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Watering the Wildlife
Normality is slowly returning to the rainforest on ‘Aborlee’ after years of drought broke in December of 2019 followed by 18 months of better than average rainfall.
Killarney locals Clive & Susan Savage have lived on ‘Aborlee’ overlooking the Cambanoora Gorge for more than 15-years - during which time they have developed a strong attachment to the landscape and an acute understanding of its ebbs and flows.
Both Susan and Clive have been strong community advocates for the environment; Susan dedicating hours of her time and expertise each week to the local Bushcare Group.
And for the pair, it's been the last handful of drought years that have proven particularly taxing and heart-wrenching.
“At the height of the drought we were bringing in truck-loads of water just to keep the animals alive, with the help of funding from the Queensland Government Nature Refuge scheme” Susan Savage remembers.
“We put shade cloth over the dam to minimize water loss also thanks to help with funding; and the place was so dry we were concerned about fires that were getting closer. And there was a real absence of birds. It was eerily quiet,” Ms Savage said.
“There was just the two of us here so we managed to hold on to as much water as possible for a long time but when the dam was just a crust of mud and the rainforest was crisp underfoot we started putting basins of water out around the rainforest just to keep the animals going,” she said.
Susan and Clive also set up cameras triggered by motion to capture who and what was drinking from their basins.
“It was amazing the wildlife that came to drink from the basins and during the peak of the dry we captured almost 2,000 photos,” Ms Savage said.
See a selection of the incredible photos captured drinking from the basins by Clive and Susan on ‘Aborlee’ here.
“It was also a little heart breaking when we saw how thin some of the animals were - you see a drought impacts everyone even in a rainforest which is normally lush and green and full of life,” she said.
“We would regularly gather the cameras and look at all the photos and after a while we noticed a sequence - as if the animals would take turns to get a drink, all equally respectful of one another and giving each other space.”
“First the wallabies, then the possums, lizards, snakes, all the different types of birds, each species coming in a wave to drink and take their turn.”
But it was one picture that really surprised the pair.
“Yes, we managed to capture a red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) taking his turn to drink while a Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons), watched on...a little too closely for my liking too!” Susan exclaimed.
“You see they would normally be adversaries, but during the drought it was like the water basins were a safe place for everyone to drink...everyone to survive,” she said.
“We learnt a lot from the animals during this period about patience, and respect.”
Then in December of 2019 the drought broke.
“We had a lot of rain when the drought first broke; 70mm in one night,” Susan said.
“We were never so happy to hear the sound of rain on the roof. And from there we’ve had consistent and regular rain and slowly slowly we’ve seen rainforest come back to life,” she said.
With the dam now full and the rainforest bubbling with the activities and chatter of birds, Clive and Susan are returning to more normal routines.
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The Condamine Headwaters, a critical ecosystem in Southern Queensland, has long faced threats from sedimentation, habitat degradation, and thermal regime changes. The Blackfish Project, dedicated to reversing these impacts, unites scientists, landowners, and the community in a shared mission to restore and protect this vital environment. At its core lies the river blackfish, a sensitive indicator of the overall ecosystem health. Central to the project's success is the unwavering commitment of landowners like Paul Graham. Inspired by the project's vision, Paul reached out to SQ Landscapes seeking support for a solar pump and tank to divert his cattle away from waterways on his property. Paul's deep-rooted love for his land, captured in his humorous quip "I love my land more than I love my wife," is a testament to the powerful connection between people and place that drives conservation efforts.
The Board of Southern Queensland Landscapes recently met in Toowoomba. In addition to the Board meeting, Board and Executive worked through updating SQ Landscapes’ strategy. Company Secretary Pam Murphy highlighted the importance of the latest Board meeting and what it means for the company’s future. “The updated strategy will help SQ Landscapes deliver sustainable natural resource management (NRM) outcomes that improve the lives of people in regional communities now and for the future,” Pam Murphy said. “We’re excited to continue delivering value for our region and build Flourishing Landscapes and Healthy Communities across Southern Queensland under the guidance of the Board,” Mrs Murphy said.
Annual General Meeting When: Wednesday, 13 December 2023 Where: Online via Zoom Time : 9.00am for 9.30am start
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