After the burn

When the rain stops and the grass begins to dry, the Tiwis burn the forest. Its a cool burn and after the fire the forest begins to sprout. Cycads, palms, gums - all return, growing back in startling green. Plants appear from the black earth. Cycads unfurl like strange beasts. It is a beautiful time in the Tiwi forests.

Tumarripi: Deep in the heart of Bathurst Island

Deep in the heart of Bathurst Island is Tumarripi, on the road to Ranku from Nguiu. It was hot the day I went and I stripped off and jumped into the water. Sweetest water I have swum in since coming to the Territory. Clear and cool, soft white sand under foot. The Wet is beautiful!

With the Wet Comes the Water

The monsoon comes and everything is green again.
Stagnant water holes fill with rain and start flowing.
Grass seems to grow by the hour.
The forest begins to flower.

Islands fringed by Mangroves

The Tiwi Islands are surrounded by mangroves. The mangroves supply food and the Tiwi people regularly go hunting among the trees for mangrove worms, longbum, mud crabs and the mangrove mussel.

How Much is the Earth Worth?

The European Union pledged US$10 billion at Copenhagen to fight global warming over the next four years.

To put this in perspective:

US$2 trillion: global entertainment and media spending by 2011;
US$1.46 trillion: global military expenditure at current prices, and has been rising in recent years;
US$700 billion: banks’ bailout
US$144 billion in 2011: global gambling industry estimate up from the current $101.6 billion;
US$210 to $665 billion: global cost of alcohol-related problems in 2002;
US$141 billion in 2012: global sports market.