"My wife and my tour with you in May was a highlight of a lifetime of world travel."
Jack C. Warner, USA. 21 Nov 09
24.11.09
Bunyjul - The bush weather forecaster
This is Bunyjul, the frill-necked lizard, who features in many of our stories and fables. He hibernates in winter until late September, coming out when the insects are stirred up, just before the rains come. You can see him sitting very still on the side of our roads with his nose in the air, trying to disguise himself as a stick. He's waiting for the insects, and when we see him like this we know that rain is on the way.You can see how tiny the lizards are when they're babies...and how big they can grow. The big fella Willie spotted on the roadside on the way back from the rock art sites a few weeks ago. One of our customers was really happy to hold him - but only after he'd been reassured that they were friendly!
26.10.09
The clever mulun tree & the sand goanna's secret
This is mulun, the quandong tree, which is in flower at the moment. This clever tree sends off a single branch of bright red leaves to attract passing birds to eat its fruit and disperse its seeds. It helps us on the ground to find the fruit too! The blue plums are very sweet, but it's best not to eat too many as they can cause constipation.
This is also when all the reptiles are mating and laying their eggs. The pictures below were taken a couple of weeks ago and are of manuya, the sand goanna, who stands on his back legs when he's searching for a mate. This is the goanna after which Lizard Island was named, and we believe its fat helps to prevent arthritis. The best time to extract the oil is just before the wet season when they hibernate. This is when they are at their plumpest.
18.9.09
Bush signs that summer is coming
Here’s some pictures of walanggar, the death adder, which were taken on tour last week. When we found him he was lying very still, trying to hide himself in the earth. As soon as we woke him he showed off his bright colours. At this time of year the snakes have mated and there are young snakes about, so we keep an eye out for snake tracks.
This is an exciting time at Guurrbi, with the flowers beginning to bloom and attracting many birds and insects. The beautiful red flower of nanggaarr-buurra, the kapok, is out now, showing us the seasons are changing and summer is on its way. This is the time diwaan, the brush turkey, lays its eggs in a leaf-mound scratched together to act as incubator. And recently we heard our first Torres Strait pigeon, the wabul, so we know the migrating birds from Papua New Guinea are now nesting on the outer islands and coming in to feed.
More pictures from Guurrbi...
12.9.09
Seen in 'The Weekend Australian'
Michael Gebicki, in Travel & Indulgence this weekend, describes Willie as "The exemplar of indigenous tourism in tropical north Queensland" and "an outstanding interpreter of Aboriginal culture, with the knowledge and the communication skills to make this a spiritual as well as a physical journey." Thank you Michael!
Michael went on our Rainbow Serpent Tour in October last year
9.9.09
A lovely 'thank you' from Spain
Dear Willie (and Judy),
Still trying to adapt to our daily routines after our amazing holiday in your country, here's a few lines to send you a big heartfelt thank you for a magical afternoon. The beauty of your land, your art, your mind and your heart will stay with us for the rest of our lives.
Don't forget you have friends in Barcelona now: we'd be honored to be able to show you both a few of our Mediterranean Guurrbis too. Until then, here's a big fraternal hug from us all to you and yours.
Isabel, Fernando, Marc, Roser and Hector.
9 September 2009 (by e-mail)
Isabel and family went on our Great Emu Tour with Mason's Tours
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