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ABC News
03-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Feral goats damage ancient Aboriginal rock art on Whitsundays island
Ngaro elder Peter Pryor has seen the devastating impact of feral goats on ancient Aboriginal artwork his people created on a tropical north Queensland island. The paintings are in a cave at Nara Inlet on Hook Island, about 30 kilometres off Airlie Beach. Mr Pryor, who takes visitors on tours to the island, said the damage was the result of the feral animals rubbing along the cave walls. Peter Pryor is concerned about the damage. ( ABC Tropical North: Ollie Wykeham ) "It's not good, it really isn't," Mr Pryor said. "I'm just glad that there aren't elders still around to be able to see the damage that's happened there." Mr Pryor said the artworks were "very, very significant" to the Ngaro people. "[They've] been carbon dated at over 2,700 years old in the caves that we have in Nara Inlet," he said. Aboriginal artwork is painted in caves on Hook Island. ( Supplied: Tourism Whitsundays ) Goats are thought to have been introduced to the Whitsundays by settlers in the 1800s to provide food for shipwrecked sailors. Animal management programs have been in place on Hook Island with the help of traditional owners since the 1980s. Authorities have been trapping and shooting feral goats near the rock paintings since 2018. The most recent week-long operation finished on Friday. Nara walking trail leads to the cave. ( Supplied: Tourism & Events Queensland ) The Queensland Environment Department said a small but destructive population remained. Southern Great Barrier Reef principal ranger David Orgill said there had been some success with temporary measures put in place to preserve the cultural grounds. "We've set up cameras around some of the Aboriginal art sites where we've had to build electric fences to keep the goats from rubbing against them," he said. "We've definitely noticed less impact on the art." Goats rest in a cave on Hook Island. ( Supplied: Whitsunday Paradise Explorer ) Mr Orgill said aside from the damage to the cultural site, the goats also spread weeds and caused the loss of species on some islands. He said the ultimate goal was eradication but that could take "a good decade or more" because of the vegetation on Hook Island. "We've had success at a number of islands such as South Percy Island … [and] St Bees Island off Mackay," he said. "Hook Island's got a closed forest on it, so it doesn't have as much open grassland area or more open woodland like some of the other islands that we've managed goats on." Glimpse into Whitsunday history Archaeologists believe Hook Island was a refuge for the canoe-building Ngaro people as long as 9,000 years ago. Mr Pryor said the Ngaro community was sad to see cultural sites damaged on the uninhabited island, but welcomed the action being taken. "We're just happy that something's in place to help protect it and protect the whole island," he said. The ancient artwork attracts visitors to Hook Island. ( Supplied: Tourism & Events Queensland ) He said the cave paintings offered a glimpse into the lifestyle of his ancestors, particularly their hunting practices. "Almost all the paintings that are on the wall are done with an ochre which was mixed with whale blood," he said. He said clay painting techniques had been passed on to today's Ngaro people. "We do our ochre through the Whitsunday region with a white ochre that we use for ceremonial stuff that we do … dances and initiations, and so that white ochre is very important," he said. Hook Island is a popular spot with boaties and visitors. ( Supplied: Tourism Whitsundays )
ABC News
02-05-2025
- ABC News
Police treat fatal Bowen backpackers' hostel fire as suspicious
A French backpacker has described his escape from a fatal fire in a backpackers' hostel in north Queensland, as police confirm they are treating the blaze as suspicious. Investigators are yet to formally identify remains found in the Bowen hostel hours after the blaze, which took hold the day new owners were due to take over the business. Paul Hamache said he was asleep in one of Barnacle Backpackers two neighbouring buildings when his friend woke him in the early hours of Wednesday. "I just came out from my room and the flame was just in front of me," Mr Hamache said. " The fire was really big. I have never seen something like this, so it was crazy for us because we didn't really know what's happened. " Paul Hamache says he faced big flames escaping the fire. ( ABC Tropical North: Bryn Wakefield ) Firefighters called to the scene about 3:30am found the Queenslander-style building neighbouring where Mr Hamache was staying engulfed in flames. "It was a bit scary … I could see flames. We moved our stuff quickly because we didn't want it burnt," Mr Hamache said. It was not until late Wednesday afternoon that crews found the remains of a person in a room thought to have been vacant. Firefighters dampen down the Bowen hostel. ( ABC Tropical North: Bryn Wakefield ) "Emergency services were able to respond quite quickly and evacuate the premises and all known persons from the premises were accounted for," Detective Acting Inspector Luke Jackson said. "It's only after we've been able to conduct an examination of the scene once it was safe enough to do so that we've identified these unknown remains that weren't expected to be there." The body is yet to be formally identified. Specialist heavy lifting equipment was brought in to help fire scene investigators access the site to determine the cause. Police have been at the scene of the Bowen hostel fire. ( ABC Tropical North: Bryn Wakefield ) "We treat this fire as suspicious, 100 per cent," Detective Acting Inspector Jackson said. "Police are conducting a thorough investigation and they've interviewed a number of persons and are taking statements." The couple set to take ownership of the backpackers' hostel said the business was due to change hands on Wednesday. Detective Acting Inspector Jackson said he could not comment on whether the hostel had met fire safety standards. A crime scene has been declared at the Bowen hostel. ( ABC Tropical North: Bryn Wakefield ) Mr Hamache had only recently returned to Bowen after working in the town two years ago. He said the incident would not change his plans. "It's just a bit weird," he said. "[But] I know this place, I love this place. It's so beautiful."
