Jennifer Marohasy

EVERYONE claims to be concerned about the health of the Great Barrier Reef. Last week a joint UNESCO World Heritage Centre and International Union for the Conservation of Nature report was released claiming the reef could be “in danger”. Earlier this week the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, wrote to Queensland Premier, Campbell Newman, expressing concern [...]

Jen, Have a look at the size of this male quoll we saw in Boonoo Boonoo National Park near Stanthorpe a few days ago. It is currently mating season for quolls and he was quite aggressive as well as curious. They are rare in southeastern Queensland these days. As you would know, these Dasyurus maculatus [...]

“LAST November, Prince Charles, as president of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) UK, flew to Tanzania to hand out Living Planet awards to five community leaders involved in WWF projects around the delta of the Rufiji River, which holds the world’s largest mangrove forest. Part of their intention has been to halt further [...]

HAVE  you had a chance to check out the spectacular new Daintree Rainforest website?  Magnificent beauty and extraordinary biodiversity presented through a gallery of images in full-screen format.   The complexities of the oldest surviving rainforest in the world continue to challenge humanity as it strives to comprehend the continuity of growth, the intricate relationships and [...]

Dugongs are large marine mammals that swim about northern Australian waters. Indigenous Australians are allowed to hunt dugongs even though their numbers are probably in serious decline. There are two criteria that should be applied to the harvest of an animal species: 1. Are the numbers taken sustainable, and 2. Is the method of killing [...]

Young Emperor Penguin keeps heading north and arrives in New Zealand! This must have something to do with global warming?

Hello Jennifer, Tourism in the Daintree Rainforest is continuing to decline, partly because of the relative value of the Australian dollar. Recent upturns in the global economy have been met with a proportionate recovery in other parts of Australia, but the far north seems to have suffered the double whammy of natural disasters which have [...]

Neil Hewett, who lives in the Daintree, posted on Orange-thighed Tree Frogs in October 2007.   That blog post has gathered a couple of recent comments, including from Shane Panton near Coffs Harbour, NSW, claiming to have Orange-thighed frogs mating on his property … http://jennifermarohasy.com/blog/2007/10/orange-thighed-tree-frogs/ And start here with planning for your holiday in North Queensland… [...]

ONE of the best Christmas presents I received this year is a film by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan entitled ‘The National Parks: America’s Best Idea’ – as twelve episodes contained in a case of five DVDs. So far I’ve watched episodes one to four which begin with John Muir’s campaign to protect Yosemite in the [...]

I’ve just received an email with Season’s Greetings from Neil Hewett.  Those who have followed this blog for several years will remember Neil for his wonderful posts from the Daintree Rainforest of North Queensland – the oldest surviving rainforest in the world.  Neil wrote: As 2010 draws to a close, we reflect upon a year [...]