabitants besides a few rangers. It is home to a wide variety of bird species, including Swift parrots and forty-spotted pardalotes, as well as possums, wombats, pademelons, and short-beaked echidnas. In 2012 a population of healthy cancer-free Tasmanian Devils was introduced as a contingency population; the population has been so successful it has raised concerns about the devils' impact on the native island birds.

Shoal Lagoon in Maria Island

Maria Island also features the spectacular Painted Cliffs. The cliffs were formed by iron oxide-laden water trickling down through sandstone over millions of years, and gradually being eroded by waves and sea spray.

Another cool feature is the Oast House, built during the second convict period (1844-5) for drying hops. 

Tourists can take a ferry and visit! We're not scheduled to go but if anyone is staying longer in Tasmania it might make a fun trip. 

Sources: http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=1490

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Island 

Some Top Sights To See in Tasmania

Today I looked up a list of top spots to see in Tasmania; to get a feel for the island and to get my interest piqued as to the amazing sights we’ll see there.

1. Sullivan’s Cove, Hobart
The old waterfront scenery of Hobart is left almost intact from the 1800s, that early period of British colonialism that we have heard to much about in class. These are the buildings in which Hobartians met in and talked at the time of the destruction of the indigenous populations, the buildings that the whalers and sailors that are so important in Tasmania’s history frequented. The buildings were made from prison labor, and now house bookstores and art galleries and a whole host of modern shops and sights.

2. Hike to Wineglass Bay
One observes Tasmania’s white sand beaches and lime green waters on this hike, as well as the high green mountains. It looks something like a tropical island, except that the temperature will convince you that this is anything but tropical. “The landscape may look like an antipodean version of Hawaii, but throw yourself into the waves and you quickly realize that this is definitely the deep south, where the currents flow directly north from Antarctica.”

3. Cradle Mountain
Of course this wild dolerite mountain is essential to every visit to Tasmania, and we shall certainly go there. Cradle mountain is only one of four peaks above the cold Dove Lake.

4.The Gordon River
The battle to stop the damming of the lower Gordon river “became Australia’s most significant environmental test”, and the site today is protected as a world heritage site.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-top-10-places-to-see-in-tasmania-68338530/?no-ist

-Zheng

Myrtle Rust Discovery on Tasmania

Courtesy of abc.au

What is Myrtle Rust?

Myrtle Rust (Puccinia psidii s.l.) is a newly discovered fungus that is related to the Eucalyptus/Guava rusts. These are pathogens that will affect plants belonging to the family Myrtaceae. Its distinctive sign is the powdery bright yellow/yellow-orange spores that are produced in masses all over the infected plants. Leaves that are infected may become buckled or twisted and may die due to the infection. Sometimes, infected spots are surrounded by purple rings and older infections may have dark brown spores. Infection on highly susceptible plants such as eucalyptus, tea trees, and bottle brush, may result in plant death.

What is the current status of Myrtle Rust on Tasmania?

One case has been confirmed near Burnie and several other cases are still under investigation. This disease poses severe threats to forestry, nursery, and beekeeping industries and to native forests, parks, and gardens. Officials are working quickly to attempt to eradicate the disease from the state, because it can be detrimental to certain species of Eucalyptus. 

Sources

• http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-20/devastating-plant-disease-myrtle-rust-round-in-tasmania/6165346
• http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/plant/myrtle-rust

The Land of Golden Coral

In Victoria, the site of Australia’s first gold rush, there exists spectacular underwater reefs inlaid with the precious metal. The exquisite formations, which have become known as the Bendigo golden reefs, have long puzzled scientists. Until recently, it was thought that molten gold rising through the earth’s crust was the source of the deposits, many of which haven’t been mined commercially. Instead, two Tasmanian researchers from the University of Tasmania have proposed that the gold is sources from two underwater mountain ranges. These ranges, which stretch from Tasmania to New South Wales, are over 450 million years old. Erosion and sedimentation into the rock sequence are likely to blame for the gilded coral reefs.

The two researchers looked extensively at the ocean floor, and how rocks and sediments are transported and deposited through natural phenomena. In the case of the golden reefs, it is likely that the precious metal slowly eroded away from the walls of the submerged mountains. Next, in a giant channel-levee complex—which is essentially an underwater river—the gold was deposited as sediment near the present day Bendigo reefs. Finally, fine layers of silt transported the gold to the coral reefs, where they eventually settled in large deposits, fueling the great Australian gold rush and creating a mystic underwater wonder.

A sample from the golden reefs

Source: ‪http://bit.ly/13XKDxN