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102-501: Its motto is "Poetry of earth is never dead". Its symbol is the bunya pine tree ( Arucaria Bidwilli ). Its members have included artist Estelle Thomson . The Queensland Naturalists’ Club can trace its ancestry back to 1859, when the Queensland Philosophical Society was founded. Its main object was “The discussion of scientific subjects, with special reference to the natural history, soil, climate and agriculture of

204-616: A "Natural attraction". Moreton Bay is a Pacific Ocean Hope Spot . Moreton Bay was formed roughly 6000 years ago as the sea level rose and inundated what was then the floodplains of the Brisbane River . Moreton Bay and its islands were inhabited by the Quandamooka people. The indigenous economy was very rich, one of the strongest for its productive yields of edible natural resources on the Australian continent. Of particular importance for

306-481: A Queensland Natural History Award. Araucaria bidwillii Araucaria bidwillii , commonly known as the bunya pine ( / ˈ b ʌ n j ə / ), banya or bunya-bunya , is a large evergreen coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae which is endemic to Australia . Its natural range is southeast Queensland with two very small, disjunct populations in northeast Queensland's World Heritage listed Wet Tropics . There are many planted specimens on

408-516: A botanical group of eight or nine held fortnightly excursions. By 1889 they had collected over 800 species of plants from the Brisbane district alone and published many of their findings in the Society’s proceedings. Excursions in 1891 and 1894 to Yandina , Eudlo and Eumundi explored the big scrubs being felled as the new railway line advanced towards Gympie . Meanwhile Tryon became first President of

510-539: A detailed summary of inter-tribal fights in the Bribie Island region, as witnessed by castaways John Finnegan and Thomas Pamphlett . In the 1840s, resident white administrators estimated the Aboriginal population of the area to be around 4,000. They were only outnumbered with the influx over the five-year period of 1850-1855 that saw the disembarkation of 3,000 European migrants on their land. The name Morton's Bay

612-476: A distant perch to eat, but may drop them on the way. The suggestion that extinct large animals (initially dinosaurs and later the Australian megafauna ) may have been dispersers for the bunya is reasonable, given the size of the seeds and their energy content, but difficult to confirm given the incompleteness of the fossil record for coprolites . A. bidwillii has an unusual cryptogeal seed germination in which

714-418: A downward trend in the ecosystem health of Moreton Bay over the period from 2012 to 2013, with water quality also affected by major flood events such as those in 2009 and 2011. After the 2011 Brisbane River floods washed contaminated water into the bay, commercial fishermen and recreation anglers were warned not catch or eat seafood from its waters. The flood plume was investigated to monitor its impact on

816-450: A fire. The flavour of the kernel is often compared to a chestnut, although it is less intense in terms of aroma and flavour. The savory flavour and aroma is also comparable to cooked potato. The cones were a very important food source for native Australians – each Aboriginal family would own a group of trees and these would be passed down from generation to generation. This is said to be the only case of hereditary personal property owned by

918-589: A new group, The Natural History Society of Queensland, which in January 1892 held its first fortnightly meeting in the library of the Museum (then in William St). Its objects were to promote the study of natural history, the investigation of the geology, flora, fauna, etc., of the colony, and the dissemination of the knowledge acquired. This society was primarily entomological with some geology and very little botany. More than half

1020-638: A new species of Araucaria from Moreton Bay, New Holland") was published in his own journal London Journal of Botany . The genus name Araucaria is taken from the Spanish word Araucanía , the name of the area in Chile where the first species of this genus originated, and/or Araucanos , the Spanish word for the original inhabitants of the area. Hooker coined the species epithet in honour of Bidwill, for his efforts in collecting specimens and bringing them to him. In various Australian Aboriginal languages this tree

1122-629: A professor of earth sciences and expert on volcanoes is, as a naturalist, an authority on Queensland cicadas; a lecturer in anatomy of large animals is an expert on the local birds and their behaviour. Since its inception the Club has had a strong emphasis on excursions and field studies. At first, half-day or full-day excursions were held, usually on a Saturday. Gradually camps and extended excursions were added, and members have visited sites throughout our own area of south-east Queensland and have recorded their observations, in some cases being able to note changes in

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1224-438: A range centred on the shores and surrounds of Moreton Bay. The southern and western parts of the bay contain shallow mud-layered waters that are protected from strong wave action by the barrier islands. This has provided excellent habitat for mangroves of which seven different species thrive within the bay, particularly in the sheltered, southern sections of the bay. The species Avicennia marina predominates. About 1% of

1326-502: A regular food item in grocery stalls and street-side stalls around rural southern Queensland. Some farmers in the Wide Bay/ Sunshine Coast regions have experimented with growing bunya trees commercially for their nuts and timber. Bunya timber was and is still highly valued as "tonewood" for stringed instruments' sound boards since the first European settlers. Since the mid-1990s, the Australian company Maton has used bunya for

1428-819: A shaded area and watered weekly. Four tubes were lost due to being knocked over. Of a total of 100 seeds placed, 87 germinated. The tubes were checked monthly for emergence over three years. Of these seeds, 55 emerged from April to December, 1999; 32 emerged from January to September in 2000, one seed emerged in January 2001, and the last appeared in February 2001. Once established, bunyas are quite hardy and they can be grown as far south as Hobart in Australia (42° S) and Christchurch in New Zealand (43° S) and (at least) as far north as Sacramento in California (38° N) and Coimbra (in

1530-454: A single unbranched trunk up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) diameter , which has dark brown or black flaky bark. The branches are produced in whorls at regular intervals along the trunk, with leaf-bearing branchlets crowded at their ends. The branches are held more or less horizontally – those towards the top of the trunk may be somewhat ascending, those on the lowest section of the trunk may be somewhat drooping. This arrangement gives

1632-571: A year the first permanent European settlement at Dunwich had been built. Due to poor weather, smuggling, and conflict with aborigines this convict out-station was difficult to sustain and was closed in 1831. The first immigrant ship from England, the Artemisia , reached Moreton Bay in December 1848 after a four-month journey. The next year saw the arrival of the Fortitude carrying more free immigrants to

1734-581: Is also advised when parking under these trees as the falling cones can dent or damage vehicles. A specimen of Araucaria bidwillii in East Los Angeles, California is featured in Taylor Hackford 's 1993 film Blood In Blood Out as a touchstone for the main characters. The tree, known as " El Pino " ("the pine" in Spanish), has become famous from this association, and is visited by international fans of

1836-475: Is also gluten free, making bunya nut flour a substitute for people with gluten intolerance. Bunya nuts are slow to germinate. A set of 12 seeds sown in Melbourne took an average of about six months to germinate (with the first germinating in three months) and only developed roots after one year. The first leaves form a rosette and are dark brown. The leaves only turn green once the first stem branch occurs. Unlike

1938-446: Is also home to other abundant wildlife, including whales, dolphins, dugong , sharks and turtles. From 1824 to 1950 turtles were hunted for commercial purposes. The loggerhead turtle population in the bay is the most significant in the country. The bay is ranked among the top ten dugong habitats in Australia and together with the Gulf of Carpentaria and Torres Strait is considered one of

2040-401: Is both distichous and decussate (referred to as secondarily distichous) – that is, one pair of leaves are produced on the twig opposite each other, and the next pair above is rotated around the twig 90° to them, and so on. The cones are terminal , the male (or pollen) cone is a spike up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long which matures around October to November. The female (or seed) cone

2142-521: Is known as banya (anglicized as bunya ), bonye, bonyi (in Gubbi Gubbi ), bunyi or bunya-bunya , leading to its common name 'bunya pine'. It is also less-known as the false monkey puzzle tree (not to be confused with Araucaria araucana , the monkey puzzle tree). The bunya pine is a member of the Section Bunya of the genus Araucaria , and is the sole extant species within it. This section

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2244-588: Is much larger, reaching up to 30 cm (12 in) long and 20 cm (7.9 in) wide, which is roughly equivalent to a rugby ball . At maturity, which occurs from December through to March, female cones are green with 50–100 pointed segments, each of which encloses a seed, and they can weigh up to 10 kg. Both seed and pollen cones are some of the largest of all conifer species. The edible seeds measure between 2.5 cm (1.0 in) and 5 cm (2.0 in) long and are ovoid to long-elliptic . Araucaria bidwillii , like many species from

2346-669: Is the most common species. Seagrass has been lost since colonization due to increased turbidity and sedimentation from erosion in the catchment. Collectively, around 50,000 wading birds visit the Moreton Bay each year, and its wetlands are classified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA). In its Shorebird Management Strategy, the Queensland Government notes that: "Moreton Bay's extensive intertidal areas are essential for shorebirds as they provide roosting, feeding and, in some cases, breeding habitat." The bay

2448-501: Is the only place in Australia where dugong gather into herds. Many parts of the mainland foreshore and southern islands are settled. The waters of Moreton Bay are relatively calm, being sheltered from large swells by Moreton Island and North Stradbroke Island . In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Moreton Bay was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as

2550-583: Is thought to have been most widespread in the Mesozoic – fossils from the Jurassic period with cone morphology similar to A. bidwillii have been found in the UK ( Araucaria sphaerocarpa ) and South America ( Araucaria mirabilis ) At the start of British occupation, A. bidwillii was abundant in southern Queensland, occurring in large groves or sprinkled regularly as an emergent species throughout other forest types on

2652-448: Is valuable in developing a comprehensive view of an area or an issue and has made the Club as a whole qualified to comment on many issues in natural history and conservation. Its influence has been through a reasoned, unemotional and constructive approach to Ministers or other relevant authorities, although sometimes wide publicity, in combination with other groups, has been necessary. Early initiatives included an unsuccessful attempt to have

2754-457: The Araucariaceae family and the fir genus, changes its structural model over time – initially its growth follows a perfect Massart's model and gradually changes to a Rauh model when old. Tree architecture has been studied in recent decades from a scientific point of view, in a systematic way. Botanists Hall, Oldeman and Tomlinson studied the growth of tropical trees and arrived at the idea of

2856-657: The Atherton Tableland , in New South Wales , and around the Perth metropolitan area, and it has also been widely planted in other parts of the world. They are very tall trees – the tallest living individual is in Bunya Mountains National Park and was reported by Robert Van Pelt in January 2003 to be 51.5 m (169 ft) in height. Araucaria bidwillii will grow to a height of 50 m (160 ft) with

2958-488: The Southern Moreton Bay Islands . Together with Coochiemudlo and Garden Island these are bedrock islands. Residential development has also occurred on Coochiemudlo Island and Bribie Island . In the past Peel Island has been used as a sisal plantation, quarantine station, asylum and a leper colony. Moreton Bay is generally shallow and sandy, though a substantive channel is maintained to allow access to

3060-507: The shipping channel which crosses the northern section of the bay. The bay serves as a safe approach to the airport and reduces noise pollution over the city to the west of the runway. A number of barge, ferry and water-taxi services also travel over the bay. Moreton Bay was the site of conflict between the Quandamooka people and early European settlers . It contains environmentally significant habitats and large areas of sandbanks. The bay

3162-492: The trophic structure of the area. One of serious threats to marine animals in Moreton Bay is ship-strikes. Dugongs and turtles in Moreton Bay are often killed or injured when struck by speeding boats. Unlike the southern and south-western population of Australia, southern right whales off the east coast of Australia, along with the west coast, Tasmania , and eastern Victoria , are critically endangered, consisting of only 10 or more individuals. Whales have not been seen on

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3264-532: The 166 species of plants recorded by Wedd from the Three Mile Scrub on an excursion to Newmarket in 1910. More recently, special issues devoted to long excursions such as Fraser Island , Cape Tribulation , Kroombit Tops , Scawfell Island and Bukkulla Conservation Park have provided useful records for those areas. An issue on the Coolum area was reprinted by the local conservation group to support its campaign for

3366-552: The 1920s. Many whale and dolphin species can be found in Moreton Bay including humpback whales , killer whales , southern right whales , sperm whales , melon-headed whales , blue whales , Bryde's whales , minke whales , common dolphins, spinner dolphins and Risso's dolphins . Under Australia's EPBC Act the southern right whale is listed as endangered and the humpback whale is listed as vulnerable. Commercial tour operators offer whale watching cruises between June and September each year. Most of larger cetaceans observed in

3468-618: The Aboriginal people. After the cones had fallen and the fruit was ripe, a large festival harvest would sometimes occur, between two and seven years apart. The people of the region would set aside differences and gather in the Bon-yi Mountains ( Bunya Mountains ) to feast on the kernels. The local people, who were bound by custodial obligations and rights, sent out messengers to invite people from hundreds of kilometres to meet at specific sites. The meetings involved Aboriginal ceremonies , dispute settlements and fights, marriage arrangements and

3570-522: The Australian Museum, detailed botanical notes on Murchie’s Scrub near Rosevale, and bird records from One Tree Hill (Mt Coot-tha). The issue of July 1985 includes a description of a new species of the saprophytic flowering plant Thismia , a new record for Australia of the fungal genus Xenosporium, other new fungal records for Queensland, and fauna studies from Heron Island and Burdekin River . Copies of

3672-425: The Australian continent over the millennia, leading to a reduction of areas with suitable climatic zones for rainforest. A variety of birds and animals, including sulphur-crested cockatoos ( Cacatua galerita ), short-eared possums ( Trichosurus caninus ), fawn-footed melomys ( Melomys cervinipes ), and wallabies are known to eat the seeds. The cockatoos are also a dispersal agent as they will carry seeds to

3774-512: The Brisbane River or to Dunwich for shipment to Sydney. The bay was home to the Lightship Rose which provided a permanent navigation aid to passing ships at the mouth of the Brisbane River. The SS John Oxley was another notable boat which temporarily acted as a pilot ship. Car ferries began crossing the bay to reach North Stradbroke Island in 1947, leading to an increase in tourism on

3876-608: The Bunya Mountains to this day. A number of strategies including the use of traditional ecological knowledge have been incorporated into the current management practices of the national park and conservation reserves with the Bunya Murri Ranger project currently operating in the mountains. Indigenous Australians eat the nut of the bunya tree (known as yenggi Aboriginal pronunciation: [jeŋgi] ) both raw and cooked, and also in its immature form. Traditionally,

3978-499: The Bunya feast. In 1842, the government of what was then the Colony of New South Wales published a notice in the N.S.W. Government Gazette which prohibited settlers from occupying land or cutting timber within a proclaimed "Bunya district". This may have been in recognition of the local Aboriginal people's close association with these trees, or their "fierce protection" of them. Regardless,

4080-554: The Club sponsored a Natural History Prize as part of the annual Science Contest for students conducted by the Science Teachers’ Association. The Club’s emblem is a young Bunya Pine tree, which appeared on the cover of The Queensland Naturalist from 1921 to 1978, when it developed a second canopy. Bunya Pines probably live to 400 or 500 years. Let us hope that our Club may do the same, and that it will still have “Clubability”. The Club journal, The Queensland Naturalist,

4182-634: The Club, owing to her research and interest in local fauna and flora . One of the strengths of the Club has been its scientific basis. Skertchly was a geologist, Tryon a Government Entomologist. The leadership of University staff and other professional scientists has continued with about half the presidents drawn from these groups. Association with the Queensland Museum and Queensland Herbarium has been close; many of their staff have been Club members and often leaders in its activities, while other Club members in turn have cooperated in collecting specimens for

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4284-559: The European usage and occupation of Quandamooka in the 19th century was largely restricted to government institutions on small portions on the islands, and with free enterprise business men like the Campbell brothers who ran a saltworks and sugar plantations on Russell and Macleay islands, and the early fishing and oystering businesses in the bay who employed the Aboriginal people of Quandamooka. Large Aboriginal campsites remained throughout

4386-586: The Glasshouse Mountains preserved as a National Park. The Lamington National Park was proclaimed in 1915, largely due to the efforts of Romeo Lahey , a Club member. After the First World War , the Club played a considerable part in publicising the little-known area and assisting planning for its management, holding its first excursion to the new park .in 1918; a party of eleven camped two nights at Bithongabel, guided by Herbert O’Reilly, an experience which

4488-697: The Middle Banks, Central Banks and Western Banks. From north of Moreton Island towards Caloundra are the Yulle Road, Spitfire Bank, and the Salamander Bank, amongst others. Amity Banks are found just west of Amity Point, while the Moreton Banks lie to the west of the southern tip of Moreton Island. These banks can be hazard for marine navigation because they are constantly changing due to tidal currents. The Middle Banks area close to Moreton Island has been used in

4590-543: The Moreton Bay region, including on the mainland , until as late as the 1920s. The bay extends some 125 kilometres (78 mi) from Caloundra in the north almost to Surfers Paradise in the south. The bay's southern navigation entrance is the Gold Coast Seaway . The bay is 35 kilometres (22 mi) across at its widest point. It is separated from the Coral Sea by a chain of three sand islands : Moreton Island in

4692-557: The Nature-Lovers’ League was organised by the senior club to encourage the interest of children in nature study, mainly by talks and field studies for teachers and trainee teachers. Juniors could purchase for a penny a handsome certificate of membership. The pledge was “I promise to protect all worthy native Birds, Animals and Plants, and to encourage the study of Natural History”; perhaps goannas were not “worthy” animals. From 1938 to 1940, about 9 000 certificates were sold, mainly at

4794-519: The Port of Brisbane at Fisherman Islands at the mouth of the Brisbane River, for international shipping. Channels in the south of the bay are only rarely deep. Waves penetrate a small way into the bay at its four southern passages. Most waves in the bay are generated by local winds. The tidal range is moderate at 1.5–2 metres (4 ft 11 in – 6 ft 7 in) in range. Moreton Bay has an average depth of 6.8 metres (22 ft), however parts of

4896-475: The Queensland Museum, but after this activity waned, and by 1949 the Club was titled as now, The Queensland Naturalists’ Club. More recently, for several years the Club presented Junior Naturalist’s Awards to young members who satisfactorily completed natural history projects. In recent years, with the profusion of alternative entertainment and the pressure of school and social programmes, participation by children in Club activities has become much less. For many years

4998-622: The Queensland Naturalist spanning 1915 to 1954 are in the public domain. They may be accessed via the Biodiversity Heritage Library The Club has published handbooks on Queensland natural history. Four such volumes have been published so far: The Club has a wide range of interests and expertise. Interchange of knowledge between birdwatcher and botanist, geologist and entomologist is as important as interchange between professional and amateur. This breadth of knowledge

5100-519: The architectural model, which can be seen as a growth strategy to occupy space. The trees' pollen cones appear in April and mature in September or October. The cones require fifteen months to mature, and the cones fall 17 to 18 months after pollination in late January to early March from the coast to the current Bunya Mountains . When there is heavy rainfall or drought, pollination may vary. The species

5202-440: The bay are deeper than 30 metres (98 ft). This relatively shallow depth lets light filter through to the seafloor, allowing an array of marine plants to grow which support a diverse range of fauna. The bay itself covers 1,523 square kilometres (588 sq mi) and has a catchment area 14 times larger, covering 21,220 square kilometres (8,190 sq mi). The waters of the bay are mostly blue in colour. Western parts of

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5304-466: The bay are humpbacks, and several smaller dolphins live or regularly visit the bay. The Moreton Bay bug ( Thenus orientalis ) is a species of slipper lobster found throughout the waters of Australia's north coast. The bug is a relatively expensive delicacy served in many restaurants in Queensland. The Moreton Bay fig ( Ficus macrophylla ) is a large tree endemic to the east coast of Australia within

5406-598: The bay are sometimes tinted green from algae, brown from suspended sediments or yellow-brown from humic runoff. The average annual temperature of the sea ranges from 21.0 °C (69.8 °F) in July to 27.0 °C (80.6 °F) in February. As well as the Brisbane River, the Pimpama River , Logan River , Albert River , Pine River , Tingalpa Creek and the Schulz Canal all empty into Moreton Bay. Within Moreton Bay are

5508-518: The bay include Pumicestone Passage and numerous boat ramps, marinas and jetties , including the Shorncliffe pier . Moreton Bay is filled with sandbanks from sand supplied via littoral drift along the coast of Moreton Island. The field of sandbanks extends across the entrance to Moreton Bay and evolved after sea level reached its present position, about 6,500 years ago after the last ice age Between Tangalooma and Skirmish Point on Bribie Island are

5610-468: The bay is coral reef. Land clearing and settlement in the catchment has led to unfavourable conditions for coral growth. Climate change is expected to raise sea levels and produce warmer waters that will aid coral growth in the bay. The bay may experience widespread outbreaks of bacteria lyngbya which can cause skin lesions and asthma attacks upon contact. The eastern shovelnose ray is found in high abundance in Moreton Bay and has an important role in

5712-518: The bay's marine ecosystems. It contained sewerage, pesticides, heavy metals such as lead and zinc as well as hydrocarbons. An oil spill occurred in March 2009 from the MV Pacific Adventurer dumping 100 tonnes (98 long tons; 110 short tons) of oil, 30 tonnes (30 long tons; 33 short tons) of fuel and other toxic chemicals on Brisbane's suburban beaches. Premier Anna Bligh described the spill as

5814-746: The botanical garden) and even in Dublin area in Ireland (53ºN) in a microclimate protected from arctic winds and moderated by the Gulf Stream. They will reach a height of 35 to 40 metres, and live for about 500 years. The cones of the bunya pine are some of the largest produced by the conifer family. The cones—which can grow to as much as 35 centimetres (14 in) in diameter when mature, and weigh up to 10 kilograms (22 lb)—can drop on unsuspecting passersby from heights of 40 metres (130 ft) or more. The falling cones are capable of causing severe injuries. Caution

5916-419: The bunya nut; from pancakes, biscuits and breads, to casseroles, to 'bunya nut pesto' or hoummus. The nut is considered nutritious, with a unique flavour similar to starchy potato and chestnut. When the nuts are boiled in water, the water turns red, making a flavoursome tea. The nutritional content of the bunya nut is: 40% water, 40% complex carbohydrates, 9% protein, 2% fat, 0.2% potassium, 0.06% magnesium. It

6018-479: The bunya pine in Southeast Queensland is the introduction of red deer ( Cervus elaphus ). Unlike possums and rodents, the deer eat bunya cones while still intact, preventing their dispersal. The bunya , bonye , bunyi , bunya-bunya or banya tree produces edible kernels. The ripe cones fall to the ground. Each segment contains a kernel in a tough protective shell, which will split when boiled or put in

6120-526: The colony of Queensland”. Its greatest achievement was the foundation of the Queensland Museum . It did not hold excursions but many of its meetings were devoted to exhibits. The first Chairman was Dr F.J. Barton; one of the founders and a frequent exhibitor was Silvester Diggles In 1883, when membership was at a low ebb, it was decided to re-form as a new society, the Royal Society of Queensland “for

6222-461: The east coast for many years (unlike humpbacks) as the first whale came back to both Australia and New Zealand in the early 1960s, largely due to mass illegal hunts by the Soviet Union as well as Japan, although at first it was reported to take only four whales. Recent increases in sightings along the east coast indicate very slow but certain recovery of the species in that area, and Moreton Bay

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6324-532: The ecology of a place over a period; the Christmas Creek area, for example, was visited by the Club in 1941 and again in 1991, with interesting changes noted. Regular day or week-end excursions have been augmented by long excursions to areas on the islands of Moreton Bay , the Great Barrier Reef , Cape York Peninsula and inland Queensland; in recent years excursions to Tasmania , to south-east Asia and to

6426-522: The film. A late-2020 prank claiming the tree would be cut down incited a brief panic locally. Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from central Brisbane , Queensland . It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are used by commercial operators who provide seafood to market. The Port of Brisbane coordinates large traffic along

6528-509: The first European settlement in the bay at the present site of Redcliffe. After Oxley in 1823 came convicts and soldiers. As the South Passage between Moreton and Stradbroke Islands was the shortest shipping route , a depot and pilot station were established at Amity Point in 1825. European settlement began in earnest after the abandonment of the Redcliffe settlement, and work began on

6630-710: The formation of a new group, and on 6 April 1906 the inaugural meeting of the Field Naturalists’ Club was held. There were fifty foundation members, of whom about half were teachers; membership more than doubled within two years. From its foundation, our Club has been an important force in the study of natural history in Queensland. The new Club had its steady body of supporters. The first Council comprised Professor Sydney B.J. Skertchly, President; Henry Tryon, Vice-President; James Johnston, Secretary; Miss E.A. Fewings, Messrs A. Exley, L.C. Green and F. Hurworth, Council members. All but Skertchly and Tryon were teachers. Before

6732-589: The furtherance of Natural Science and its application”. Its first President was A.C. Gregory and its first Secretary was Henry Tryon. In 1886 Tryon initiated a Field Naturalists’ Section of the Royal Society, which started with about fifty members. The chairman was F.M. Bailey , Colonial Botanist (q.v.); six of its members were to become members of our Club (R. Illidge, J.R. Sankey, J. Shirley, J.H. Simmonds, H. Tryon, A.J. Turner). Tryon’s zoological group soon disbanded but, under Bailey’s genial and inspiring leadership,

6834-506: The future re-establishment of the species in the former habitats. Moreton Bay's sea grass beds and corals are subject to ongoing threat from soil run-off caused by agriculture in the Lockyer Valley and construction activity in south east Queensland. Professor John Olley has noted that mud is now flowing out to Moreton Bay 10 times as fast as it did before Europeans settled in the region 120 years ago. The 2013 Healthy Waterways Report shows

6936-508: The iguana was rescinded”; this needs to be seen against the contemporary background of deep-felt concern for the survival of native birds. In 1911 the Club held a display of wildflowers and other plants at a conversazione for members and this developed into a series of annual Wildflower shows open to the public, continuing from 1918 and 1936. This function is now filled by the Society for Growing Australian Plants . Since 1992 it has annually awarded

7038-467: The interclan trade and ceremonial life were in particular massive oyster beds, the annual mullet catch, and bunya nut harvesting, on the coast and inland, which led to annual migrations either way to enjoy the abundance of the respective tribal group's territory. An 1823 account by explorer John Uniacke described the importance of fish, kangaroo and fern-root called dingowa in the diet of the local tribes. His paper, titled 'Natives of Moreton Bay' also has

7140-491: The island. In the 1950s both sand mining and the first land sales at Point Lookout occurred. On 1 September 2007, four people were killed in a boat accident on the bay, two kilometres from the Pinkenba boat ramp. Ten others were injured. Moreton Bay has at least 102 shipwrecks of which 26 have their exact location known. See Mount Elliot, Shipwreck for details of a lighter vessel wrecked in 1937. Problems came about when

7242-402: The mature leaves, the young leaves are relatively soft. As the leaves age they become very hard and sharp. Cuttings can be successful, though they must be taken from erect growing shoots, as cuttings from side shoots will not grow upright. In the highly variable Australian climate, the varied timing of emergence of the seedlings maximises the possibility of at least successful replacement of

7344-466: The most important areas for dugong in Queensland. Moreton Bay is the only place in Australia where dugongs gather in herds. In the past the dugongs in herds numbered in the thousands. Some herds 5 km long by 250 m wide were seen during the 1800s. In 2009, there were just between 600 and 800 remaining. The dugongs were traditional foods of indigenous Australians. They were hunted for their oil and to make other products by early Europeans up until

7446-498: The natural long shore transport of sand along ocean beaches. The bay's heritage protected wetlands, mudflats, and waterways are some of the healthiest in the region, supporting seasonally up to 25% of Australia's bird species. The combination of muddy habitats on the western side of the bay and sandy habitats on the eastern side of the bay together with coral and seagrass beds support more than 43 species of shorebird. Seven species of seagrass live in Moreton Bay. Zostera capricorni

7548-419: The new convict settlement several miles up the Brisbane River in 1825. Within a couple years, this new settlement was growing rapidly and the number of ships entering the bay was increasing. As a result, the facilities required to service the pilot station at Amity grew, and in 1827 convicts were sent to the island to build a new causeway at Dunwich , remnants of which can still be found on the same site. Within

7650-526: The newcomers displayed a lack of respect for Aboriginal marriage rules, stole bones and other artefacts and desecrated sites important to the Aboriginals. In 1843, Catholic missionaries chose Dunwich as the site for the first Catholic mission to Australian Aborigines. The existence of the quarantine station on Stradbroke Island from 1850 to the 1870s led to the official discouragement of pastoralism or wider settlement for fear of spreading disease. Thus

7752-489: The north, North Stradbroke Island , and South Stradbroke Island in the south. Tipplers Passage is the main channel on the western coast of South Stradbroke Island. The Gold Coast Seaway is at the southern extent of Moreton Bay, before the Gold Coast Broadwater . The bay itself contains around 360 islands in total. This includes the populated Russell , Macleay , Lamb and Karragarra Islands collectively known as

7854-403: The nuts were additionally ground and made into a paste, which was eaten directly or cooked in hot coals to make bread called manu . The nuts were also stored in the mud of running creeks, and eaten in a fermented state. This was considered a delicacy. Apart from consuming the nuts, Indigenous Australians ate bunya shoots, and utilised the tree's bark as kindling. Bunya nuts are still sold as

7956-481: The other in the Mount Lewis National Park . Today, the southeast Queensland populations exist as very small groves or single trees in its former range, except on and near the Bunya Mountains, where it is still fairly prolific, while the populations in north Queensland remain stable. The limited distribution of A. bidwillii in Australia is in part due to poor seed dispersal, and also the drying out of

8058-574: The papers read to it and very many exhibits were entomological and all its presidents were entomologists. Tryon was succeeded by Dr T.F. Lucas (of pawpaw ointment fame). R. Illidge and Dr A.J. Turner (q.v.). After 1896 meetings ceased. In 1906, the Royal Society, with the help of the Teachers’ Union, organised a Nature Study Exhibition at the Technical College on the nights of 9-12 January. The interest generated among scientists and teachers led to

8160-514: The parent tree. A test of germination was carried out by Smith starting in 1999. Seeds were extracted from two mature cones collected from the same tree, a cultivated specimen at Petrie , just north of Brisbane (originally the homestead of Thomas Petrie , the son of the first European to report the species). One hundred apparently full seeds were selected and planted into 30 cm by 12 cm plastic tubes commercially filled with sterile potting mix in early February 1999. These were then placed in

8262-511: The past as a source of sand for large projects such as the nearby Brisbane Airport and port facilities. Past dredging has removed 18 million metres and the removal of another 40 million metres is planned. Future sand extraction is expected to aid a major shipping channel straightening project. To ensure the shipping channel remains open, several areas of the bay have been allocated for dredged material dumping sites. These sites have been selected to provide beach nourishment , aiding

8364-545: The preservation of Mt Coolum. There have been nine editors and about 350 contributors, most of them Club members. Fifty-one new species of flowering plants, fungi and insects have been described in the journal and more than two hundred species have been newly recorded for the State. An early issue (Vol.10 (2), published in 1937) includes description of three new species of orchid, a list of twenty-seven species of cowrie from Emu Park and Yeppoon including several undescribed species sent to

8466-556: The proclamation was repealed in 1860 in one of the first acts of the government of the newly created Colony of Queensland . The Aboriginal people were eventually driven out of the forests and the festivals ceased. The forests were felled for timber and cleared to make way for cultivation. Indigenous groups such as the Wakawaka , Githabul , Kabi Kabi , Jarowair , Goreng goreng , Butchulla , Quandamooka , Baruŋgam , Yiman and Wulili have continued cultural and spiritual connections to

8568-522: The sacred status of the bunyas, some tribes would not camp amongst these trees. Also in some regions, the tree was never to be cut. Representatives of many different groups from across southern Queensland and northern New South Wales would meet to discuss important issues relating to the environment, social relationships, politics and The Dreaming lore, feasting and sharing dance ceremonies. Many conflicts would be settled at this event, and consequences for breaches of laws were discussed. A Bunya festival

8670-437: The seeds develop to form an underground tuber from which the aerial shoot later emerges. The actual emergence of the seed is then known to occur over several years presumably as a strategy to allow the seedlings to emerge under optimum climatic conditions or, it has been suggested, to avoid fire. This erratic germination has been one of the main problems in silviculture of the species. A problem in small forestry plantations of

8772-416: The settlement. By the 1850s, the region's earliest industry was utilising the bay for the transport of timber. After felling, the logs were dragged or rolled into flooded streams from where they were washed downstream to tidal reaches and bound together into rafts. After the floods had ceased and tides returned to normal, the currents of the bay and sometimes boats were used to delivered the timber north to

8874-506: The smaller bays of Waterloo Bay, Redland Bay, Raby Bay , Deception Bay and Bramble Bay . The bay contains a number of island villages such as the settlement on the bayside of Moreton Island, Tangalooma and on North Stradbroke, Dunwich and Amity Point . Prominent coastal communities and mainland suburbs situated on the bay include Deception Bay , Scarborough , Redcliffe , Margate , Woody Point , Brighton , Sandgate , Cleveland , Victoria Point and Redland Bay . Other attractions in

8976-417: The soundboards of its BG808CL Performer acoustic guitars. The Cole Clark company (also Australian) uses bunya for the majority of its acoustic guitar soundboards. The timber is valued by cabinet makers and woodworkers, and has been used for that purpose for over a century. However, its most popular use is as a ' bushfood ' by indigenous foods enthusiasts. A huge variety of home-invented recipes now exists for

9078-502: The south Pacific have provided interest, pleasure, and some new scientific information. Some changes have taken place over the years, perhaps most obviously in costume; women members no longer climb mountains in the long voluminous skirts of the early days, while none of the men these days attend in suits and ties. The Club has changed its name twice. From the Field Naturalists’ Club, it became The Queensland Naturalists’ Club and Nature-lovers’ League in 1922. Although separately administered,

9180-461: The trading of goods. In what was probably Australia's largest Indigenous event, diverse tribes – up to thousands of people – once travelled great distances (from as far as Charleville , Bundaberg , Dubbo and Grafton ) to the gatherings. They stayed for months, to celebrate and feast on the bunya nut. The bunya gatherings were an armistice accompanied by much trade exchange, and discussions and negotiations over marriage and regional issues. Due to

9282-399: The tree a very distinctive egg-shaped silhouette. The leaves are small and rigid with a sharp tip which can easily penetrate the skin. They are narrowly triangular, broad at the base and sessile (without a stem). They measure up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long by 1 cm (0.4 in) wide with fine longitudinal venation, glossy green above and paler underneath. The leaf arrangement

9384-557: The two institutions. In recent years the proportion of professional scientists appears to have declined somewhat. Two factors are important here: the change of emphasis in scientific studies from field work and the natural history approach to laboratory and high-technology studies, and the striking increase in skilled and dedicated amateurs in the areas of natural history and conservation. In a number of individual cases, professional qualifications and occupation in one field of science have meant skilled application as an “amateur” in another area;

9486-481: The upper Stanley and Brisbane Rivers , Sunshine Coast hinterland (especially the Blackall Range and Maleny ), and also towards and on the Bunya Mountains. Two more natural, but very small and very isolated, populations of the species occur approximately 1,500 km (930 mi) to the north, in the wet tropics region of northeastern Queensland – one close to Cannabullen Falls on the Atherton Tableland , and

9588-460: The year was out, C.W. Holland from the Lands Department had been appointed Assistant and he continued as Secretary 1907-1912. In his inaugural address, Skertchly stressed the point that this was a Club, not a Society, and he continually urged the cultivation of what he called “Clubability”. This has continued to be the character of the Club. In 1915 the biologist Freda Bage was made president of

9690-505: Was an instance of a southern right whale being fatally struck by a ferry in August 2014. This whale was a calf, and her mother was also seriously injured by the accident and her fate is still unknown. Another southern right whale, possibly with a calf was also hit few days prior to the incident with a sighting of possibly the same whales near Victoria Point . These ship-strikes and entanglements in fishing gear may contribute severely to preventing

9792-498: Was commemorated in 1966 by the unveiling of a plaque by Alec Chisholm . Other campaigns in which the Club has played an active role include the preservation of the Samford Bora Ground and the prevention of sand mining on Fraser Island. In the 1920s and 1930s there were campaigns against open seasons for koalas and possums. Somewhat surprisingly, in 1929 “owing to representations from this Club, protection that had been given to

9894-496: Was described by the English botanist William Jackson Hooker in 1843, based on material collected in the "Mount Brisbane range of hills, 70 miles N.W. of Moreton Bay" by John Carne Bidwill in 1842. Hooker states in his paper that Bidwill took "not only branches and cones and male flowers, but also a healthy young living plant" to England where Hooker set about describing the new species, and his paper (titled "Figure and description of

9996-646: Was first produced in 1908. It has provided a valuable record of Proceedings and Annual Reports and an even more valuable record of excursions and observations which are a great resource in conservation causes. Thus, reports from the Moreton Island excursions of 1908 and 1924 and from five Stradbroke Island excursions between 1917 and 1926 (together with accounts of birds seen at Stradbroke 1869-80 by Illidge and in 1927 by Mrs Mayo) have provided base-line data on which administrators, students and others can draw. There are valuable records, too, of habitats long vanished, such as

10098-452: Was given by Captain Cook when he passed the area on 15 May 1770, honouring Lord Morton , president of the Royal Society . The spelling Moreton was an error in the first published account of Cook's voyage (Hawkesworth's Voyages ). Cook gave the name only to the bight formed by the northern end of Stradbroke Island (in 1770, there was only one island) and the eastern side of Moreton Island. He

10200-445: Was probably a prominent calving ground for these coast-loving whales. Very small but steady appearances of southern rights have been confirmed in Moreton Bay, Gold Coast, and Hervey Bay . Seasonal presences of right whales have been recorded in Moreton Bay at least in the late 1990s, and small family groups of whales have been observed visiting the southern bay each year since 2002, especially around Toondah Harbour . However, there

10302-602: Was recorded by Thomas Petrie (1831–1910), who went with the Aboriginal people of Brisbane at the age of 14 to the festival at the Bunya Range (now the Blackall Range in the hinterland area of the Sunshine Coast). His daughter, Constance Petrie, put down his stories in which he said that the trees fruited at three-year intervals. The three-year interval may not be correct. Ludwig Leichhardt wrote in 1844 of his expedition to

10404-493: Was unaware of the South Passage (as it's now called) between the two islands, and did not sail into what is the present Moreton Bay. Matthew Flinders was the first recorded European to enter the bay in 1799 touching down at the Pumicestone Passage , Redcliffe and Coochiemudlo Island . He was followed by John Oxley who explored the Brisbane River in 1823. On a subsequent visit in the following year, Oxley established

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