USC935

MOONBI 131 MOONBI is the name given by the Butchalla Aborigines to the central part of their homeland, Fraser Island or “Kgari” MOONBI is the newsletter of Fraser Island Defenders Organization Limited FIDO, “The Watchdog of Fraser Island", aims to ensure the wisest use of Fraser Island’s natural resources FIDO's Registered Office: c/- Inns of Court, Level 2, Ocean Central, 2 Ocean Street, Maroochydore Q 4558 ABN 59 009 969 135 FIDO's Postal Address: PO Box 909 TOOWONG QLD 4066 Editor: John Sinclair, #1/32 Weston Street, COORPAROO Q 4151 MOONBIs since 1996 and all FIDO Backgrounders can be found at www.fido.org.au 25th March, 2015 Keeping abreast of fast moving events: There are so many events happening that FIDO has taken to augmenting our biannual MOONBI newsletters with Electronic newsletters as well as forums to communicate with members such as on the Sunshine Coast last October. We produced one newsletter in November to describe some impacts of Native title. Our second more urgent FIDO E-News followed the calling of the Queensland Election for 31 January. That explained why a change of government in Queensland was in the interests of the Queensland and Fraser Island environment. FIDO plans more of these newsletters but they only reach our members or subscribers who have nominated their Email addresses. The Impact of Native Title: The determination that the Butchulla have Native Title for more than 95% of K’Gari on 24 October was a most joyous occasion. It is however a game changer as far as future K’Gari’s management is concerned. It also adds a new layer of responsibility in decision-making. FIDO is already dealing with the new PBC, the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation. See p 3 Progress on Walking Track: With the completion of the Friends of Parks funding at the end of 2014, work on the George Haddock Track has temporarily stalled for a lack of approval that is a prerequisite to obtaining funding to develop further stages of this ambitious project. FIDO and NPAQ who are jointly developing the 52km track and infrastructure hope that work can resume by the end of 2015. (See p2) Queensland’s new political scene: When the Queensland state Election was abruptly called for 31 January during the summer holiday season, most pundits predicted an LNP victory that FIDO viewed with great apprehension because of the predicted further adverse impacts on the Great Sandy Region. Our worst fears were avoided when the Queensland electorate returned a finely balanced Parliament with a Labor Government. The new Environment Minister Steven Miles is a believer in climate change and has good green credentials. The whole government seems more disposed towards environmental protection than either its immediate predecessor or the Bligh Government. World Parks: John Sinclair represented FIDO at the World Parks Conference in Sydney, a huge event with almost 6,000 attendees. You can read his report (p6). IUCN’s World Heritage report Card for K’Gari: During the World Parks Congress, the IUCN released a report on each of the 197 natural, and 31 mixed World Heritage properties. Despite Australia’s bravado Australian sites could have been better. Fraser Island was marked better than Kakadu, Queensland’s Wet Tropics and the Great Barrier Reef, but there is no room for complacency. See p5 World Parks: FIDO was represented at the World Parks Conference in Sydney, a huge event that has exploded since the early days of FIDO to have almost 6,000 attendees. You can read the report (p6). Call for Volunteers: Last year volunteers made an amazing contribution to Fraser Island coordinating contributing 10 volunteer weeks. Six of them addressed weed problems in Happy Valley and Eurong and four worked on the George Haddock Track and infrastructure. For the remainder of 2015 FIDO is proposing another six working bees on weeds in Happy Valley and Eurong. FIDO is now seeking volunteers for this work, so vital if the natural integrity of K’Gari is to be preserved. Backgrounders: FIDO is releasing the first of a series of Backgrounders on Ballargan — the North White Cliffs area near McKenzies Jetty just south of Kingfisher Resort. This area has a fascinating history and geography that will cover four or five parts. Part 1 deals with the area over the millennia up to and including the Dreaming. The second backgrounder deals with the issue of Marine Debris that is waste from other places washing up on the K’Gari’s shores. Fraser Island felt little impact from Cyclone Marcia. There was heavy rain for only one day (12th February), but during that event thousands of tonnes of loose sand that had been churned up on the roads by buses and other 4WDs in previous weeks were scoured downhill. This was the scene at the crossroads between Central Station and Pile Valley Set aside the date now for 6th Biennial Fraser Island conference Sand Sea and Sun University of the Sunshine Coast 12th August 2015 In This Issue Progress on George Haddock Track .............................................. 2 Butchulla’s new role is a K’Gari Game Changer ........................... 3 Queensland’s Transformed Political Scene .................................... 4 World Heritage and IUCN’s report card on K’Gari ...................... 5 World Parks Congress in Sydney ................................................... 6 News in Brief: FIDO disqualified from Grant, All is Forgiven ... 7 The coming 6th Fraser Island conference “Sand, Sea and Sun” .... 8 Call for Volunteers for the remainder of 2015 .............................. 9

MOONBI 131 (25th March, 2015) — 2 Progress on the George Haddock Track During 2014 after five years of research and preparing the Environmental Impact Statement for this 52 kilometre walk from Lake Garawongera physical work gegan on the track project. This was aided by a $25,000 Friends of Parks Grant from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to FIDO’s partners National Parks Association of Queensland. We began work with a vengeance and put in 1859 hours of ontheground work on Fraser Island involving more than 50 volunteers. One came 1600 kms from Malanda (twice). The building complex has been renamed the Harold Charles Barracks. The work fell into two categories. One was renovating the three disused buildings near Lake Allom to form a base as well as ultimately to serve as one of the four shelters on this section of the much longer (150 kilometre K’Gari Track to Hook Point). The other was to start clearing 41kms of track that we had approval for. Buildings There were three buildings in the complex near Lake Allom. A former generator shed lacked any roof or doors. These have been replaced and now it securely holds our lighting plant and tools. A larger shed was starting to suffer the ravages of rot and a rusted out roof. The roof and rotten boards have been replaced, the building painted and it now houses the small Kubota tractor used to assist in track clearing and maintenance. The main building was the three bedroom barracks that had been created in 1986 by joining up two prefabricated building and adding a verandah. A leaky roof caused many problems rotting out ceilings and some walls. The roof was sealed. New guttering and a new 5,000 litre tank were installed. The building wasn’t level and this has been rectified and all of the doors now open and close perfectly. The work on the barracks is now effectively complete although there will doubtlessly be ongoing maintenance required. Before opening up the Common Room for hikers on the George Haddock Track it is proposed to install a small solar lighting system. The remaining three bedrooms and shower room are available for use by researchers. The Common Room has a new ceiling and some damaged wall panels have been replaced. There is now no evidence of the water damage and the painting and tidying have made the whole Common Room very presentable. Some refinements have been added including a blackboard for leaving notices, a new shelf in the laundry and a new bench top over the disconnected stove. A removable screen enables slide presentations in the common room at night. Harold Charles (on the ladder) and his offsiders installing a new ceiling in the barracks that bear his name. The schlerophyll and rainforest vegetation surrounding the building were closing in when we began the project. Almost all of this has been cleared away. The surrounding environs had developed more than 20 years regrowth since it was last used to house Forestry workers and Police who were dealing with Greenie protesters in 1991 and 92. Most of the regrowth has been cleared and were able to accommodate twelve tents during the working bee and will serve as some fire protection in future. The building complex has been renamed the Harold Charles Barracks to honour the building team leader who organized that aspect of this project. Much tender loving care has gone into cleaning, painting and fitting curtains. While hikers will be limited to the Common Room, the bedroom section may be used by researchers pursuing projects in the least disturbed section of Fraser Island (K’Gari). There is already interest in using this well sited facility to advance a better understanding of K’Gari. Track work The track is being cleared in sections. Just over 35 kilometres are cleared as well prepared walking tracks. Some of this was cleared for management purposes (firebreaks and access) but gallons of sweat have been spent clearing some overgrown former roads. In some cases it was even difficult to find where the roads had been it was so overgrown. 16.7 kilometres of proposed walking track remain to be completed. 10.9 kms in 10 sections requires Native Title approval before we can proceed there and when they are cleared we can get access to three other sections currently cut off. However as we completed the last working bee in October 2014 the Butchulla gained Native Title. Now there is a proper process able to deal with issues such as approving sections of the walking tracks and this process has begun with an inspection in March. There will be further consultations in May. The two most incomplete stages are Lake Coomboo to Lake Allom where 3.8 kilometres are awaiting approval before work can proceed and about 8 kms between Lake Garawongera and Pine Hill. There are 5 kilometres to clear between M15 (Happy Valley-Urang Creek Road) and M16 (on the connecting road from Lake Garawongera to Yidney Scrub). This is the most difficult section remaining. 3.1 kilometres are all that separate M16 from Pine Hill and this includes a very attractive section through Yidney Scrub. Now that Native Title has been determined, FIDO and NPAQ are seeking Butchulla approval that would enable us to secure QPWS authorization to proceed with Stage 2 in 2015. Stage 2 aims to complete the 52 km track and establish a hikers shelter and toilet at Lake Coomboo. MOONBI and Bulletins will advise when on-ground work will begin and call for volunteers when the position is clear to go ahead.

MOONBI 131 (25th March, 2015) 3 Butchulla’s new role is a K’Gari Game Changer On 24 October the Federal Court’s Native Title Tribunal determined that the Butchulla had Native title rights over 95% of the island but didn’t include Council, freehold or unallocated state land or the townships. The terms of Native Title had been negotiated between representatives of the Butchulla and the state and local government and other interested parties including Kingfisher. It appears to apply only to the National Park and even excluded the Telstra facilities. This determination is a game changer as far as management of the National Park is concerned and means that there needs to be far more consultation between the traditional owners, the Butchulla and the QPWS. Anew Management Plan is now needed to clarify the respective roles and responsibilities. Native Title for K’Gari Determined The main outcome for the Butchulla seems to be pure pride and exhilaration. The determination includes nonexclusive rights to: · Access and move about the area; · Camp and build temporary shelters for camping; · Hunt, fish and gather for personal, domestic and noncommercial communal purposes; · Take, use and have natural resources for similar purposes; · Conduct rituals and ceremonies; · Be buried within the area; · Maintain and protect places of cultural significance; · Teach on the area; · Hold meetings; and · Light fires for personal and domestic purposes including cooking, but not for hunting or clearing vegetation. The determination of this Native Title Claim set up a new Prescribed Body Corporate for the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation and they will manage the issues arising from the new Butchulla responsibilities including land use issues such as the George Haddock Track passing through new territory. FIDO welcomes the consent and the restoration of some previous Butchulla rights and we look forward to working closely and cooperatively with the Butchulla to protect Fraser Island from unnatural impacts into the future together. The Legends of Moonie Jarl The Butchulla euphoria over gain Native title was still strongly evident in Hervey Bay on 7th November when the book of children’s stories, “Legends of Moonie Jarl” was relaunched 50 years after it was first published. The intriguing stories about the Aboriginal dreamtime have been born again, more than 50 years after they first appeared in print. The collection of 12 traditional stories of the people from Fraser Island and the mainland around Hervey Bay was written by Wilf Reeves and illustrated by his sister Olga Miller in 1964. Although originally published by Jacaranda Press and was an outstanding publishing success, being the first book of children’s stories ever published it went out of print after Jacaranda Press was absorbed into Wiley. It is now published by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation which has publishing indigenous community stories was a significant part of the foundation's role. The re-publication gives the Butchulla even more reasons to be justifiably proud of their culture and traditions. . Photo Right Shelter at Bogimbah, Fraser Island (John Oxley Library) Many Aborigines died in the appalling living conditions at this “mission” between 1897 and 1904 History of Butchulla since Contact The first reported contact with Butchulla came from convicts who had escaped the brutality at Moreton Bay. The next was the saga of Eliza Fraser in 1836. Following the settlement of the Mary River district beginning in 1842, interracial conflict and “dispersal” took a heavy toll on the Butchulla. This continued following the discovery of Gympie gold in 1867. There was briefly some attempt to protect the Butchulla when Rev Fuller established a Mission at Balarrgan (North White Cliffs ) in 1871, but his mission was soon commandeered by the Queensland Government to be used as a quarantine Station. The Butchulla were evicted. The end of the gold rush made Ballargan available again. So in 1897 the Queensland Government established a secular Mission there. When some Maryborough residents making a picnic trip to K’Gari over Easter, Aborigines prevented them landing on the Balarrgan beach. The picnickers were outraged. They claimed that Balarrgan had been "a favourite resort for pleasure parties for over twenty years" and a popular "watering place since before Queensland got separation". A public protest meeting held in Maryborough drew 300 to 400 people. Within months, as a result of parochial pressures the Aboriginal mission was transferred to a less desirable site near the mouth of Bogimbah Creek. There was an extremely high mortality rate at the Bogimbah Mission. During its seven-year existence, 56 Aborigines were buried in one cemetery and 38 were buried in another. Graves: In the 1970s FIDO safarists could distinguish the outline of sunken graves in an area near the mouth of Bogimbah Creek. They were clearly identifiable then. In the decades since there have been frustrating attempts to rediscover the precise burial place of an unknown numbers of Butchulla. Last July local Aboriginal rangers were joined by a team of scientists from the University of the Sunshine Coast and use ground-penetrating radar to detect final resting place of about 70 Aborigines.

MOONBI 131 (25th March, 2015) 4 Queensland’s Transformed Political Scene FIDO was appalled at the speed and extent of the dismantling and removal of environmental protection measures during the less than three year term of the Newman Government and the indications were that it could well get worse if the Newman Government had a second term. The January elections saw one of the most remarkable political turn-arounds in Australian history. The electorate at large shared FIDO’s concerns about the direction of government. As a result we now have a new ALP Palaszczuk Government in a finely poised Parliament. It is an outcome FIDO welcomes but we want better environmental protection measures restored as soon as possible. The prospects didn’t look good at the end of 2014. FIDO’s January E-News No 2 said: If the Newman Government is re-elected: • There is no hope of advancing Cooloola’s World Heritage claim. There is no intention to renominate the Great Sandy Region and Gondwana Rainforests to recognize additional values; • Government funding for Queensland conservation groups will continue to suffer; • Fraser Island will be no better resourced with funds or staff; • There is no prospect at all of getting a Fraser Island Visitor Centre; • Queensland’s natural environment especially the Great Barrier Reef will suffer while more resources are directed to help coal and CSG mining; • The downgrading of the environment will suffer through a continuation of the administrative arrangements with split responsibilities. We should have added that there was also a threat to take Fraser Island’s water to supply the Fraser Coast’s urban populations and there was no hope of seeing a new Management Plan for the Great Sandy Region despite this now being years overdue. There are many new factors that need to be taken into consideration including Native Title. A good start has been made with the appointment of Dr. Steven Miles as Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection, Minister for National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef. While not entirely reunited, both QPWS sections are now working more closely in the one Ministry. 24th October 2014 was a day for celebration at Kingfisher Resort when the Butchulla finally got back native title for their precious K’Gari. Now the Butchulla need to be consulted when decisions are made affecting over 95% of Kgari Overdue Issues Reviving K’Gari’s Light Rail By an amazing opportunity FIDO may soon be in a position to initiate a detailed Feasibility Plan to investigate the proposed route, environmental impact’s Native title issues and economic viability of a light rail across Fraser Island. FIDO is one of three beneficiaries to the will of an Australian woman Barbara Winkley who lived in Anchorage, Alaska but who loved the Australian environment with a passion. FIDO is committed to using this bequest to underwrite the cost of carrying out a detailed feasibility study into the options for a light rail but the oversight for the study will be the Queensland Government. FIDO plans to reach an agreement with the Palaszczuk Government to oversee this study to sort out the obstacles to reducing the impact on Fraser Island (K’Gari)’s roads by establishing a cross-island rail route from Kingfisher Resort to Eurong via Lake McKenzie (Boorangoora) and Central Station. If it is then deemed feasible and acceptable the government will then call for Expressions of Interests for a private operator to build and operate the line. This would enable prospective tenderers to work out a business model and have certainty that their plan would have the Go-ahead if their tender succeeded. Until the estate of Barbara Winkley is settled FIDO can do no more than foreshadow our plans. Like any prospective light rail operator we need certainty before we can make a commitment but the bequest could be a game changer and finally see a more sustainable way for Fraser Island (K’Gari) visitation become a reality. Other Overdue Projects WH for Cooloola and Great Sandy Strait Australia has only two World Heritage proposals in the Indicative World Heritage List that is a pre-requisite to their formal nomination. The re-nomination of the Great Sandy Region to recognize extra values for Fraser Island and to add Cooloola, Great Sandy Strait was ignored by the Newman Government. Now this important can move forward again. A New Great Sandy Region Management Plan The 1994 Management Plan was reviewed in 2005 without any consultation outside the bureaucracy. It was intended to develop a new Management Plan by 2010 when this current plan was due to expire. The attempts to have a new Management Plan had begun before the election of the Newman Government but any idea of a Management Plan that might prevent rash political decisions died in 2012. FIDO is urging that the planning process should resume as soon as possible. It will allow the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation to have a direct input into the plan and allow the QPWS who are responsible for implementing it to have certainty over the policies that they are implementing.

MOONBI 131 (25th March, 2015) 5 Fraser Island and World Heritage status World Heritage branding: For some time FIDO has questioned where the UESCO World Heritage brass plate that we expected to have been provided after the 1992 listing was hiding. The truth was that the obligation is on the State Parties (Australia) to provide this critical badge and for more than 22 years the Australian Government has treated Fraser Island with such indifference that it hasn’t even bothered to ensure that the World Heritage badge that should have been provided was ever installed. We did learn however that when Fraser Island was inscribed in the World Heritage List in the 1992 meeting in Santa Fe (USA) UNESCO issued a certificate. FIDO is seeking to find out where that certificate, that is so that this document that is so highly prized by other World Heritage sites is held so that it can be prominently displayed on Fraser Island. 1007 sites are on the World Heritage list —779 cultural, 197 natural, and 31 mixed properties. While Fraser Island is currently meets three of the four natural criteria, FIDO anticipates that if the Queensland Government proceeds with the re-nomination of the Great Sandy Region the whole region could be deemed a mixed site. Sites meeting natural criteria account for only 23% of all 1007 World Heritage properties that protect over 279 million hectares of land and sea and represent over 10% of the total area of all recorded protected areas. There are 70 Natural areas in Australia’s region (Asia and the Pacific). IUCN’s K’Gari Report Card As described elsewhere in this MOONBI, the objective assessment of every natural World Heritage site, including Australia’s, is included in IUCN World Heritage Outlook 2014 that was launched at the World Parks Congress in Sydney. Despite the diplomatic niceties, it seems Australia needs to lift its game in management of a number of its World Heritage sites. Conservation Outlook: Unlike other Australian World Heritage sites, Fraser Island is rated “Good with some concerns”. It shares that ranking with other natural Australian properties, Gondwana Rainforest, Greater Blue Mountains, Macquarie Island, and the Tasmanian Wilderness. Fraser Island doesn’t have the top level of rating which is “Good” that was given to eight (8) other Australian World Heritage sites. Given the lack of resources provided to manage Fraser Island rated “Good with some concerns” isn’t surprising. However it is better than three Australian World Heritage sites, Kakadu, Great Barrier Reef and Queensland’s Wet Tropics that are placed in the “Significant Concern” category. The full assessment of all natural World Heritage sites can be found at: http://worldheritageoutlook.iucn.org The Concerns: Specific concerns about Fraser Island expressed in the Conservation Outlook Report were: Fraser Island has been viewed as a model in participatory conservation management between many different stakeholders and a number of excellent management plans for a variety of issues have been put in place. The state of the site’s World Heritage values remains relatively good and significant human and financial resources are being directed to the management of the threats to these values. However, high levels of visitation and pressures from recreational use will require continuing monitoring and increased management efforts to ensure preservation of the site’s values in the long-term. The current state and Trend of Fraser Island WH values were judged to be of “Low Concern” Since inscription in 1992 the state of World Heritage values remains relatively good and significant human and financial resources are being directed to the management of the threats to these values. Although the state of World Heritage values remains relatively good, although two of the six values indicate some deterioration, and it is possible that the other four values may not be stable if management concerns are correct. Overall Threats were judged to be “High Threat” Increased visitation and climate change are the two major threats to the property. Increased tourism is acting as a driver for a number of other threats, which include pollution, siltation, disturbance, and the introduction of invasive species. Management capacity is high but significant negative effects on the site’s values and integrity is probable unless management is increased. Climate change seems to be irreversibly changing some of the physical properties of the site has already been demonstrated as a threat to several of the values of the property, and will probably gain in importance in the future. Overall Protection and management of Fraser Island’s WH was judged to be “Effective” Protection and management is mostly effective. However, high levels of visitation and pressures from recreational use will require continuing monitoring and increased management efforts to ensure preservation of the site’s values in the long-term. World Heritage logo: While the central square symbolizes the results of human skill and inspiration, the circle celebrates the gifts of nature. The emblem is round, like the world, a symbol of global protection for the heritage of all humankind. Lacking Statistics for K’Gari Although QPWS media releases advise that Fraser Island (K’Gari) is Queensland’s most popular National Park there has been no disclosure of the number of visitors for almost a decade. It seems almost inconceivable that the organization charged with responsibility for managing the site does not collect and divulge such vital statistics. Claims that visitation to the island is 350,000 to 400,000 is pure guesswork. More reliable figures are demanded. In 1997, over 3000 Australians nominated Fraser Island as their favourite "Place in the Heart". It clearly topped the poll conducted by the Australian Heritage Commission beating the Great Barrier Reef and Port Arthur. Despite this widespread public affection Fraser Island remains the most under-resourced World Heritage site in Australia.