Port’s own bushrangers
If you were thinking that Bushrangers are only a part of Australian folklore, perhaps it's time to think again.
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Bushrangers indeed live on, ranging throughout parts of Australia and even in our town of Port Macquarie.
Of course these 'bushrangers' are quite different, being four footed, slow moving and pose absolutely no threat - they are Australia's iconic koalas.
For a good part of the year, these 'bushrangers' are out of sight, camped deep in the bush, seeking their favourite gum leaves and sleeping amidst the tree branches.
However, during what is termed their 'mating season' when they are much more active, you are more likely to see them taking part in a 'hold up' of a different kind - a traffic hold up - as they cross our urban roads.
Road crossing can happen frequently, even daily in some areas, depending on the location of their home range.
One such bushranger is George Snow, also known as 'Snowie' or 'Georgie Boy'.
George is a healthy full grown male koala who ranges through the southern section of the Sea Acres Nature Reserve bordering Pacific Drive and Lighthouse Beach Road.
On occasion drivers have had to stop for George as he traversed from the Sea Acre forest to the western residential side of the road.
He has also inadvertently created traffic issues when walkers and drivers have seen him sleeping in a gum tree right next to the road, and stopped to take photos.
Pacific Drive and Lighthouse Beach Rd are busy roads particularly in the mornings and evening peak times as workers head to and from work for the day.
This article is a plea to ALL Pacific Road drivers to slow down and watch out for George and his fellow bushrangers.
Koalas are especially active on the ground around dawn and dusk, and also at night time.
Just remember that wherever you see trees throughout Port Macquarie you can be sure that a bush-ranging koala is close by.
Most everyone loves our local koalas and we want them to be kept safe from the threat of car accidents, so please keep George and all our urban koalas in mind next time you are driving around town.
Julie Pleace
Port Macquarie
Lord Howe skate park push
Growing up on a beautiful sub tropical islands is a privilege that only a hand full of people experience.
Years ago as children, we would fish, surf, build billy carts, hike through the hills and ride our skateboards.
Over the years, skate boarding on the island has stayed a popular recreation, and a form of transport.
Currently the skaters are hanging out in front of the public hall. The slab is about 5 metres long and 1.5 metres wide. It’s on the island’s busiest corner, 2 metres off the road.
Driving around on the mainland, most country towns have skate parks. If you have been to Port Macquarie and go for a walk down the break wall, you’ll come across a large one.
On Lord Howe, there is no organised sport for the youth. This is basically because there isn’t enough kids of the same age to form two teams to compete against each other.
Mentioning a skate park to the kids on the corner, stops them in their tracks.
There is no other infrastructure like this on the island, (apart from a children’s playground). No indoor stadium, squash court, not even a public tennis court. The island falls short of most regional centres in NSW when it comes to sporting facilities.
A group of people have formed the ‘Lord Howe Island Skate Park Association’, with the hope over the next couple of years, to fundraise and secure grants to make the skate park a reality for Lord Howe. In the next few weeks, a LHI Skate Park Facebook page will appear.
Craig Thompson, Lord Howe Island