10 |
Cairns Local News
NEWS
Friday, October 2, 2020
It’s a bugs life FOR this with a love of bugs and all beautiful miniature creatures, comes a tour like no other!
Fishing comp success
Let’s Go Buggin gives the nature enthusiast a tour with a difference. From the brains behind many much-loved images on Aussie Macro Photos, Cairns photographer Bridgette Gower has created the first of its kind tour in Cairns that offers something for everyone from curious kids to professional photographers.
Top:Young Tilapia contestant Toby Jones Right: Tilapia Tamer Oliver Burgess who caught the biggest fish of the Tournament.
NATIVE freshwater species in Cassowary Coast waterways can gulp a sigh of relief this week thanks to the 2020 Tilapia Tournament which saw nearly 2,000 of the pesky Tilapia removed from Warrina Lakes in Innisfail. Five hundred people from throughout the Far North registered to take part in the Tournament, catching an extraordinary 527KG of Tilapia which are being recycled into compost for the Johnstone River Community Garden. The fishing competition was redesigned by Casso-
wary Coast Regional Council this year to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions in a week-long tournament during school holidays. Commonly referred to as the ‘cane toad of waterways’, Tilapia have a high rate of repopulation and aggressively outcompete native species for food and space leading to a decline in biodiversity and species abundance. Tournament co-host OzFish thanked Council for raising awareness of the damage Tilapia cause to local eco systems.
“The direct benefit of this event is the removal of this fish from local waters,” said North Queensland Project Manager for OzFish, Dr Geoff Collins, who explained that most new Tilapia infestations are caused by people moving live fish to new locations and not by natural spread across catchment boundaries.
“I’ve spent endless hours, walking the paths, peering into bushes, leaning on tree trunks, crouching on boardwalks, kneeling on logs, lying on grass beds, discovering the host plants, seasonal changes and favourite habitats of many of our local miniature beauties,” says tour creator Bridgette Gower.
“From frogs to caterpillars, beetles to butterflies, this tour is a welcome addition for visitors to Cairns as well as something new for locals to experience.” The tour takes place in the tropical paradise of Cairns Botanic Gardens, Bridgette will share with you several bug-hubs she has discovered that hides the most elusive beauties! The tour will introduce to the punk superstar, Green Jumping Spider, the tiny gold and green Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs, and the bright yellow caterpillar of the Four O’clock Moth. These are just 3 of the most commonly seen in the renowned tropical gardens but are mostly unseen by the general public. So, if you are a professional photographer who would love to just ‘go to’ that spot where to find such a
creature, rather than spend hours trekking through the rainforest hoping to find and spot that 5mm spec in the vastness of the wild! The tours are also perfect to capture your child’s imagination and spark their curiosity when they see the beauty and weirdness that nature offers when they slow down and tune their focus to the incredible world that carries on in front of them. Tours run daily at 9.30am and 2.30pm, bookings are essential. Professional photography equipment is not required (however we do offer a hire service), and tour participants can capture amazing shots using a smart phone. Book now on www.aussiemacrophotos.com and uncover a world that only your imagination has thought of.
The Tilapia Tournament culminated yesterday afternoon with this year’s winners announced as 11 year-old Jase Braun who caught 245 fish, and 13 year-old Oliver Burgess who caught the biggest fish.
FolkFestival Tablelands FolkFestival Tablelands YUNGABURRA JANGGABURRU 23-25 OCT
Celebrating Queensland Weekend Tickets ONLY Available Online
$110
Attendees have a level of responsibility for their own welfare, as well as that of others around them
www.tablelandsfolkfestival.org.au
Purchase Tickets On-Line to Register your details for COVID compliance.
