Posted by lessca | Posted in Cooloola Coast, Gympie | Posted on 11-11-2009
Peter Garrett has won the praise of tens of thousands of residents in the Mary Valley and Cooloola region. This follows his decision to deny the application by the Queensland Government to build a dam at Traveston Crossing. Most of the residents who still remain in their homes will now relax in the knowledge they won’t be evicted. Others who had sold their properties will look to try and return now.
This is the area that I call home and I must admit to having mixed feelings about the building of the dam. I could see a huge economic benefit for the region – I could also see that a lot of valuable fertile land was going to be flooded and rendered useless.
Once the news was released today I did feel an immense sense of relief. I am a modern environmentalist. I do believe in protecting as much of our environment as possible. I also understand that sometimes you do need to make some sacrifices – in these cases rather than protesting to stop something, I would rather protest to protect as much as possible.
I think most people were caught by surprise by Peter Garrett’s decision. The former frontman for Midnight Oil has a history of being an environmentalist and his intervention on the Great Keppel Island development have flagged his willingness to stand up to another labor government.
Is Anna Bligh happy about the situation. She is putting on the appearance of being most unhappy. However one of the first statements by the government was that they were not going to challenge the decision. I think that says plenty. In fact I believe this is one decision she is happy to have seen taken out her hands.
What now for the future? Good question. Desalination plants are now being discussed. There is no doubt that Queensland needs more water resources. We also need much more in the way of water planning.

These days, there is only a very small percentage of the population that is Aboriginal (3%) Many have health problems or alcohol related problems. There are however still areas within Australia where Aboriginals abide by their old values and beliefs and it is a wonderful experience to spend some time with them. Sacred places such as Ayers Rock are steeped in Aboriginal tradition and as such are a good place to uncover the Aboriginal belief system.
Rock Art is the oldest of the Aboriginal Arts and can be found in places such as Ayers Rock and Kakadu National Parks as these are sacred Aboriginal lands. It is the dot paintings that are particularly popular with tourists and these are generally easy to find throughout Australia.
There are lots of places you can go to learn about the Aboriginal Culture. There is not room in this article to explore them all. Arnhem Land which is near Darwin in the top end of Australia is in my opinion the best place to go. Numbers are restricted to this sacred area so you can guarantee a less touristy approach. You really do get to appreciate the real culture and see real Aboriginals dot painting and making crafts. You can easily incorporate a day trip here as part of your trip to Darwin or Kakadu National Park and I highly recommend it. Remember that this area has defined seasons so only come here between May and October.
If you want to incorporate some Aborigine experience into the more visited areas try the blue mountains walkabout as part of your trip to Sydney. The Rocks Half Day Dreaming tour which is taken by an Aboriginal Elder, Margaret Campbell is also very good. Don’t forget a detour to the Olgas if you’re driving a four-wheel drive – they are a strange yet eerie sight that Aboriginals from this region hold sacred