Field Trip 2010

2010 Field Trips

The 2010 field trip was run in two groups to reduce size and allow more members to participate. The groups travelled from Ceduna to Maralinga Village, north to Emu and on to Coober Pedy over separate two-week periods. There were seven vehicles and 13 people in each group. Both groups spent two days with Robin Matthews, the Maralinga Village caretaker and guide, visiting the historical sites and other areas of interest in the Maralinga Area.

The first group, led by Peter Facy, left Ceduna on July 22 and finished in Coober Pedy on August 4. This group carried out bird surveys on 12 vegetation sites, completed 14 animal track monitoring surveys and photographed existing DEH vegetation plots. 13 opportunistic bird sightings were made and the team recorded three opportunistic reptile observations. Accompanying this group for three days were Philippa Schmucker and Paul Gregory from the Alyntijara Wilurara Natural Resource Management Office at Ceduna. Click here for the report on the first group’s work (this is a 5 MB file).

The second group, led by Phil Gaukroger, left Ceduna on August 4 and finished in Coober Pedy on August 14. This group completed full one-hectare vegetation surveys on five sites. They vouchered 170 species of plants. Judy Morton and Fiona O’Connor took responsibility for collecting and identifying the plants. They had a large collection of reference books and aids from their own resources as well as those supplied by DENR. An attempt to find the rare Ooldea Guinea-flower, Hibbertia crispula was unsuccessful. This group also checked for sites near Tallaringa Well that could be used in an interpretive trail for travellers on the Anne Beadell Highway. The group recommended that the nature of the vegetation near the Tallaringa Well was not suitable for such a trail because the species were too subject to seasonal changes. Click here for the report on the vegetation group’s work.

Much was achieved and all enjoyed the trips.