Our City Council Is Broke.

Our local Shoalhaven City Council has run out of money.

This most disaster-prone council in NSW, recently elected in September, says it has run out of available cash and cannot afford for another calamity to strike as it pushes to increase rates for home owners by up to 12 per cent.

At an extraordinary council meeting last week, the new deputy mayor said a report outlining Shoalhaven council’s dire financial position had “put a gun to the head of this current council” when it came to a rate increase.
Regional councils have borne the brunt of natural disasters such as bushfires, storms and floods over the past five financial years, figures show, with Shoalhaven and neighbouring Wingecarribee Shire recording 14 disasters each, on top of the pandemic – more than any other council in the state.

The disasters have wreaked havoc with council assets, especially roads, and have put significant pressure on a sector advocates say is already struggling thanks in part to cost-shifting from state and federal government and restrictions on rate increases.
The emergencies that hit the Shoalhaven include the Black Summer bushfires that burnt almost 70 per cent of the area, and more than a dozen storms that washed away roads and caused landslides.
The most recent disaster was a severe storm with torrential rain in June, which caused a giant pothole to appear in a major arterial route near Jervis Bay, disrupting travel for thousands of people. It took months to repair.

The NSW government has issued 85 natural disaster declarations since 2019-20. These allow councils to seek emergency state funding for repairs but Shoalhaven council chief executive said the council also had to chip in about $600,000 each time.
“If [another] natural disaster were to occur, council would not have the available cash to respond,” she said in her report to councillors before last week’s meeting, noting cash reserves had fallen from $19 million five years ago to zero in June.
The Shoalhaven council had lost almost $15 million to disasters since 2019, including through subsidies and fee waivers related to the pandemic, and faced a budget black hole of up to $35 million that could only be addressed through a special rate variation.

Last week, councillors put the option of an 8 or 12 per cent rate rise to the community for feedback.
The previous council refused to support a staff push for a 32 per cent rate rise in January that would have restored the council’s finances.

Shoalhaven had the eighth-worst financial performance in the state in 2022-23, according to figures from the Office of Local Government, recording a net operating deficit of more than $18 million.
I calculated what a 12% rate increase would mean for us.
Over the year it would be less than the cost of a new tyre and wheel damaged by the appalling condition of our potholed rural roads.
But obviously many residents are already struggling with the cost of living crisis and don’t need added financial stress.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald.

A Trip to Brisbane

I was 10 years old when the family moved from Melbourne, Victoria to Brisbane, Queensland.

I did my three final years of primary school, four years of high school and a failed year of University before moving to Sydney with my first job.

I used to visit my parents and school friends a little until the former passed away.

My oldest friends with whom I maintained contact were a married couple who had met at our primary school.

We caught up down here and up there a few times for special occasions eg. significant birthdays etc, over the decades.

Unfortunately the husband died six years ago.

We decided another trip north was in order to catch up, face to face.

We flew with Virgin Australia from Sydney, a four hour drive to the airport. The flights out of Canberra, only a two hour drive, were very expensive in comparison which is always the case when the national parliament is sitting.

Brisbane has sure ‘grown up’ since I left. No longer is it a big country town.

We were busy for all the time we were there thanks to our ‘tour guide’.

On the first day we took the River Cat ferry up to South Bank.

The area lies on the Brisbane River across from the CBD (downtown) and is Brisbane’s lively cultural hub. Parks, galleries, restaurants, cafes and even a man-made beach bring this precinct to life.
It was originally almost entirely industrial then was redeveloped as the site for World Expo 88
We walked through the tropical gardens and visited the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, fitting in a morning coffee and an excellent midday lunch.
The weather wasn’t the best, cool and windy, but thankfully the rain held off.
The city skyline is impressive.

YouTube video here.

Next morning we did a tour of my old suburb, stopping to see the old family home.
The new owners had built another storey on top. It looked quite out of proportion as a result.
Then we caught up with an old school friend at a local cafe for brunch before heading into New Farm and its beautiful park. The jacaranda trees were in full bloom.
That evening we ventured to one of our mutual old haunts, the Breakfast Creek Hotel (the Brekky Creek)  and the Spanish Garden steak house.

It hadn’t changed a bit apart from a retractable roof. No more getting wet while eating during a tropical downpour. Those big beach umbrellas over the tables never seemed to work.
The steaks were as good as ever. 

And it’s still popular. 100% full on a Monday evening by 7pm.
Next morning we were up early for our flight home.
Brisbane airport was very busy. Forty minutes in the bag drop line. 

Full flight to Sydney on time. Bags quickly available.
Then the four hour drive home.

Early to bed, exhausted.
A great few days.
Thanks Pammy.

Hibbertia scandens / An Acceptable Weed

The native snake vine (Hibbertia scandens) grows all over our property.
It is a vigorous climber with stems reaching up to five metres in length as well as a ground cover.
It is found mainly in coastal areas in NSW, extending into the northern tablelands and a little into the central tablelands. It grows along the entire NSW Coast and most of the Queensland coast as far north as Cape York.
It also grows in the far north-east of Victoria.
Its habitats are coastal dune forest, wet sclerophyll woodlands and forests and well as coastal scrub and heathlands growing on sandy soils.
The plant produce fruit as follicles. In this species, they are about 2 cm long, ripening to red-brown.

Hibbertia is named after George Hibbert (1757-1837), an English merchant, politician, slave-owner and amateur botanist who took a keen interest in botanical discoveries and gardening, while scandens is Latin for  “climbing”.
In our local plant nursery it’s commonly known as the Guinea Flower.

This name refers to the resemblance of the flower shape and colour to the ancient Golden Guinea coin. 

It can cost up to $13/pot for the home gardener.

We have a few thousand dollars growing around here in that case.

It does take over some pasture so might meet the definition of a weed ie. any plant growing where it is not wanted, but the pretty foliage and flowers in season make it an acceptable addition to our resident native plants.

Two Days in Sydney.

The co driver wanted to visit the 2024 Quilt NSW show at Rosehill Gardens in the western suburbs of Sydney.

The venue is on Rosehill racecourse a ten minute bus ride from Parramatta station.

Parramatta is the centre of greater Sydney these days.

We travelled up from the south coast by train to a hotel at Circular Quay in downtown Sydney. The Marriott is excellent and we got a good member’s rate. Sydney hotel prices can be a bit eye watering sometimes.

Arriving early before check in, we did a few touristy things after first having lunch at the Museum of Contemporary Art cafe which overlooks the busy harbour, ferry terminal and opera house. 

Unfortunately there was a huge cruise ship docked which blocked out a lot of the view.

But that was only temporary as we were going on a harbour ferry trip afterwards.

We took the Barangaroo ferry (F4) for a round trip from CQ under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, past Lunar Park and into Darling Harbour and back. Barangaroo is a recent redevelopment of an old dock and warehouse area of Sydney. The tall ‘twisted’ building is Crown Towers which incorporates a casino.

YouTube video link below:

https://youtu.be/i6c8WZB_ftw?si=hH5q_wCTwCfdDTcf

This ride is a lot cheaper than the commercial tours of the harbour. The only thing missing is the commentary.

Sunset drinks were at the opera house bar, avoiding being bombed by marauding seagulls (a definite downside of the place) and, after a quick meal, we headed for bed.

Next morning up early for an excellent breakfast at Bar Bellaccino next to the hotel.

We then caught the train from CQ to Central Station changing to the express to Parramatta for the bus ride to Rosehill and the quilt show.

After we finished there, another bus ride this time to Lidcombe station, train to Redfern changing to the south cast train to Kiama, then the motor rail to Berry where we had left our car.

An hour and a bit later we were home accompanied by a Tony’s pizza with the lot picked up in Ulladulla on the way through.

Phew!

A busy two days.

As a footnote, we travel on public transport as seniors for $2.50/day no matter how much we use it.

Much better than driving, negotiating Sydney traffic and paying extortionate parking fees.

Quilt NSW Exhibition 2024

Here’s a small selection of the quilts I liked. Was an impressive show this year. The venue, Rosehill Gardens Grand Pavilion, is an excellent place to hold it. Easily accessible by public transport, no parking problems, lots of open exhibition and vendor space and good reasonably priced catering.

A bigger selection can be viewed on YouTube here

Mystery Tree Identified / Boobialla

I’ve been watching a tree grow close to the house for some time now.
It had completely different foliage from anything around us.

And then it came into flower recently and was, as a result, easier to identify.
Myoporum insulare, also known as the common boobialla, native juniper or blueberry tree is a flowering plant in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to coastal areas of Australia.
It is a shrub or small tree which grows on dunes and coastal cliffs, is very salt tolerant and widely used in horticulture as a fast growing screening plant, hedge or windbreak.

It withstands coastal winds and drought and is hardy in well drained locations.
It is easily propagated from cuttings.
Our tree probably came here as a seed dropped by a passing bird.
At the end of summer this species produces smooth, round, purple fruits up to 1cm in diameter. They’re great for jams, jellies and preserves, but with an astringent sweetness.

Therefore eating berries fresh off the branch might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Its aromatic, juniper-like qualities makes Boobialla an exciting local botanical for essential oils and gin.

Our attempt to grow screening plants along our western boundary has failed as any new growth has been consumed regularly by our resident kangaroos.

So I may try propagating this one as it seems the ‘roos have left it well alone.

Early Bushfire Season

After two months of no rain, we were finally drying out.

The downside was we were hit with high seasonal temperatures and worse, extremely high winds from the west.

Bushfires sprang up all over the state from last Thursday.

We had one 3km west of us and, with gusting 90km/hr winds, this was a real worry.

This was the exact scenario for the beginning of the disastrous 2019/20 fires.

Our contact in the Rural Fire Service said the fire was in inaccessible country and could not be fought on the ground.

They were using bulldozers to create firebreaks where they estimated it would emerge.

We implemented our evacuation plan.

Thankfully helicopters came in on the weekend during a wind lull and water bombed the fire for 5 hours until dusk.

They were back the next morning to finish the job.

Monday was a horrible day. Gale force winds. Total fire ban. 

We were obviously on edge.

But the 14ha fire did not escape.

The fire is now officially contained, but not out. We need a good downpour of rain for that to happen.

None is forecast for the next week with temperatures reaching the 30°Cs.

August 2024 across Australia was the warmest on record by a considerable margin, with a mean average temperature that was 3.02°C above the long-term average, while the 2024 winter was the second-warmest on record nationwide.
That's an entire month that was three degrees warmer than average when you factor in both minimum and maximum temps at over 100 Australian weather stations across each state and territory.

Strong winds in eastern Australia this week are being driven by climate change interfering with jet streams, the powerful high-altitude winds that encircle the globe.
Australia’s two jet streams – subtropical and polar – have combined over the continent’s south-east. This has caused strong winds on the surface of the earth that have brought a cold front to Victoria and southern NSW, and flipped between hot desert air and cool winds over Sydney and further north.

The subtropical and polar jet streams were usually split during the cooler months from about April to October. While they came together in summer, they usually sat over the Southern Ocean below the continent.
Latest research suggested that the extent of sea ice melting in Antarctica this winter had pushed the polar jet further north, while the marine heatwave in the tropics had pushed the subtropical jet further south. The result was that the two had combined over south-eastern Australia, amplifying the effect.

Climate change was making the jet streams move further south on average, and this could result in prolonged periods during which they sat below the continent and any heatwaves or dry spells in Australia would last longer. But climate change could also mean jet streams move around more often.

This all does not bode well for the future.

A Holey Mystery

Not only do I have holes in my lawn from a known source, a couple of new ones have sprung up down by one of the bends in ‘our’ creek.

Two possibilities.

One is a wombat but have never seen any around here apart from the odd road kill.

Plus there is no distinctive poo around. 

The wombat’s is cube shaped.

The other suspect is a goanna or lace monitor.

But being winter, suspect he/she may be still hibernating.

If it is, it’s a mighty big one.

They reach over 2m (6ft) in length and you have to be just a little bit wary of them when that size.

Generally they look for a tree to run up if confronted but cornered they can attack.

They have very sharp claws and a bite is nasty, not venomous but bacteria laden.

And a swish of that tail can pack a punch.

We’ll be keeping an eye out when down that way which is not too often.

Holes in My Lawn

Every morning there’s a myriad of holes dug all over our front and back lawns.

Why?

Turns out we have quite the colony of long nosed bandicoots living around us.

These little animals belong to the marsupial family and are found in eastern Australia, from Queensland through New South Wales to Victoria. 

They were once widespread and common but domestic pets have reduced there numbers to ‘endangered’.

That doesn’t seem to be the case here.

They eat insects and other small invertebrate prey and are probably best known for the small, round conical holes they leave behind as they forage at night. 

These holes are dug with the front feet and are big enough for the animal's long, sensitive snout to reach in and detect insects and other small invertebrate prey.
During the day they sleep in nests made from grasses and other plant material.

More Cattle Yard Renovations

The cattle yards are of hardwood post and rail construction.

Over the years climate and white ants take their toll.

We have been repairing sections constantly since arriving here three decades ago.

It was time for another two sections to be done.

Posts had rotted out at ground level and had broken off. Rails had subsequently been loosen.

The posts used for the yards are higher than normal fence posts as they have to take four rails.

Thankfully we could use the end posts from one of our abandoned vineyard blocks.

Getting them out wasn’t that easy.

I had done a really too good a job putting them in. But eventually, with a lot of digging, we got out the four we needed.

Getting the remnants of the broken yard posts out of the ground after dismantling the rails wasn’t easy either.

With all the rain we’d had over the last four months (nearly three times average), the surrounding clay sub soil was saturated, clingy and sucky.

It was a matter of digging a bigger hole than normal around each one and then levering them out with a crow bar.

The resultant holes soon filled with water.

Not what you want to put new posts into.

We left the holes to dry out over a week or so.

Then we put the new posts in, a little deeper than normal due to the relative thinness of the bottom section and the dampness of the surrounding soil.

Then we tamped them more solidly than usual. The soil we put back in the holes was wet and needed extra work.

My neighbour, a retired lifetime farmer and expert fencer, came over to help with the rails and we soon had them up and parallel.

Good job finished under somewhat difficult weather conditions.

I had previously renovated another section a few weeks before with the help of a visiting friend.

We certainly didn’t face the ‘water problems’ during this exercise and had it finished in less than a day.

War on the Arum Lilly.

My war on weeds over the years, in no order of importance, has been against poa tussock, bracken, blackberry, fireweed, thistle, giant parramatta grass, paddy’s lucerne, tobacco plant and Indian weed.

I have ignored the increasing prevalence of Arum Lilly (Zantedeschia aethiopica) as it is mostly confined to the creek banks and has so far no impact on the pasture.

But it’s time to move on it

This plant is native to South Africa and was brought to Australia as a garden ornamental.

It spreads by plant parts and seed and is toxic to people, livestock, pets and native animals.

Previously I have sprayed with glyphosate on a random basis when targeting other weed species.

The lilly takes a considerable time to die under those circumstances.

Another product I’ve used for bracken and blackberry, Metsulfuron-methyl 600 g/kg (BrushOff®) at a rate of 10 - 20 g per 100 L water plus non ionic surfactant, produces a much quicker result according to reports and that will be my chemical of choice.

Experts say the best time to spray is June to October, especially when the plants are flowering. This is our winter into spring time when the weather is cooler and conducive to outdoor work. 

Also the snakes are still ‘asleep’, until around late August that is.

Batemans Bay / Sculptures for Clyde

Batemans Bay sits at the mouth of the Clyde River which has its source to the north west in the Budawang National Park.

The river descends 601 metres over its 102 kilometres course.

‘The Bay’is the major town in the Eurobodalla Shire with a population of around 20,000.

A ten-day free annual event held on the estuary foreshore highlights original sculptures from Australia and overseas.
The event includes outdoor and indoor sculpture exhibitions plus local high school student sculpture works.
The sculpture winning the acquisitive award will be permanently positioned in the Batemans Bay Sculpture Walk along the Clyde River foreshore.
Below is a preview.
More are available on this YouTube link.

20 Years of Blogging.

Twenty years ago today I published my first blog post.

Why?

Can’t remember.

Maybe it was the thing to do in those days.

As I mentioned in my 1000th post I’ve wound back the number a little.

The grape growing and wine making are at an end and life, apart from a few trips away, is quiet on ‘the farm’.

But when anything out of the ordinary happens locally or even nationally, I might drop a few lines or so.

So thanks for checking back occasionally and we’ll hopefully see you soon.

War on Weedy Sporobolus Grasses (WSG)

1. Giant Parramatta Grass (Sporobolus fertilis).).

2.Parramatta Grass (Sporobolus africanus).

We have a problem with both of these weeds in our pasture.

Below is a summary of weed facts for those from the Weeds Australia website.

• Giant Parramatta Grass (Sporobolus fertilis) is long-lived grass usually growing 70–160 cm tall, but occasionally reaching up to 2 m in height. It forms large tussocks up to 40 cm across.
• It is native to the Indian sub-continent (India and Sri Lanka), eastern and south-eastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea) and some islands in the western Pacific.
• It is a vigorous, persistent and invasive grass that is well adapted to a wide range of climatic conditions.
• GPG is a particularly serious problem in pastures in the wetter areas on the north coast of New South Wales, but has the potential to invade much of eastern Australia.
• It is of low palatability and significantly reduces the productivity and carrying capacity of pastures.
• GPG also invades native grasslands, open woodlands, conservation reserves and wetlands. It replaces native plants in these habitats and can eventually change the community structure of, and threaten the biodiversity of, native grasslands and rangelands
• The use of a pressurised wick wiper to selectively apply herbicide to Giant Parramatta Grass is probably the most useful tool in managing this species.

• Originally from Southern Africa, Parramatta Grass (Sporobolus africanus) is a tough perennial tussock grass that grows to a height of 50–70 cm and reproduces from seed.
• Occurs as a weed in moist areas such as degraded pasture, roadsides and waste areas.
• Occurs in all states and territories of Australia especially in coastal areas.
• Its presence can seriously reduce pasture production and is so tough it can loosen teeth of grazing animals.
• It may be controlled by cultivation and the use of herbicides.

I have been spot spraying with glyphosate for the Parramatta Grass for years but the infestation has grown to a point where I have to wave the white flag.

The giant variety is a new addition probably seeded from my neighbour who does nothing much to control it. 

Seed is spread by wind, birds and animals, in our case the cows and kangaroos.

So far the spot spraying is working but am sure like its cousin, the spread will eventually become uncontrollable.

There is no official biologcal control for these weeds.
However, on the north coast of New South Wales there appeared to be a native soil fungus, Nigrospora oryzae, that did. 

This fungus is a saprophyte ie. a decomposer. It breaks down dead organic matter into fungal biomass.

Trials by agriculture authorities failed to give this treatment the official go ahead but people on the land have utilised it with some success, initially by transplanting infected plants among the WSG infestations.

A company, Beechwood Biological Solutions, has managed to concentrate the fungus on a specially prepared substrate which they market as a soil ameliorant.

It is called SOIL Trooper.

SOIL Trooper logo

We decided to give this a trial as a biological control of WSGs based on the anecdotal and practical documented experience of others.

The substrate comes in an air sealed plastic envelope. It looks like a mass of wet dead grass.

It is washed in fresh chemical free water and then mechanically mixed (drill driven paint stirrer) to release the spores and hyphae of the fungus.

It is then strained through a 450u mesh filter to get rid of the solid matter and diluted for spraying at a rate of 200L/ha.

Application is best done during damp weather on the top of slopes, on tracks and around animal feeding areas.

The fungus then spreads slowly down hill or via animal and vehicle movement.

Granted it will be a slow process of treatment but less onerous than continuous chemical spraying.

Results will be published here in what I imagine is the far distant future.

ANZAC Day 2024

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; 

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. 

At the going down of the sun and in the morning 

We will remember them.

Bridge Repair

The bridge that crosses our creek, and is part of the private road that gives access to the seven properties in our valley, occasionally needs repair.

The planks that form the decking tend to rot out over time and need replacing.

It’s not an easy job.

First the rotting planks need to be removed. They are attached by long spikes.

One of the residents normally uses the front end loader on a tractor to lift them one at a time and place them aside.

The good parts of these planks make excellent seasoned firewood.

A new plank is then lifted into place and the necessary holes drilled.

Then new galvanised bridge spikes are driven through the planks and into the bearers.

And so the process moves across the bridge.

Native Australian hardwood timber species such as Spotted Gum, Ironbark and Blackbutt and other class 1 and 2 timber species of native Australian hardwood timber conform to all the requirements of Australian standards for bridge construction.

All done.

Wine Cork Taint / Removal by Cling Wrap (Saran/Glad)

It’s really annoying to open long-cellared bottle only to find that it’s “corked”.
The term is short for cork-tainted, the chief culprit being a chemical chlorine compound called 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), although there are others.
TCA imparts an unpleasant, musty smell and taste.
It can infect cork through a number of pathways.
Cleaning chemicals and disinfectants used in a winery or cork forest are possible causes.
But it’s not always the cork that carries the TCA.
It can be in the staves of a barrel or even the timber in the winery.
A single, tainted barrel can ruin an entire batch if its contents are carelessly blended.

But rumour has it that cling wrap eg. Saran/Glad can come to the rescue.
The idea is that you put cling wrap in the wine by either pouring the wine into a jug and letting it soak with it for a while or push some cling wrap into the bottle.
Nope….doesn’t work!
The Australian Wine Research Institute’s senior oenologist, Adrian Coulter, confirms that cling wrap doesn’t remove cork taint and published scientific work backs this up.
Polythene or polyethylene (PE), the world’s most manufactured plastic, does, in fact, remove cork taint from wine, but it has to be 100 per cent pure, food-grade PE.
Cling wrap contains various polymers other than PE.
Pure food-grade PE can only be obtained from manufacturers and is not generally available to the average Joe.
The best insurance against wine taint is simply buy screw-capped bottles. 

Mud Dauber Wasps and Air Conditioner Units

Mud dauber wasps are a group of solitary insects known for building mud nests. 

Found across Australia in various habitats including urban environments such as around buildings, gardens, woodlands, and wetlands, these wasps play a significant role in controlling populations of harmful pests such as spiders and caterpillars.

One of the most remarkable skills of mud dauber wasps is their nest-building ability.

Females carefully construct nests using mud, hence the name “mud dauber.” The nests are typically composed of several cylindrical chambers stacked together, with each chamber housing a single egg and a paralyzed prey item for the developing larva to feed on. 

The daubers employ a unique technique where they gather mud from moist areas, which they mix with their saliva to create a pliable substance for constructing the nest.

As solitary insects, mud dauber wasps do not form colonies. However, it is not unusual to see multiple nests built by different individuals in close proximity to one another. Male mud daubers often establish territories near these nests, exhibiting territorial behavior to attract females for mating.

We have these nests all over our house, mainly on the brickwork. There’s no real reason to get rid of them. The wasps are not aggressive  and they keep our insect population down.

The only problem we’ve had in the past is their building of nests in our air conditioning units’ drain hoses. Easily fixed by inserting fly screen wire.

A week or so ago, the outdoor unit of one of our split aircons started vibrating quite violently.

We call the service man who began taking it to pieces.

And what did he find?

The mud dauber wasps had made nests on the inside rear cavity of the plastic exhaust fan causing it to be unbalanced.

Who would have thought that?

He didn’t. 

He’s used to snakes, rats and mice causing aircon problems in this area.

Anyway, all fixed.

For great service call Jake at Kings Point Air Conditioning Pty Ltd.