Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
The eagle has landed. Approximately 23 hours after leaving Tampa, Florida the tires hit the runway in Brisbane, Queensland. It's unusually overcast here and has been raining lightly on and off. For the people here the rain is more than welcome. They've been having a terrible drought.
I have adjusted the time and date shown on the blog. The time and date shown while I'm in Australia will be local - Queensland, Australia time.
Regarding making this trip - I know many of you have flown zillions of miles and probably usually are either asleep, intoxicated or deeply engrossed in your Danielle Steele novel when the plane is taking off. However, please look out the window as you approach and leave New Zealand. It is beautiful to see from the air. The coast line is jagged, there are lush green rolling hills (lush from the frequent rain. It's no wonder NZ is very "British". The topography of NZ catches the rain that would have gone to Australia - but that's another story.) . . . not much of the beauty of NZ has been polluted with bulldozing and over-construction. There aren't many people there. As you're flying in and descending, you might notice the lovely, lush, rolling green hills are, in some places, covered with little white dots - those are sheep. . . lots of sheep. When I first went there I read NZ had 3 million people and 75 million sheep.. . . but I digress.
My flight was very comfortable, yet after traveling for 23 hours I was not quite on top of my game. One of my checked bags was lost, but found and delivered within just a few hours. Today I needed to get a new mobile phone. Because of the change in Telstra's system, I needed to get a new mobile number. My new number is: 0458-742-547. (If you have too much money and too much free time, feel free to call. To call me from the USA, dial: 011-61-458-742-547. Because there is no coverage at the mine, you'll probably get my voice mail. I'm not promising I can afford to return your call, but probably will at least send you an email.)
Tomorrow I have an early flight to the small and peculiar town of Cunnamulla (pop: 1,217). The plane is scheduled to be landing in Cunnamulla around noon. I should be in Koroit by 2 pm. It's one of those airports where often someone needs to drive around the runway right before the plane lands to chase away the kangaroos. That's serious, not a joke. The Cunnamulla airport has 2 flights per week.
Tonight I'll sleep in a hotel in Brisbane. It will be the last bed I'll sleep in for 2 months.
I have to run. . . yes, I'm a bit tired, but tomorrow I'm flying from a city of 1.8 million to a town of 1.2 thousand, then driving to Koroit (pop: ? - less than 20) . . . and tonight is Saturday night in the town of 1.8 million.
.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
- Nuts & Wood
Safety Harbor, FL USA
A light rain fell early this morning in Koroit - about 3am. However, when you're sleeping in a steel garden shed even a light rain makes quite a racket. Given the unusually heavy rainfall this season, when awakened by such a noise, one wonders about arks. In spite of the noise, the sky quickly cleared.
There was very good news from 40 feet underground - color was found. Several nuts with color showing on their skins were found along with a very solid and colorful piece of opalized wood.
Soon after sunrise Saturday morning, I'll be arriving in the very pretty and pleasant city of Brisbane (pop: 1,810,943), on the southeast coast of Queensland, Australia. While in Brisbane, I'll need to get a new cell phone. Telstra, the Australian phone company, stopped its CDMA service and introduced NextG. Based on a quick look at Telstra's map of NextG coverage, I might be able to use my new phone either at or close to my mine.
.
A light rain fell early this morning in Koroit - about 3am. However, when you're sleeping in a steel garden shed even a light rain makes quite a racket. Given the unusually heavy rainfall this season, when awakened by such a noise, one wonders about arks. In spite of the noise, the sky quickly cleared.
There was very good news from 40 feet underground - color was found. Several nuts with color showing on their skins were found along with a very solid and colorful piece of opalized wood.
Soon after sunrise Saturday morning, I'll be arriving in the very pretty and pleasant city of Brisbane (pop: 1,810,943), on the southeast coast of Queensland, Australia. While in Brisbane, I'll need to get a new cell phone. Telstra, the Australian phone company, stopped its CDMA service and introduced NextG. Based on a quick look at Telstra's map of NextG coverage, I might be able to use my new phone either at or close to my mine.
.
Monday, May 19, 2008
- Serpent Update
Safety Harbor, FL USA
As so often happens, I just received a mixture of good news and bad news from Down under.
The good news: Now that the rain has stopped, since the weather is clear, the mine shafts have been uncovered and it's a bit windy in Koroit, the typically dry air is blowing through the tunnels in the mine and drying out the muddy floor rather quickly.
More good news: The dead snake which was found in the mine a few days ago was a carpet python - not poisonous.
More good news: A bucket-full of frogs was collected and brought to the surface. The number of frogs in the mine has noticeably declined.
Good & Bad news: Another dead snake was found (seeing any snake there is bad, but it being dead is good). It appeared to be either a brown snake or a king brown snake. . . . according to what list you read the #10 and #2 most venomous land snakes on our planet. . . (bad)
Bad news: Two live snakes were seen down in the mine. They appeared to be king brown snakes - generally thought to be the #2 most venomous land snake in the world.
Good news: Although 2 king browns were seen in the mine, they slithered away from any people and nobody was bitten.
Bad news: Those 2 king browns are still down there.
A King Brown snake
As so often happens, I just received a mixture of good news and bad news from Down under.
The good news: Now that the rain has stopped, since the weather is clear, the mine shafts have been uncovered and it's a bit windy in Koroit, the typically dry air is blowing through the tunnels in the mine and drying out the muddy floor rather quickly.
More good news: The dead snake which was found in the mine a few days ago was a carpet python - not poisonous.
More good news: A bucket-full of frogs was collected and brought to the surface. The number of frogs in the mine has noticeably declined.
Good & Bad news: Another dead snake was found (seeing any snake there is bad, but it being dead is good). It appeared to be either a brown snake or a king brown snake. . . . according to what list you read the #10 and #2 most venomous land snakes on our planet. . . (bad)
Bad news: Two live snakes were seen down in the mine. They appeared to be king brown snakes - generally thought to be the #2 most venomous land snake in the world.
Good news: Although 2 king browns were seen in the mine, they slithered away from any people and nobody was bitten.
Bad news: Those 2 king browns are still down there.
A King Brown snakeSaturday, May 17, 2008
- Rain, Flood, Frogs & Those Who Eat Frogs
Safety Harbor, FL USA
My first entry in this blog is being written while I'm still in the USA. It's based on information I received last night.
Most of Australia is considered to be in a terrible drought. However, since mid-December ('07) there has been unusually heavy rainfall in southwest Queensland.
The heavy rain has caused flooding in Koroit. Because of the nature of the landscape around my mine and based on reports from people who recently visited the area, I thought my mine had escaped any significant effects of the raining and flooding. I was wrong.
Last night I learned that water had run down some shafts and flooded some of the tunnels in my mine. It appears that the water in the tunnels was not any deeper than a foot or two. Now, down in the mine, the water is gone, but some areas of the floor are very muddy.
The water might be gone, but there are now literally hundreds of frogs hopping through the tunnels of the mine, 40 feet underground. Yes, that might sound charming and cute and I'm sure it is quite a sight, but, in that part of the outback, wherever you find a significant number of frogs, you will find a significant number of those who eat frogs . . . yes, you'll find snakes.
These are not the average types of snakes one finds slithering through the grass of well manicured lawns in the USA. The vast majority of snakes living in southwest Queensland are poisonous. In fact, 4 out of 5 of the most deadly snakes in the world live in the area where Koroit is located.
Over the 8 years I've been mining in Koroit, I have found and "removed" a few poisonous snakes from my mine, including 2 Western Taipans ((Oxyuranus microlepidotus) also known as the Fierce Snake, Inland Taipan, Small Scaled Snake), generally thought to be the most venomous land snake in the world. According to some sources (wikipedia), a single bite from a western taipan contains enough venom to kill as many as 100 human adults (or 250,000 mice!). Its venom is thought to be 50 times more toxic than that of the Indian Cobra and over 500 times as toxic as that of the diamondback rattlesnake.
Are you still interested in joining me in my glamorous and exciting life as an opal miner?
My first entry in this blog is being written while I'm still in the USA. It's based on information I received last night.
Most of Australia is considered to be in a terrible drought. However, since mid-December ('07) there has been unusually heavy rainfall in southwest Queensland.
The heavy rain has caused flooding in Koroit. Because of the nature of the landscape around my mine and based on reports from people who recently visited the area, I thought my mine had escaped any significant effects of the raining and flooding. I was wrong.
Last night I learned that water had run down some shafts and flooded some of the tunnels in my mine. It appears that the water in the tunnels was not any deeper than a foot or two. Now, down in the mine, the water is gone, but some areas of the floor are very muddy.
The water might be gone, but there are now literally hundreds of frogs hopping through the tunnels of the mine, 40 feet underground. Yes, that might sound charming and cute and I'm sure it is quite a sight, but, in that part of the outback, wherever you find a significant number of frogs, you will find a significant number of those who eat frogs . . . yes, you'll find snakes.
These are not the average types of snakes one finds slithering through the grass of well manicured lawns in the USA. The vast majority of snakes living in southwest Queensland are poisonous. In fact, 4 out of 5 of the most deadly snakes in the world live in the area where Koroit is located.
Over the 8 years I've been mining in Koroit, I have found and "removed" a few poisonous snakes from my mine, including 2 Western Taipans ((Oxyuranus microlepidotus) also known as the Fierce Snake, Inland Taipan, Small Scaled Snake), generally thought to be the most venomous land snake in the world. According to some sources (wikipedia), a single bite from a western taipan contains enough venom to kill as many as 100 human adults (or 250,000 mice!). Its venom is thought to be 50 times more toxic than that of the Indian Cobra and over 500 times as toxic as that of the diamondback rattlesnake.
Are you still interested in joining me in my glamorous and exciting life as an opal miner?
Friday, May 16, 2008
- Welcome to "News from Koroit"
Hello & Welcome -
As a result of many requests, I will try to write and regularly update (once a week) a blog during my trip to my opal mine in Koroit, Queensland, Australia.
I expect to be in Koroit from June 1 - August 2, 2008 and again in Koroit from about September 1 - October 1, 2008.
For more information, please visit my website: www.koroit.com.
To email me, please click HERE.
(Please remember, while in Australia I'm only able to check my email about once a week & it's a very slow connection. Don't take it personally if I am unable to respond quickly.)
Thanks for your visit!
Click on the images below to see larger maps -
As a result of many requests, I will try to write and regularly update (once a week) a blog during my trip to my opal mine in Koroit, Queensland, Australia.
I expect to be in Koroit from June 1 - August 2, 2008 and again in Koroit from about September 1 - October 1, 2008.
For more information, please visit my website: www.koroit.com.
To email me, please click HERE.
(Please remember, while in Australia I'm only able to check my email about once a week & it's a very slow connection. Don't take it personally if I am unable to respond quickly.)
Thanks for your visit!
Click on the images below to see larger maps -
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