Reminiscences Bamaga and the Cape 1983/4

I did a 2 month locum at the Bamaga hospital, Dec 83-Jan 84. I arrived by boat having been dropped off by the Pandora expedition. I had been diving on the Pandora wreck for 2 months as the expedition doctor, and now was to commence a 2 month locum at Bamaga.

The doctors house was a high blocked  3 bed room place across the road from the hospital. The hospital was a ground level timber building with about 30 beds as I recall. I was the only doctor, and so was constantly on call. There were about 10 nurses, mostly white but some islander nurses as well. I understand that the hospital now has three medical officers and 9 nurses. 

We had back-up from Thursday Island Hospital for particularly ill cases, or child birth etc. For patient transfers they sent a 2 seater helicopter. This helicopter had skids, and the patient in his stretcher was strapped to the skid, outside the cabin of the chopper. This made for a particularly hair-raising (for the patient) transfer across the water to TI.

My routine in the hospital was ward round first thing to attend to the in-patients, and then out patients clinic. I usually finished by lunch time. In the afternoon there were special clinics such as diabetes clinic, venereal diseases clinic, antenatal clinic. 

I was encouraged to take time off work to go camping on the weekends. TI would provide a doctor on call so I could get away. Some of the nurses came along on these trips further up the Cape. On one occasion we came across a 17 ft long python. It was stretched out across the road, with a wallaby in its mouth. It appeared to be stuck -unable to swallow the huge wallaby beyond the shoulders, and having trouble withdrawing from the carcass because it's teeth were getting stuck. We had a matress in the back of the Suzuki, and we put that down beside the snake so we could sit and watch the spectacle. Joe rigged up a light from the car and we sat and chatted while the snake successfully completed his withdrawal and pushed his mouth against the ground to relocate his jaw. 

On one of these trips we ran over a wallaby and found a young Joey in its pouch. We reared him (called him "Jardini") and he accompanied us on the camping trips. He was very popular with the nurses and with the patients in outpatients. They understood when I had to stop seeing patients to feed the wallaby (every 2 hours at first). 

We had a great time at Bamaga and I noticed that the community was considerably less violent than I had found Palm Island to be. But I lived in fear of having to treat a child for crocodile attack. There was a large crocodile who patrolled past the Seisia boat ramp every day. He even sunned himself on the ramp. But the local kids swam there, getting out of the water when the croc was nearby. I was sure one of them would be taken eventually. 

At the end of my time there I handed over the hospital to the incoming locum, and we went of to Usher Point and other camping spots. While we were away we heard the news that a child had died at the Seisa boat ramp! I was upset but glad that it hadn't happened while I was there. When we got back to Bamaga I asked about it at the hospital -the child died from a Box Jelly sting. He was dead before they got him out of the water. A nurse had been present but had been unable to revive him. 

Today (19/11/13) I was talking with a local Bamaga woman. She was aged about 10 yrs when we were here last. She said the boy who died from the stinger was her cousin, and that he is the only one to have died at the boat ramp from stingers. 

As we were approaching the end of our time on the Cape we heard that a cyclone was coming. So we decided to put the Suzuki on the barge to Cairns, and fly to Iron Range. Jardini of course came with us. It was unthinkable that we would put him in the hold of the aircraft, so I hid him in a shoulder bag which acted as his pouch. All went well until the hostie handed out biscuits. Jardini smelled them and struggled to get his head out for a bikkie. I managed to give him some and get him back into the pouch before we landed at Wiepa. 

After take off the pilot walked back into the cabin, stopped at our seat and asked to see the wallaby! He said they knew about him but if they had recognised him before take off from Wiepa we would have had to put him in the hold. So they pretended not to see him until after take off! Wonderful! That  woudn't happen now I think.

At Iron Range we camped in Cook' s hut (at that time an actual hut existed) and were completely unaware that the cyclone was now approaching Iron Range! a passerby called in and took us to a nearby mining camp and safety. 

At about the same time my brother Neville (pilot) was flying for "Bushies" otherwise known as "Bush Pilots".  Here are some of his reminiscences..

Of Punsand Bay.  

" I think that's the beach where the Bushies manager of the then resort there got the Landcruiser bogged whilst trying to retrieve the boat on the trailer, then proceeded to get the "rescue" end-loader bogged, and watched while the tide engulfed all except the boat!"

"Since I got your last email I've been following your blog. Of course I'm really envious. I've been to many of the places you mentioned when I was flying "the mail run" in a light-twin. I'd have to look at my log-book now to remember most of the names, but Kalpower, lakeland downs, Dorunda come to mind (Dorunda may have been on the Isa run). I recall landing on roads and parking the plane amongst the trucks and cars at the fuel bowser. It was an 11 or 12 hour day from memory.

I wonder whether, with email etc, there is still a mail run. I used to save up all the newspapers I could get my hands on and take them on the mail runs. The cockies loved any papers - regardless of their currency. But I can't remember the last time I read a newspaper and I'm guessing the cockies will be the same. And I can't imagine many people sending snail-mail from remote places now. And with the dry settlements I guess the practise of posting slabs of XXXX has also stopped!"

The differences we have noticed here include bitumen roads in Bamaga, and all of the roads are well formed and wider than they used to be. The hospital has been rebuilt, and there are three doctors now! The "doctor's house" which we lived in is still there but the palms have grown up. There are cafés and supermarkets. The beaches are developed -with public toilets, shelters, dune protection etc. there are a number resorts which weren't here before. And of course the barge! Last time we had to be winched across the Jardine. 

And lastly, there are still Cape York lillies! These are unique to the Cape! although we have recently seen them in nurseries in Brisbane. 

Wiepa - Iron range 8&9 November 2013

V8 Nov. 2013

We left Wiepa about midday, jubilant that the fix seems to have worked, Chris at Kowari Motors was great - and he sent all of the bills to Fuso! We headed off towards Iron Range! But then Joe spotted a short cut, "should only take a few minutes longer" he said. So we turned in at Picanninie Plains! where the sign said it was a conservation area. The road was not too bad although only a minor road, but it became less and less travelled.

Until it was more like an animal track than a vehicle track. The GPS was still leading towards the highway though so we pressed on. 

Well eventually the road petered out completely!

But the highway was only less than a km away -surely! 

So we went across country, using the GPS to guide us towards the highway. You can see from the above photos that there has been a fire though the area so there was not much debris on the ground. There were as many termite mounds as trees. However it was a bit novel! 

Eventually we saw the highway.... And then we saw the fence, with a maintenance road running along it. In the photo the highway is the other side of the fence to Joe.

 There was a barbed wire fence between us and the highway!  Should we go back? "Not on your life" says Joe. So he dismantled the fence at a couple of spots and laid a couple of logs over the strands of wire, -and simply drove over it. Of course he repaired the fence again -as good as it was when we found it. And we were away again. 

First camp in the Iron Range National Park is in tall majestic rain forest. But we arrived after dark so we'll see it in the morning. For now we can hear cat birds calling. In the morning and over the next week we hope to see Palm Cockatoos, Eclectus parrots! and Yellow Billed Kingfishers. And we might also see a striped possum, Cus Cus, green python, all of which occur only in the rainforests of Cape York. WOW!

Saturday 9th Nov.

This camp ground is on the banks of the Claudie River, which at this time of year is a series of stagnant billabongs. In the torch light last night we saw red eyes. They were about 2-3 inches apart, and turned to face us when we rustled the leaves at a safe distance up the bank. Eventually there were 5 sets of eyes looking at us. We reckon they were all from the same batch, young crocodiles. We couldn't tell their length and we weren't going closer to look. We didn't know if Mama was nearby! 

This morning I was up early to the sound of lots of unfamiliar bird calls. One which was loud and close tantalised me until Joe suggested it might be a rifle bird. Out came the App and sure enough -the magnificent rifle bird. I have seen it fluttering between trees but haven't yet gotten a good look! It seems to be common here though so eventually I should get a look. 

But I did see an Eclectus parrot! It was a fleeting glimpse of a male with his bright green back and red armpits. We had been hearing sounds from a tree across the river for some time, thinking they could be the Eclectus. And so I feel very happy that I have seen one. But I still want to see a female with her bright colours. These are very special birds only found on the top of the Cape. They are terribly sought after for collectors around the world.,

Last time we were here (~Jan 1984) we camped in cook' shut. Then it was a corrugated iron and timber shack, probably built by a miner or prospector. It was in a clearing with mango trees around it. We camped there for a couple of days until a miner passing by stopped to tell us that a cyclone was coming and we'd better go with him. So that's what we did. We certainly experienced cyclonic winds but not the full fury of the storm. 

Iron range and cook's hut were very adventurous destinations then. Very few people had been here. We of course were interested in the insect fauna. But there is a lot more known about the special flora and fauna here now. The rainforest here looks nothing like the Eungella rainforest for example. There are very few of the rainforest trees here that we recognise. 

Now cook' shut has been turned into a camping area. There remains a few stones of the fireplace but nothing more to explain even the name of the camp-site. I guess something like that old hut can't last forever, but it seems a little sad that there isn't a bit of a story. However it does make a pleasant lunch spot. The mangoe trees are still here. 

Rainforest covered in dust is a very sad thing-almost a contradiction in terms. We have been seeing this in all of the rainforest areas we have passed through since Daintree. Apparently there was no wet last year, so this might be 2 year's worth of roadside dust!

We have had overcast skies and a couple of the lightest of rain sprinkles in the last couple of days. And whilst we do not want the wet to start yet, a short sharp downpour would freshen things up a bit. So long as it stops there that would be great. We have no influence with any gods at all, so if anyone else amongst our friends has any influence with the weather gods please make some remonstrations for us....but be careful what you ask for!