| s/y Nine of Cups Gippsland Lakes - Victoria Raymond Island Koalas January 2012 |
| We had thought we'd visit Raymond Island once and that would be that. As it turned out, we visited nearly everyday and every day offered something new to see and experience. So, Raymond Island warrants its own web page because you just can't get enough koala pictures or birds or roos or... The island is a wildlife wonderland and a well-kept secret ... shh! don't tell anyone! |
| Ferries have linked Raymond Island to Paynesville since 1889. It's only a 5-minute ferry ride, free for pedestrians. |
| A marked "Koala Trail", only 1.2km long, led us along streets through pleasant neighborhoods on the island. Large rocks with placards provided information about koalas, their habits, their lives and their habitat. |
| As soon as we got off the ferry, we knew we were in koala-land. Painted koalas marked the sidewalk and street signs warned us to beware island wildlife. |
| It was hard to spot them at first. They blended in with the crooks of the trees in which they slept. We had sore necks from staring up at the eucalyptus trees, trying to sight just one koala. In actuality, there were dozens. |
| Here's how it started... Koalas were not native to Raymond Island, but were native to the Victoria area. In 1953, Mrs. Gamble wrote to authorities asking for some koalas. Australia's koala population was dwindling and she thought Raymond Island would make a good habitat for them. 42 koalas were shipped to Raymond Island from Phillip Island. They thrived. By 2003, the koala population grew to over 600 which put their food supply under stress. The government instituted a population control program which includes fertility control and relocation of some of the koalas. |
| The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae. The scientific name of the koala's genus, Phascolarctos, is derived from Greek phaskolos "pouch" and arktos "bear". Its species name, cinereus, is Latin and means "ash-colored". |
| Although the koala is not a bear, English-speaking settlers from the late 18th century first called it koala bear due to its similarity in appearance to bears. Although taxonomically incorrect, the name koala bear is still in use today outside Australia – its use is discouraged because of the inaccuracy in the name. The word koala comes from the Aborigine Dharuk language. Although koalas obtain most of their water from leaves -- the name koala is thought to mean "no drink" in several native Aboriginal tongues -- they do occasionally drink water at the edges of streams. |
| The koala was hunted almost to extinction in the early 20th century, largely for its fur. Millions of furs were traded to Europe and the United States, and the population has not fully recovered from such decimation. Extensive cullings occurred in Queensland in 1915, 1917, and again in 1919 when over one million koalas were killed with guns, poisons, and nooses. |
| The koala lives almost entirely on eucalypt leaves. This is likely to be an evolutionary adaptation that takes advantage of an otherwise unfilled ecological niche, since eucalypt leaves are low in protein, high in indigestible substances, and contain phenolic and terpene compounds that are toxic to most species. Like wombats and sloths, the koala has a very low metabolic rate for a mammal and rests motionless for about 16 to 18 hours a day, sleeping most of that time. |
| The koala's five fingers include two opposable thumbs, providing better gripping ability. The first two fingers are positioned in apposition on the front paws and the first three fingers for the hind paws.The koala is one of the few mammals (other than primates) that has fingerprints. Koala fingerprints are similar to human fingerprints; even with an electron microscope, it can be difficult to distinguish between the two. |
| The koala is broadly similar in appearance to the wombat (its closest living relative), but has a thicker coat, much larger ears, and longer limbs. The koala has large, sharp claws to assist with climbing tree trunks. Weight varies from about 14 kg (31 lb) for a large southern male, to about 5 kg (11 lb) for a small northern female. |
| A baby koala is referred to as a joey and is hairless, blind, and earless. At birth the joey, only 20 mm (0.8 in) long, crawls into the downward-facing pouch on the mother's belly (which is closed by a drawstring-like muscle that the mother can tighten at will) and attaches itself to one of the two teats. Young remain hidden in the pouch for about six months, only feeding on milk. During this time they grow ears, eyes, and fur. |
| The male koala, like many marsupials, has a bifurcated penis. The female has two lateral vaginas and two separate uteri, which is common to all marsupials. |
Time to leave Raymond Island, but we're
hoping to be back next Spring. In the
meantime, enjoy sailing with us to Deal
Island in the Bass Strait.
hoping to be back next Spring. In the
meantime, enjoy sailing with us to Deal
Island in the Bass Strait.
| It's not just about koalas on Raymond Island. We met new friends, Jim & Linda, after Jim answered our radio hail for local knowledge about the Lakes Entrance bar. An ex-pat American couple, they came to Australia nearly 40 years ago on a teaching contract and never left. They've been great! |
| We took a short trip to Coralie's farm on the north side of the island. There are usually kangaroos everywhere as evidenced by the roo poo on her lawns. But today, with lots of wind, there were none, so we went searching for them in the bush. Not much luck, but we did find some huge wombat burrows. |
| Above, Coralie and her granddaughters, Zoe (left) and Cassie(right). As we walked across the paddock and grounds of the 20-hectare farm, we thought what a wonderful place for children to run and roam. At right, Zoe displays her finger-knitting and Cassie shows her first effort at patchwork quilting which was pretty impressive. |
| Beware Drop Bears! An Aussie friend e-mailed us asking if we'd seen any drop bears and advising that we watch our for them. Hmm! After a little internet research, here's what we found out. A drop bear is a fictitious Australian marsupial. They're commonly said to be unusually large, vicious, carnivorous koalas that inhabit treetops and attack their prey by dropping onto their heads from above. They are an example of local lore intended to confuse tourists and amuse locals, similar to the jackalope of Colorado. It is often suggested that doing ridiculous things like having forks in your hair or Vegemite spread behind your ears will deter these vicious creatures. So far, these suggesgtions have worked well for us. |
| We also spotted an echidna, a most unusual Australian animal which seems to be a cross between a porcupine and an anteater. |
| We walked back to Coralie's farm one day and the kangaroos were waiting for us. |
We also spotted lots of birds like the galah
(ga-LAH) above.
(ga-LAH) above.
| Best of all, were the koalas we spotted on the road back to town. We noticed a female eating leaves first and then upon closer inspection, we noticed her little joey high in the tree above her. As we moved closer to take photos, the mama koala moved protectively closer to her fuzzy, fluffy baby. |
| The view from Coralie's deck was like a pastoral painting. |
| Named after a monster in ancient Greek mythology, echidnas (eh-kid-nah) together with the platypus, are the only extant monotremes, i.e. mammals that lay eggs. Echidnas are small, solitary mammals covered with coarse hair and spines. Superficially, they resemble the anteaters of South America and other spiny mammals such as hedgehogs and porcupines. They have snouts which have the functions of both mouth and nose. Baby echidnas are called puggles. |
| The morning smelled fresh and earthy as we walked to the farm. The scent of ecalyptus and pine and fragrant flowers wafted on the air. The road was lined in banksia trees and ferns and flora we could not identify. Hoping the locals will help me out here. |