Share-a-Story

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The Share-a-Story page is intended as a place where OCCI members, and the public can share their marine related experiences and anecdotes. If you would like to see your story here send the text and photos to the email below. Remember, keep it positive!

Made by Serif

COFFS HARBOUR

OCCI ROAD TRIP 2010

DAY 1

Blessed with blue skies after a week of thunderstorms and rain, six intrepid OCCI travelers departed on Tuesday, 8th February for our very first OCCI ROAD TRIP. Our convoy of two traveled up the Pacific Hwy to our first stop – a rock pool ramble at Crowdy Head. We discovered that the nature of the volcanic rocks there make for very different conditions to our sandstone platforms of the Central Coast. Very limited diversity and many pools quite high up that are subject to only occasional tidal influence. In fact, after the previous week’s torrential rain, many of these harbored mosquito larvae instead of marine life! A check of the strand-line on the southern side of the headland showed us that it must be moulting time for crustaceans as the high tide mark was made obvious by a line of literally millions of tiny shrimp shells about 1 cm long. There were also lots of lobster shells of many sizes and we had seen quite a few crab moults in the pools, too. Quite different conditions on the north side of the headland, where there were only large clam shells and a few sponges washed up.

DAY 2

Up early this morning to board the dive boat to the Solitary Islands Marine Park for a morning of snorkeling First stop was the west side of South Solitary Island. Water was quite ‘dirty’ because it was full of crustacean shells! We were able to tell the rest of the dive group what they were. We were over ‘urchin barrens’ at this site but within three minutes of getting in the water, Belinda had already seen two turtles! There were lots of fish of many species and in big schools, including one of very large schnapper. (We observed them eating a young, dead seabird chick that was floating by!) Unfortunately, Belinda was stung by (probably) a bluebottle, so that put a bit of a dampener on her swim, but after an application of hot water and a couple of doses of Rescue Remedy she was back in the water at the next site. This was at Split Solitary Island, western side, where there was an amazing abundance of coral. Here Jeannie swam with a turtle and saw a shark (a small bottom-dweller, but not a Port Jackson – species yet to be identified). A large pair of Blue Groper was a highlight.

After a late lunch, we headed west to Bellingen for a paddle down the Bellinger River, with an amazingly coloured Azure Kingfisher as our guide. This was followed by champagne on the riverbank at sunset. Beautiful!

DAY 3

Up early for a walk along Park Beach opposite our motel. Interesting beach in that it went from very fine sand to coarse sand to gravel to large, round stones. Many cunjevoi washed up (quite smelly!) which showed the seas must have been rough recently.

The Pet Porpoise Pool was our next port of call, where we all had some great experiences. Being kissed by dolphins and seals is special! We had a ‘keeper’s talk’ especially for our OCCI group and that was very interesting. They go through 130 kg of fish and squid per day made up of three categories to provide a balanced diet – fatty fish (eg mullet), mid-fish (eg yellow tail), main diet (whiting and squid). The animals are fed an average of 5 – 7% of their bodyweight, depending on age and condition. It costs $30,000 per year to feed the animals (and they get no government assistance at all). The fish is supplemented by vitamins and probiotics, especially vitamin B. The fish they are fed is caught locally (market quality) and frozen for three weeks to kill any parasites they may have, but this depletes the vitamin B they contain. The dolphins and seals are wormed every three months and the seals are vaccinated for Clostridium, and protected against heartworm. It was a great talk, many thanks to Adam McInerney for his time.

We then headed north of Coffs to the National Marine Science Centre. This has been set up by Southern Cross University and University of New England and is where their marine students do their practical and research work. They have a great aquarium! We were shown around the classrooms and labs and also some of the research areas. Our host, Anna Scott, is an expert on anemones so we got to hear about her work on their reproductive behaviour.

Woolgoolga Beach was a great spot for another rock pool ramble, but the beach walk gave up more treasures than the rock pools. Lots of seaweed washed up here, much of it quite different to our local species, so very interesting to see. Lots of wonderful sponges – many colours, shapes and sizes.

Last stop was a quiet respite in the rain forest west of Woolgoolga. A beautiful spot where we were visited by some of our more elusive native birds, the strikingly coloured Crested Shrike Tit.

DAY 4

Last day of the tour! We started with a visit to the Butterfly House – amazing! We then headed south with a quick stop at the Honey Place at Urunga. Then on to Port Macquarie to the Sea Acres Rainforest Centre where we strolled among the tree tops with the sound of the ocean in the background. We finished our trip with a rock pool ramble at Shelly Beach at the bottom of the Sea Acres Centre.

Thanks to Jeannie Judy, Belinda, Sandy, Margaret R and Margaret D for being such a great group to travel with. A fantastic trip, and well worth doing again in the future, or maybe we’ll go south next time ……..

21 April 2010