2011 begins with a flood. This is where it came up to between G Hill and Ark Paddock
The main creek crossing lost a little gravel
And the creek was about 20m wide
And up to the first 'levee' on the other side
Still pounding a few days after the rain stopped.
I was just able to slash along the road. It was too wet to go anywhere else.
The watercourse flooded Stage II
The Bottom Dam got close to the wood pile
The rainforest really was.
The Bottom Dam backed right up again.
The neigbours have had another baby
Finally they notice me.
And then get on with the business at hand.
Wahpunga Lane Sunset
Sunshade and Mum
Nathan comes to slash with the positrack
No problem on hills
Leaves a nice finish
Kauri Hill
Roos
Looking west
Looking East
Creek
Dam
Kauri Road
Brushcut plantation
Slashing the Ark Paddock
Going up 30 degrees on Cardiac Hill
Going Up
Lost
Spotty Ridge
Main Valley
Road up Spotty Ridge
Michelle surveys clearing of Lantana and Hammill grass
Third Valley
Fourth Valley and ridge with lantana pushed back
Lantana removed. Pine to go.
Exploring the top of third valley. Old House site.
Michelle gives scale
Clearing up Spotty Ridge
Looking down from path
Michelle and Rodney confer
Rodney checks out Stage II
Michelle and Rodney with Stage 1 on the right and Stage II on the left
Michelle tends replants in Stage II
Rodney heads to camp
The crossing that failed
Measure Tree
New front gate
Rod and Julie's camp
BBQ with the Muirs
A Kin Kin crowd
Sunset BBQ
Sunset
Stage I
Tractor Shed in the making
Raising poles the hard way
Michelle seats the poles
12 poles up
Levels for the top ready
Ideal conditions for spraying at last. Just before it gets too cold too.
Darth Vader
Mulcher went up ridge between 3rd and 4th to see if it could be used for a track.
Tobacco must die.
Messmates through Black Wattle
Sunrise
Weeds sprayed
Cats Claw sprayed
Weeds
3rd valley
Cats Claw
Looking north
Cats claw
Drainage line in 2nd valley
Feral Pines
Access track up 3/4 ridge
View to spotty ridge
View up 3/4 ridge
View south from top of track on 3/4 ridge
Salvage this one for me Gary
Mt Wolvi
Como Fire tower old site
Lightning strick
Guava
Pine tree must die
Pine trees location shot
Spraying
Spraying results
Pine to go
Stage II
Stage I and II
Waterhole
Ipomea
Timber
Fence
I have to remove this stump and these logs
Heading to crossing
Crossing
Crossing looking towards spotty ridge. Fence and gate is to the left about 20m away.
Upstream of crossing
Road would go up here or to the right
Left is the drainage line from 2nd vallet
Looking back at ramp on northern side with Grey Gums on the left on the top
Road would go where this fence now is.
Cardiac Hill
Kauri Hill on the Southern end looking West.
Second Valley with fence removed from the centre and ready for planting Stage III
Road along the valley floor. Still lots of clay in this area.
Spotty Ridge reading for planting with all weeds removed and natives left.
Carpet Grass for erosion control is germinating as planned.
New overflow for 2nd dam to lower water level and increase overflow and remove it from running past the wall.
View over 2nd Dam of 3/4 Ridge
Rodney and Julie's Camping site with all weather access track and emergency escape route to the ridge (see road in back left corner)
Road around 3/4 Ridge
New road around the back and up Spotty Ridge
New Road with double terrace.
New Road
New road along fence line.
New road
New road in 4th Valley showing batters ready for slashing by tractor.
3.4 Ridge with Spotty Ridge in the background.
3rd Valley
Salvage log dump
2nd Valley
Road around Kauri Hill rebuilt
Chestnut-breasted Mannikins
Excavator tidying up.
Building the road.
Using the road for fire access.
View from the roadside
Building the turnaround
Ripping the holes for planting Stage III
Gary and Kaara explore the ridge for future harvesting areas.
Building the new dam spillway.
Reinforcing the dam wall.
Reinforcing the dam.
Reinforcing the dam wall with spoil from the new spillway.
This is why you hire and don't own/drive you own.
Fred
Reinforcing the dam wall
Getting over the new spillway
Lowering the dam level and increasing the overflow capacity.
A job well done.
Creek crossing gets piped.
Pipe placed
Pipe buried
Geofabric for crossing
Covering the geofabric
Finishing the crossing
Log dump stitch from Spotty Ridge
3rd Valley stitch from 2nd Dam
3rd Valley Stitch
Debarking Spotted Gum
Timber salvaged from the weeds and awaiting the mobile sawmill to come to them.
Michelle's tree surgery
Stage III, the Grandpa Kauri, the Bowl
Note new dam overflow and roads, Wattles dying and lots of lantana on this side of the creek.
Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley from the air. From left - Gonne Here Hill Plantation with Muirs place; Shed; Cardiac Hill; Kauri Hill; Spotty Ridge; new road; Stage III ready for planting
Hidden Valley from the air. From left - Gonne Here Hill Plantation with Muirs place; Shed; Cardiac Hill; Kauri Hill; Second Valley; Spotty Ridge;
Hidden Valley from the air. From left - Gonne Here Hill Plantation with Muirs place; Shed; Cardiac Hill; Kauri Hill; The Round House; Second Valley
4th Valley ready for planting. Notice the grass is germinating and the rip holes are visible. Also large Kauri in bottom right and the newly discovered dam at bottom centre.
Spotty Ridge and 3rd Valley showing retained natives, new roading.
Hidden Valley from the air. From left -Shed freshly slashed by Michelle and Big Al; Cardiac Hill; Kauri Hill; Second Valley; Spotty Ridge; new road; Top Dam; Stage III ready for planting; nearly up to the back fence.
The whole of the rear of Hidden Valley. Notice the reddish tinge of the Messmates on the northern (right) ridge.
Hidden Valley in foreground ready for planting with weeds still left at the neighbours (brown)
Stage 1 Plantations, the shed and the Muirs
Coucal Lane on left, Moran Group Road along bottom, 'Bethel' bottom left, 'Whipbird' bottom centre, Hidden Valley heading centre bottom to top, Muir's on the left centre.
Nathan and his positrack clear the western fenceline on the neighbours side.
Noosa.
View from rear fence.
Nathan slashes the back fencline
NW corner looking S
Nathan slashes the back fencline. Need a new gate here as the old one only makes cows laugh.
NW fenceline is OK and needs only minor repairs with some new star pickets and droppers and some Tiwtchers and minimal new wire.
In the middle section, fencline is eroded and should move 4 feet W. Needs three new post holes dug at hill top, valley bottom (bright brown area in centre of photo). Also need a 3 way gate system where the 3 properties meet so another 2 post holes needed there (plus 2 or 3 more on middle section means 6 posts, 3 of strainer grade and 6 holes).
Lantana patch on old fenceline
New post here going to top centre then turns to join old fenceline.
New fenceline from where I am standing to gap in skyline at top centre.
Tractor parked at Cats Claw Corner (I walked up).
This part of fence in SW corner is pretty good to the bottom then there's about 100m to the new fence which is about 100m. So we need 2 full rolls of wire, 20 starpickets and droppers each, tie wire, whacker, brushcutter
Top SW corner. Probably should have a gate here too.
Southern Ridge
Southern Ridge looking west up last climb.
Lantana Patch on Southern Ridge
John and Bern's Silky Oak planks
John and Bern's Silky Oak planks from side on.
Closeup of grain on one of John and Bern's Silky Oak planks
Closeup of side grain on one of John and Bern's Silky Oak planks
Nathan smoothes out the spillway and adds roadbase to cover rocks and holes.
How steep can he go?
Nathan moves a piece of Tallowwood into place to become the spillway lip.
Andrew checks the levels on the end holes
Michelle levers one end into place.
Sunset through the smoke.
Sunset through the smoke
Sunset through the smoke showing Spotty Ridge on left.
Nathan also smoothed out the crossing and lip of the rise and capped it with road base.
Andrew showing the finished spillway complete with Tallowwood observation seat.
Spillway lip with erosion prevention measures in place.
Crossing face protected with concrete.
Crossing face with tractor shed in background
Stage II near Cardiac Hill
Looking over the dam wall
Looking past dam to Stage III
Stage III on Spotty Ridge
Stage III is in the ground (planted Sept/Oct 2011)
Stage III
Stage III seedling after a couple of weeks
Down towards the creek
Size compared to hat
Dam wall and spillway protection
Stage III with rainforest Stage IV to go on right
Middle Dam
Top and Middle dams
Planting down road slope towards Top Dam
Back Paddock Boss
Stage III in 4th Valley with Kauri on display
Looking at Como Fire Tower site
Como Fire Tower Site
Looking up 3/4 Ridge
Looking down 3/4 Ridge
Looking across to the western side of Spotty Ridge
Looking down to Middle Dam
Wallaby pruning
3rd Valley and Cats Claw Corner
Road protection
Spotty Ridge from road
Spotted gum shedding bark with dam in background
Overstocked
Understory existed only in old harvest areas
Overstocked (Brush Box)
Survey peg is actually 10m west of fence post
Trees above survey peg
Corner post
Eastern side of Spotty Ridge with some Tallowwood
Spotty Ridge looking to Kauri Hill
Doing well
Some wallaby damage
Fence line clear for tractor
Rows go all the way up to 'road'
Kauri
Fenceline clear
Andrew on Big Al slashing the new plantation
Black Cormorant enjoys the middle dam
Front of the shed hill slashed for New Years
