A Visit To Abattoir Swamp

Not far from our place, there's a hidden in plain view kinda joint - that's both brilliant and infuriating, all at the same time. It's a wildlife preserve, managed by a few locals who do a hell of a lot with sweet bugger all. As is the way of things, it seems. But these good people keep the place in great shape, including labelling some of the more interesting plants found there - so that flora challenged people, such as myself, can glean some much-needed knowledge.

They have a Facebook page: "Friends of Abattoir Swamp", so if you do the whole FB thing, you might consider joining. I would, but I suffer from Groucho Marx syndrome and as such, simply cannot join any group that might have me for a member - not to mention that facebook sux.

Anyway, over the weekend we went to get a little birdy fix, (more than 160 species of birds alone, have been spotted there). Along with reptiles, frogs, marsupials and all manner of insects and arachnids - there's something for everyone!.

The focal point of the place used to be the bird hide - here's the infuriating bit, it's now practically defunct. Not because it's in disrepair or anything of that nature. It's because there's virtually nothing to be seen from it. What used to be an open expanse of water is now clogged and overrun with Olive hymenachne, (a suitably unpleasant name for an unpleasant species).
The plant was introduced from S. America as drought resistant cattle feed. And the rest, as they say, is a bloody nightmare.

Apparently, the plant is almost impossible to eradicate, and as I mentioned, the people who look after the place certainly don't have the financial resources required to even make a dent in it. So the sad fact is, aside from perhaps letting some cattle graze on it during the dry season, hymenachne is here to stay.

Alright, so that's the infuriating bit outa the way.

Yellow-bellied sunbird havin' a drink

The above shot shows, what for me, is the new focal point of the place - The Tap!. And, judging by the carefully placed limbs of fallen trees, interwoven about the picnic area, others find sitting in the shade and quietly snapping a pic or two, equally relaxing and enjoyable.

White-throated honeyeater

A juvenile, waiting its turn for a drink

Yellow-faced honeyeater

'Willy', Australia's largest Fantail

Yellow honeyeater

That's not to say you must sit around The Tap, to get your wildlife fill ... short walks can reveal quite a lot!.

White-throated - and proving it.

In fact, I would strongly suggest you wander 'round a bit. Visit the hide, and leave a note in the book provided, tell everyone what you saw and such - it's a fun read. And depending on the season and time of day/night, you really could stumble upon almost anything!.

See if you can spot the Monitor lizard, or perhaps even the harmless Scrub python having a snooze in the hide?.

Enjoy the place but be aware - there are no toilet or rubbish facilities, so please, don't leave anything behind, okay? - Take Care

Big thanks to the crew from the Abattoir Swamp Management Group, for all their hard work and for keeping a special place going for the rest of us. (To help, if you can't support them financially, why not pick up any rubbish you find and dispose of it properly? ... then ya can have that all important guilt free tipple, while you admire the pics you took) - ya legend ya!