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Final Research

Fraser Island

History

The Butchulla people are the indigenous people of Fraser Island. The Butchulla people's traditional name for Fraser Island was K'gari which means paradise.

It is uncertain how long Fraser Island had been occupied by the Butchulla people. Evidence suggests that it was more than 5,500 years and maybe 20,000. Captain Cook first sighted the Fraser Island Butchulla people during 1770 and named Indian Head on the eastern beach after them. Captain Matthew Flinders was one of the first white men to have contact with the islanders and had peaceful meetings with them in 1799 and 1802.

Colonization by Europeans caused great conflicts with the Aboriginal people as the European settlers did not understand or respect their tribal boundaries, their social structure or the importance to them of their environment.

Land was cleared and agricultural practices established which in turn disturbed the natural supply of food cycles of the native people. Traditions and hunting methods had to be altered for survival.

Logging was started on Fraser Island in 1863 by ‘Yankee Jack' Piggott and continued until December 1991 when the island was nominated for world heritage listing.

  Wildlife

Fraser Island is home to a diverse array of native terrestrial and water fauna. It is not uncommon to see a dingo loping along the beach or a prehistoric-looking lizard climbing one of the island's trees. 

The diversity of the island's natural habitat supports a wide range of animals, many of which are at the northern or southern limit of their distribution or are considered to be rare or vulnerable.

There are 47 other species of mammals on Fraser Island including the Swamp Wallaby, Small Eared Mountain Possum and the Sugar Glider.

More than 354 species of birds have been sighted on Fraser Island. The island has a wide range of habitats providing different food sources, nesting and breeding areas.

Fraser Island is home to 79 species of reptiles, including 19 kinds of snake. The most commonly seen reptiles are the Sand Monitor and the Lace Monitor. These large lizards are often seen around picnic areas.

Rare frog species, such as the "acid" frogs which have adapted to survive in a difficult environment, can be seen and heard in the swamps.

  Event

Fraser Island's famous 75-Five Mile Beach is right on the action for some of the best beach fishing in the world.

Surf gutters along the ocean beaches provide all-season angling. Whiting and bream are plentiful in the gutters in warmer months and swallowtail can be caught all year round.

The tailor season in winter sees dozens of fishing groups along the beach. All the usual rock species can be caught off the headlands from Indian Head to Waddy Point.

Trailer boats can be launched in the calm water behind Indian Head and Waddy Point.

Off shore, both northern coral and southern reef species can be found.

  Problems

Estimates of the number of visitors to the island each year range from 350,000 to 500,000. The chance of seeing a dingo in its natural setting is one of the main reasons people visit the island. The use of boardwalks and marked tracks by visitors is encouraged to reduce erosion.

Urinating tourists have created environmental problems in Fraser Island lakes and on coastal dunes. The foredunes are used as a toilet by bush campers, who are estimated to number 90,000 each year. Many of the perched lakes have no outflow or inflow which exacerbates the problem. Water quality in some lakes is being affected by storm water run-off from dune roads, and by swimmers' use of sunscreen.

       References

 1.UNESCO World Heritage Centre (2007). "Fraser Island". Australia. Retrieved 14 January 2007.

2. "Fraser Island". World Heritage. Department of the Environment and Heritage. 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2007.

3. David Kidd (2005). "Fraser Island's wildlife". About Fraser Island. Retrieved 3 January 2007.

4. "Fraser Island". Travel. The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 11 February 2007.

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Today I want to share my experience visiting beaches in Melbourne. Australia has a lot of beaches. Every beach has its own characteristics. But no matter what it is, every beach has a lot of people playing water, or simply lying on the beach and enjoying sunshine. It feels so great going to beaches at leisure time. I went to St. Kilda beach first. I heard that the most interesting thing here is that you can see small penguins back home at night. I waited for them until six in the evening, fortunately I did see some small penguins strolling home slowly. They were cute and alert. Sea wind there was strong, I wish I could wear some more clothes. And my hair was totally in a mess. Another day, I went to Brighton Beach, which is famous for its colorful huts- a lot of small houses standing on the beach. I heard that these small houses are not cheap. The price closes to small villa’s in Taiwan! Not like the golden coast, the coastline here is not very long. I really enjoyed sitting in the water. It is really comfortable! I even found some starfish here. After playing a whole day, I just wanted to go home and have a nice sleep.

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This Easter holidays, I visited the Wilsons Promontory National Park, which is also known locally as "the Prom". I heard that it is the southernmost tip of Australia mainland. We took a car halfway up the Mount Oberon to the Park and then followed the uphill track to its summit. We were surrounded by bushes and eucalyptuses. The hike takes us around an hour, but depite the fatigue and sweat it is so much worth it. As once I arrived top, I was blown away by the magnificent views of the grand ocean, the bays and Tidal river. After enjoying my lunch on the top, we went to Tidal River. The color of river ranges from a deep-yellow to a dark-purple. A number of tea trees present in the area. The tree dye the river, making it appear like black tea. Different kinds of birds inhabit around the river. From here we start another entertaining walk. Walk by the ocean, we passed over the ridge separating Norman and Squeaky beach. Squeaky beach is such a good beach and as its name suggests, squeaks because of ultra-fine quartz sand particles when we walked on. I really enjoyed the view and experience here. The guide said that the Prom is home to many marsupials, native birds and other creatures. We saw some juggle kangaroos and a wombat. This is the first time I saw a wild wombat. What a beautiful creature. I also heard that evidence of aboriginal occupation at here dates back at least 6,500 years and the park is highly significant to some clans. All in all, it is an incredible experience and I want to visit the marine park next time.

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A few days ago I visited Melbourne zoo. I am a man who loves animals and I really interested in Australian endemic species. Melbourne zoo is a world of wildlife and a fascinating place to go. I saw plenty of beautiful animals such as meerkat, lemur, orang utan and coati. They all live in a very wild environment which are conscientiously crafted by the feeders. And at the same time, I can still get really close to them thanks to the good design of the cages. I also saw many species which I never saw by my own eyes before. Koala, jungle kangaroo, emu, they are all the symbols of Australia. My favorite creature is platypus. They are really cute and agile. And giant tortoises are also impressive. They move slow but look wise. I cannot help taking a selfie with them. All in all, it's really a fantastic trip for me. Hope that I can visit the zoo again sometime.