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Author Topic: Australia by Tibrogargan January 2007 - present and 155216+ views later!  (Read 657591 times)
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Tibrogargan
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« Reply #400 on: April 08, 2007, 09:46:07 PM »

Happy Easter Monkeys.

I have had internet problems but looks like it is all sorted out now.

Here is a nice Easter Bilby story for you and the children.  Enjoy :

www.easterbilby.info/default.html
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« Reply #401 on: April 10, 2007, 05:07:52 AM »

STEVE IRWIN’S VISION LIVES ON

Melissa Maugeri
April 07, 2007 12:00am  Article from: The Courier Mail

AUSTRALIA Zoo will launch whale watching tours from the Sunshine Coast as part of its expansion plans.
Zoo director Wes Mannion told guests at a VIP breakfast that a 130-seat catamaran had been bought and named Steve's Whale One.
"Steve knew whales were so much more important to the world alive, living in our oceans than on some fancy dinner plate," Mr Mannion said.
The tour, which will operate out of Mooloolaba's Spit with bookings taken from May 1, will be the only whale watching tour based on the Sunshine Coast.
Australia Zoo is also continuing with plans for an open-range safari and had part of the land through a state government-approved land swap.
It comes as animal attraction is proving a big winner in the tourism stakes across the board – with smaller parks starting to ride on the popularity of their bigger brothers.
While new animal attractions feature at Dreamworld, SeaWorld and Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, smaller operations such as Alma Park Zoo are also planning improvements.
There have also been big changes in the way wildlife parks are presented, with the highlight of visits to modern attractions being interaction and education.
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« Reply #402 on: April 10, 2007, 05:09:28 AM »

REEF “COULD DIE IN 20 YEARS”

Rosemary Desmond
April 06, 2007 12:00am  Article from: AAP

THE Great Barrier Reef could be dead in 20 years unless there is a drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a marine biology expert said today.
Rising sea temperatures were bleaching the coral and causing it to die, said Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg of the Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.
At the same time, increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere were turning the world's oceans more acidic and preventing corals from forming their limestone skeletons, he said.
Prof Hoegh-Guldberg and Professor Terry Hughes provided expert advice to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which released its latest report in Brussels today.
The combination of rising temperatures and increasing acid levels could be deadly for the reef, Prof Hoegh-Guldberg said.
"I'd say with 20 to 50 years under the current unrestricted emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere it is highly likely that it will be significantly changed to the point where we no longer have live corals," he said.
"They could be replaced by things like seaweed.
"It (the reef) certainly won't be the place it is now, which is a place of incredible biodiversity."
The warning signs had been around since 1998 when a major bleaching event caused the death of 16 per cent of the world's coral.
Prof Hoegh-Guldberg said the reefs were like a "canary in a coal mine" for other vulnerable areas of the environment, such as glaciers and rainforests, which were also retreating due to global warming.
Around 60 per cent of Australia's bird species were in the wet tropics area of north Queensland.
"The predictions are that if we have a very sharp increase in temperature that is predicted, we will lose at least 50 per cent of that by the middle of the century."
Also of concern was the dramatic increases in the rate of coral diseases, some of which have increased five fold in the past decade.
But action was needed now on climate change.
"If we don't cut back on emissions very dramatically, we are going to look at loss of things like the Great Barrier Reef and other coral ecosystems," Prof Hoegh-Guldberg said.
"If we take it seriously and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent in the next 30 years, we have chance of saving these ecosystems but this is the last time we have the option to choose."
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« Reply #403 on: April 11, 2007, 03:13:06 AM »

THE SNOWY MOUNTAINS SCHEME

The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme is by far the largest engineering project ever undertaken in Australia. It is also one of the largest and most complex hydro-electric schemes in the world.
The system's construction is seen by many as a defining point in Australia's history, and an important symbol of Australia's identity as an independent, multicultural and resourceful country.

The Snowy Scheme is also considered economically important for Australia. It supplies vital water to the farming industries of inland New South Wales and Victoria. The system's power stations also produce up to ten per cent of all electricity needs for New South Wales.

The Snowy Mountains Scheme consists of:
·   sixteen major dams
·   seven power stations
·   a pumping station
·   225 kilometres of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts.

This makes it one of the most complex hydro-electric schemes in the world. Only two per cent of the entire construction is visible above the ground.  The entire scheme covers a mountainous area of approximately 5,124 square kilometres in southern New South Wales.

The purpose of the scheme is to collect water from melting snow and rain in the Snowy Mountains. Where once most of this water used to flow into the Snowy River, it is now diverted through tunnels in the mountains and stored in dams. The water is then used by the power stations to create electricity. The water then flows mainly into the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers. These rivers are important for irrigation of farms and for household water for communities in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. A small proportion of the water flows into the Snowy River.

JOUNAMA DAM



TUMUT 3 POWER STATION

[/quote]
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« Reply #404 on: April 11, 2007, 03:18:58 AM »

SNOWY MOUNTAINS SCHEME (continued)

Because the project was so much bigger and more complex than anything that had been done before, the engineers needed to develop methods that were new to Australia and the world. Safer and cheaper construction techniques were created and the project set some new standards in occupational health and safety for the time. The power stations adopted higher outputs of electricity transmission than ever before.

The project used Australia's first transistorised computer, which was also one of the first in the world. Called 'Snowcom', the computer was used from 1960 to 1967, contributing greatly to the efficient and successful completion of the project.

More than 100,000 people from over thirty countries came to the mountains to work on the project. Up to 7,300 workers would provide their labour at any one time.  Seventy per cent of all the workers were migrants. They came to Australia to work on the project, attracted by the relatively high wages. At that time, soon after the Second World War, work was hard to come by in Europe.
At first, most of the workers were men who had left their families at home in Europe. Their plan was to work hard, save money and bring their families out when they could afford to.  The work was hard and the conditions were tough. Because ninety-eight per cent of the project was underground, there was a lot of tunnelling, often through solid granite rock. Work in the tunnels was dirty, wet, noisy, smelly and sometimes dangerous. More than 120 workers died in the project's twenty-five year period.

Living conditions were also hard in the camps and towns built in the mountains to house the workers and their families. Often these dwellings were not suited to the freezing conditions. They were cold and the water would freeze in the pipes. When the workers' wives came to join them in the townships, these women had to work hard to overcome the hardships and establish communities in the strange, new, wilderness environment. When work in one area was completed, the dwellings were dismantled and moved to another area, so very little remains of these towns today.
The majority of the workers stayed on to live in Australia after the project was completed, making a valuable contribution to Australia's modern multicultural society.

SNOWY MOUNTAINS DAM



MAIN RANGE



EIGHT MILE CREEK

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« Reply #405 on: April 11, 2007, 03:26:16 AM »

SNOWY MOUNTAINS SCHEME (continued)

Work on the system started in 1949 and was finished in 1974, taking twenty-five years to complete. The entire project was completed on time and to budget, costing approximately A$820 million.  At the launch of the project, the then Prime Minister Ben Chifley presented it as a national milestone - important for the drought relief it would bring to inland Australia, the power it would supply and for the ambitious size of the project.
 
The Snowy Mountains scheme is situated in the Kosciuszko National Park. The balance between the scheme's operations and the surrounding environment is closely monitored. Efforts are also made to prevent soil erosion and to monitor the impact on plants and animals. Hydro-electricity is a fairly clean and efficient source of renewable energy. However, the scheme has had some direct impacts on the environment. When dams were built, some eco-systems that were habitats for plants and animals were flooded.

Diverting and storing water for the scheme has changed the nature of the Snowy River and other rivers in the region. In some places, the Snowy River carries only one per cent of the water that it used to before the scheme was built.

In 1998, the New South Wales and Victorian governments set up The Snowy Water Inquiry to find a solution that balanced environmental, economic and social factors. The governments have agreed to restore twenty-one per cent of the original flow to the Snowy River by the year 2010. Eventually, the river flows will be restored to twenty-eight per cent, which is the minimum amount that scientists say the river needs to return it to good health. The governments will also invest in water saving projects to ensure that the farmers who currently rely on water from the scheme do not suffer from water shortages.

LAKE EUCUMBENE



SNOW BRANCHES

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« Reply #406 on: April 12, 2007, 05:27:16 AM »

FIRST LITTER OF SUMATRAN TIGER CUBS BORN AT DREAMWORLD!

Dreamworld’s first litter of Sumatran tiger cubs were born at Tiger Island on Saturday, March 31, 2007.

The first cub, a baby girl arrived at 7.45am weighing in at 1.19kg. Just under an hour later, a second female cub arrived weighing 1.18kg. Both cubs measure approximately 30cm in length (head to tail).

The little sisters are bonding well with their mother and spend the day suckling and sleeping. Soraya, the first-time mum, has become the model parent.

The cubs and their mother will remain in a quarantine environment for the next couple of weeks to allow the cub’s immune system’s to strengthen.
 
Dreamworld guests can view the cubs through closed circuit television monitors positioned at Tiger Island. In the next 2-3 weeks the cubs will be moved to their purpose built nursery. At 6 weeks they will be walking around the park.

“The birth of the cubs is a hallmark event for Dreamworld, as this is the very first littler of Sumatran tiger cubs born at Tiger Island. In 1998, we welcomed our Bengal tiger cubs, including the birth of the first white tiger in Australia,” Dreamworld Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Gregg said.

Now the primary focus is the health and well-being of Soraya and her cubs, and presently they are all doing well.

The cubs are under the watchful eyes of Dreamworld’s on-site vet and the Tiger Island team.

The cubs are born to Soraya (meaning Princess), 4yrs of age, and father, Raja (meaning King/Ruler), 3yrs of age). Both Sumatran tigers arrived to Tiger Island from German Zoos as the part of the an international breeding program to save the species.

Having limited human contant prior to their arrival to Tiger Island, Raja and Soraya live in their purpose built, off-exhibit tiger facility at Tiger Island.

With less than 400 left in the wild, Sumatran tigers are listed as one of the world’s most critically endangered species, that's why the cubs are a great step to help save the species from extinction. They will be raised at Tiger Island until they are required by other zoos for breeding.

Dreamworld’s Tiger Island is part of the theme park situated on Queensland's Gold Coast and is also home to seven Bengal tigers (larger than Sumatran species) and two cougars.

In addition to supporting the breeding and conservation programs, Dreamworld makes a significant contribution through the park’s Tiger Fund. To date, over $650,000 was donated to world-wide organisations saving tigers in the wild.

PROUD MOTHER SORAYA



CUBS AT TWO DAYS OLD



WEIGH-IN



IT IS HARD WORK BEING TWO DAYS OLD



Photographs taken from the Dreamworld website.
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« Reply #407 on: April 12, 2007, 04:10:25 PM »

Tibro,
 What beautiful photos of the animals and trees.  I cant get over the 2 year old on a surfboard  LOL  and I loved the pic of the red kangaroos drinking together!!!
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« Reply #408 on: April 13, 2007, 06:29:58 AM »

Hi Angie - glad you enjoy this thread.  I liked the picture of the kangaroos too.  I bet if you tried to get them to line up like that they would not do it for you!  You have to be very patient to catch animals at their best like trying to photograph children and get it to look natural.   Wink
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« Reply #409 on: April 13, 2007, 06:38:18 AM »

SCIENTISTS WORK ON MAP OF SINKING COMMUNITIES

By Belinda Tasker April 10, 2007 06:35pm  Article from: AAP

A HUGE digital map of Australia's coastline is being created by scientists to help pinpoint coastal communities that face being washed away by rising sea levels.

The Federal Government's Australian Greenhouse Office is coordinating dozens of scientists to take part in the project amid fears about the dramatic rises in sea levels that climate change could trigger.
The map will identify coastal roads, homes, businesses, transport and port facilities in danger of going under water if sea levels continue rising.

One scientist taking part in the mapping exercise, the Australian National University's (ANU) Professor Will Steffen, said the seas surrounding Australia were predicted to rise by between 8 inches and 5 foot.

“We want to have a very fine resolution map right around Australia's coastal zone because sea levels have risen about 8 inches in the last century or so and are predicted to increase much more,” Prof Steffen said. “So when you combine that with storm surges and then the waves associated with cyclones it gives you a much better handle on which parts of our infrastructure could be quite vulnerable. In order for people to adapt to that we need a very good data base.”

Prof Steffen, who heads ANU's Fenner School for Environment, said the map would be able to help local council planners, developers and engineers work out how to respond to the possibility of some coastal communities being submerged by higher sea waters. “I think what we will have to do is some serious assessment of the most vulnerable regions and we need to engage with communities,” he said.

GeoSciences Australia will also play a role in developing the digital coastal map.

Dozens of scientists have already held initial meetings about how to best develop the map, but no deadline for its completion has yet been set.
A United Nations climate change report focusing on Australia and New Zealand released today predicted rising sea levels would threaten built-up areas of south-east Queensland.

The Northern Territory's famous Kakadu nature park is also feared to be at risk of saltwater intrusion from rising sea levels.


HERE ARE SOME VERY EXPENSIVE REAL ESTATE AREAS THAT WILL LOSE VALUE VERY QUICKLY WITH ANY SEA LEVEL RISE :

GOLD COAST HIGH RISES ON BEACHFRONT



MANSIONS ON THE CANALS AT NOOSA



MORE GOLD COAST BEACHFRONT DEVELOPMENT



PROPOSED ARTIFICIAL ISLAND DEVELOPMENT

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« Reply #410 on: April 14, 2007, 02:26:38 AM »

ROSE BREEDING

The rose is among the most popular flowers in the world and that means rose breeding is big business. But it's not a job for the faint hearted. One of Australia's best known rose breeders is George Thomson from Willunga, 44 kilometres south of Adelaide. He painstakingly plants more than 350,000 rose seeds a year, with the aim of breeding roses ideally suited to Australian conditions.

George says that rose breeding is really a lottery. “It's the old numbers racket. The more seeds you put in, the better chance you've got. After planting 320,000 seeds, you might end up with two good roses if you're lucky.”

George completed an apprenticeship at Kew Gardens in London and then worked with renowned rose hybridiser, Alex Cocker in Scotland, before immigrating to Australia in 1958. It wasn't long before he started breeding roses in Australia.

He says the first step in rose breeding is the selection of parents. It's very important to get that right. Each flower has male and female parts. The male part, or stamens, is on the outside and the female part is in the middle.

“To breed roses take the stamens out of the rose. It takes 24 hours for them to drop their pollen. Then prepare the seed parent or mother by removing all petals and stamens.

“Then leave it for about 24 hours and come back with the pollen and a little dish. Take the pollen on a finger and put two little dabs onto the seed plant. And do the same again in 24 hours. Do this in early spring until late autumn.

“When the rose sets seeds inside the hips simply take the hips off and split them open with a knife. Then plant the seeds in a box.

“The seeds are put in the fridge. Roses are a cold country plant and the seeds need to be chilled for anything up to two or three months in the fridge to make them come through at the same time.

“Then we take a handful of seeds and scatter them on about 2 inches or 5cm of potting mix. Level it off, water and put it outside. In about three weeks, rose seedlings start to pop through.”

Just four months after the seeds are sown, the seedlings flower, so that the breeder can tell whether the flower is single or double and most importantly its colour.

George says it's always a fantastic feeling to see the first flower because you never really know what colour you're going to get.

“The roses are then planted into our trial gardens and gardens around Australia. Trialling is very important because we've got a vast country with different climatic conditions.

“Roses must be disease resistant, have a nice flower, perfume, and the public have then got to like them- that’s the final test.

“If we think we have a winner, it is then budded onto root stock in the fields. On average it's about seven years from the day that you plant the seed, to the day that the public can buy it.

“I love the challenge. It's 40 per cent know how, 60 per cent luck…. and at the end of the day you really do need Lady Luck on your side,” George says.



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« Reply #411 on: April 14, 2007, 02:55:00 AM »

2005 NATIONAL ROSE TRIAL GARDEN WINNERS

BEST AUSTRALIAN ROSE - BURGUNDY ICEBERG



BEST AUST BRED ROSE - CHINA SUNRISE



OTHER GOLD MEDAL WINNERS :

RANCH



KNOCKOUT



SUNDANCE



.
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« Reply #412 on: April 14, 2007, 12:08:20 PM »

Tibro, thank you for posting these pictures of your lovely country.  I wanted to tell you that I have met a rosebreeder from Australia who studied at Kew, who later went to China to work and design gardens there.  He was such an inspiration for me via e-mail and on a visit to the south, I actually had occasion to meet him in Birmingham at the Botanical Gardens there.  Birmingham has some of the finest rose gardens in the south.  In fact, I think they are my favorites.  He also was my inspiration for the rose Renae, which he did not breed, but was a big advocate of.  The rose is one of Ralph Moore's and he was at that time on his way to meet with Mr. Moore.  For non-rose-growers, Ralph Moore celebrated his 100th birthday this year and is still breeding roses.  Our California friends probably know of his celebrity.
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« Reply #413 on: April 14, 2007, 09:17:54 PM »

Beautiful.My cousins and the Tiger cubs,and the Roses
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« Reply #414 on: April 14, 2007, 10:27:13 PM »

Thank you Tylergal and Tiger.  I will post a few more rose photos.  They are prize winners at a Rose Show on the Gold Coast which is a sub-tropical area but they are unnamed which is a pity.  They grew here in Aust so I will claim them as Aussies anyway  Wink  
Rose breeders seem to live long lives.  Must be the patience and serenity that comes from working with these perfect flowers.  Close to God and Nature.

I will keep a watch on the tiger cub site and post any more photos as they grow.  It does not take long for them to grow up.
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« Reply #415 on: April 14, 2007, 10:33:05 PM »

NO WONDER THIS BLOOM WON FIRST PRIZE



A VARIETY OF COLOURS



MY FAVOURITE



PUZZLE - SPOT THE INTRUDER



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« Reply #416 on: April 15, 2007, 03:23:02 AM »

THE AUSTRALIAN STOCK HORSE

This, possibly the world's most versatile horse, is often referred to as 'The breed for every need'. The Australian Stock Horse is a fine working and performance animal, renowned for its toughness, endurance, resilience and strength. It also has cat-like speed and agility, giving the horse a cosmopolitan blend of attributes which have produced the world's best at work and play.  The basic prerequisites of high performance sporting horses are a quiet temperament, intelligence and an athletic ability. The Australian Stock Horse has all of these qualities, and is now regarded as the benchmark for equestrian breeding excellence.  

The ancestors of the Australian Stock Horse arrived in Australia on the First Fleet in January 1788. The end of the 18th century saw horses imported into Botany Bay in small numbers, believed to be of Arabian and Barb blood. The Barb, developed on the Barbary Coast of North Africa, was a desert horse with great hardiness and stamina. Eventually more horses where imported, these were of English Thoroughbred and Spanish stock. Later importations included more Thoroughbreds, Arabs, Timor and Welsh Mountain Ponies. All horses sent to the Colony needed strength and stamina - not only to survive the long sea journey, but also to work in the foreign, untamed environment that had become their home.



In the 1830s, knowledgeable horse breeders imported a steady stream of Thoroughbreds to improve the local horse strains. The settlers had a keen interest in horse racing, so Thoroughbreds became very popular at the beginning of the 19th century. The use of Thoroughbred stallions over the condition-hardened local mares produced the beautiful strain of tough but stylish animal exemplified by today's Australian Stock Horse.

Australian horses had been selectively bred for strength and stamina, reliability and versatility. The strongest were retained for breeding and despite their mixed origins they developed into a strong and handsome type. The horses that developed had a good temperament, were tough and reliable, able to work under saddle and in harness. They were used to clear timber, plough the land and herd sheep and cattle. From this base the breed was refined and developed, using the outstanding sires of the day. Thoroughbreds had a considerable influence, even though the breed carried bloodlines from other breeds.

Explorers, stockmen, settlers, bushrangers and troopers all relied on horses that could travel long distances, day after day. Weak horses were culled; the stronger types were used to breed sturdy saddle horses that were essential for the Colony's settlement. Exploits of the explorers and stockmen and their reliable horses in the Australian bush became Australian folklore, and stories such as The Man from Snowy River and Clancy of the Overflow depict the character of these pioneers and their horses.



Many Australians refer to their horses as stock horses or station horses. When purchased by a cavalry exporter, the horse became known as a remount horse. Originally all Australian horses came from New South Wales (thus the name Waler), but as the settlers spread throughout the continent, they took their horses with them. It was in 1846 that the term Waler was coined by the British. The hardiness of the Waler made him a natural mount for the cavalry. The Australian Army used the Waler in the First World War.

The origins of the Waler date back to 1840 and during the Boer War and World War I the Australian Horse received worldwide recognition through the success of the Australian Light Horse regiments, a quite significant achievement for horses in Australia's history. The Waler was considered to be the finest cavalry horse in the world, winning International acclaim for its endurance, reliability and hardiness during the Indian Mutiny, the Boer War and the First World War. In the Boer War, the Waler served in such regiments as the Lancers, Commonwealth Horse, Mounted Rifles and Bushmen's Troop.

Around 160,000 Australian horses served in World War I and their performance was best summed up by the English cavalryman, Lt Col RMP Preston DSO, in his book, The Desert Mounted Corps. He described the stamina and spirit of the Australian Light Horse, "… Cavalry Division had covered nearly 170 miles…and their horses had been watered on an average of once in every 36 hours…. The heat, too, had been intense and the short rations, 9˝ lb of grain per day without bulk food, had weakened them considerably. Indeed, the hardship endured by some horses was almost incredible. One of the batteries of the Australian Mounted Division had only been able to water its horses three times in the last nine days - the actual intervals being 68, 72 and 76 hours respectively, yet this battery on its arrival had lost only eight horses from exhaustion…. The majority of horses in the Corps were Walers and there is no doubt that these hardy Australian horses make the finest cavalry mounts in the world…."



After the First World War, despite the recognition Australian Horses had won and although the Waler was known as a distinctive type, there was no Stud Book or Registry. Mechanisation of primary industries reduced the need for working horses and it was not until the 1960s that an interest in horses was revived due to the increasing leisure time available to society.
In June 1971, the Australian Horse was given the recognition and formal organisation it deserved with The Australian Stock Horse Society being established.  The object of The Australian Stock Horse Society Limited was to preserve the identity and breeding records of the Stock Horse through registration and to promote their attributes through exhibitions and performance.

Australian Stock Horses are used for general riding and stock work on rural properties, as well as equestrian competitions. With its versatility, the Australian Stock Horse has achieved outstanding success in a wide variety of sports including: campdrafting, showjumping, dressage, eventing, pony club events, harness, polo and polocrosse.



The Australian Stock Horse is intelligent, with courage, toughness and stamina, and has a good temperament. The Australian Stock Horse is considered possibly the world's most versatile horse, the horse evolved through selective breeding in response to the demands of the environment.  The basic pre-requisites of a high performance horse are a quiet temperament, intelligence and athletic ability. These qualities are essential for a brilliant performance whatever the event.



CAMPDRAFTING

A truly Australian sport, requires agility, intelligence and strength of both horse and rider. The horse must also have speed and 'cattle sense' which is required when the competitor selects a beast from the 'camp' or yard and separates it from the remaining cattle. After 'cutting-out' the beast, the rider has to work it with his horse around an outside course.

DRESSAGE

This is the most elegant of equine sports. A dressage horse must have intelligence, suppleness, obedience and smoothness of movement to produce a flowing and disciplined performance.

POLO and POLOCROSSE

These sports require fast, strong horses with stamina and a 'love of the game.' Called ponies in both games, these horses must demonstrate intelligence, agility and control at speed.

SHOWJUMPING and EVENTING

These horses are indeed athletes and need to be obedient, intelligent and bold with obvious strength and soundness.

PONY CLUB

These horses need a quiet temperament, and the ability to perform capably in a variety of events. They need intelligence, athletic ability and the ability to adapt to their rider's standard of horsemanship.
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« Reply #417 on: April 15, 2007, 03:25:04 AM »

A FINE EXAMPLE OF DRESSAGE



THE NEXT GENERATION

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« Reply #418 on: April 15, 2007, 03:34:29 AM »

To my monkeys friends who read here regularly :
I will be unable to post for a few days.
If there is anything in particular you would like me to post or if there is any more details on anything you would like to know, please post your request and I will follow up later in the week for you.
The items I have posted so far show how different but also how alike our countries are and I hope it helps to cement the friendship between our two
free nations.
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....And at night the wond’rous glory of the everlasting stars..  A.B (Banjo) Paterson
Tibrogargan
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« Reply #419 on: April 18, 2007, 10:27:11 PM »

UPDATE ON TIGER CUBS

Two beautiful, healthy female babies and eight nervous fathers celebrated today (17/4) as Dreamworld’s two week old Sumatran tiger cubs took their very first look at the outside world.

Thrilled onlookers watched the cubs graduate to their purpose built, glass fronted nursery at Tiger Island to begin the hand rearing process essential to establishing the strong bond between handler and tiger.

This bond will enable the cubs to interact as fully grown tigers without the confines of cages and will ensure they have a rich, fulfilling and stimulating life at Tiger Island.

Guests can now come face to face with the adorable cubs, the result of an international breeding program to save one of the most critically endangered species on Earth.

Dreamworld’s number one dad, Tiger Island Manager Patrick Martin-Vegue said people have a very rare opportunity to see the babies grow right before their eyes as the cubs receive their daily weigh-ins and get down to what cubs do best.

“At this early stage, eating and sleeping are the most important parts of their day. They’ll also play and wrestle and start to develop their own personalities in the coming weeks,” Mr Martin- Vegue said.

Both weighing in at around 2.5kg, the cubs have both doubled in size, each drinking more than 250mls of special milk formula each day.

The cubs will remain in this quarantine environment for the next three to four weeks to minimise the risk of infection and allow their immune systems to strengthen.

They will then begin to take brief walks through the park and interact with guests at exclusive “Cub Experiences” starting mid May before mixing and mingling with Dreamworld’s big cats on Tiger Island from about 2 months of age.

Dreamworld Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Gregg said the best way to send a message about the importance of conservation of rare and endangered species is giving people real world experiences that they can personally relate to.

“Tiger Island’s charter of ‘conservation through education’ fulfills a very important role in this work. It is an enriching opportunity for guests to gain a first hand understanding of the grim future faced by tigers in the wild,” Mr Gregg said.
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....And at night the wond’rous glory of the everlasting stars..  A.B (Banjo) Paterson
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