I haven't been to Cumberland for 12 months now but believe the new bird
hide is great. The dam is a free camping spot and at this time of year
is very popular with grey nomads. By September when the hotter weather
arrives, most will be gone. This influx coincides with the tourist
season in north Queensland which lasts from about mid May to about mid
September. After that there is usually very few people there. I have
camped there between December and March and nearly always have the place
to myself.
Abattoir Swamp boardwalk has been repaired by a local resident and
ratepayers group after the local council decided not to foot the bill.
The grass in the swamp itself is now mostly Hymenachne olivii, a pondage
pasture grass imported from I think South America for trials for the
grazing industry. It appears to have been brought to Queensland
illegally, probably through the 1980s. It is very bad news and takes
over wetlands up to a metre deep in very short time, creating a
monoculture. The southern part of Lake Mitchell is now one mass of this
pest. A few of us have been trying to keep it out of the northern (road)
section of the lake but it is going to beat us. It has the potential to
destroy many tropical wetlands (and already has).
Lloyd Nieslen
Mt Molloy, Nth Qld
www.birdingaustralia.com.au
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