March 2026

Sea cows, oil and industry

27 March 2026 / 4 Comments

Long before modern marine conservation efforts, the expansive, shallow waters of the Great Sandy Strait and Hervey Bay were home to one of Australia’s most remarkable and ultimately tragic commercial marine harvests. Here, in the connected estuaries, islands and seagrass meadows off Queensland’s Fraser Coast, European settlers encountered vast herds of dugong — large, gentle marine mammals that hundreds of years earlier had supported Indigenous subsistence hunting.

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Gull Force: sacrifice on the Spice Island

13 March 2026 / 2 Comments

The abandoned battalions

By the time Australians learned the names Sparrow Force and Lark Force, their fate had already been sealed.

In early 1942, three small Australian units — Sparrow Force in Timor, Lark Force in New Britain, and Gull Force on Ambon — formed a fragile arc north of the mainland.

The koala conundrum: saving Australia’s most profitable species

6 March 2026 / 9 Comments

Australia’s koala has become more than just a marsupial. It’s now a symbol, a fundraising tool and a political icon. Smile for photos, showcase their faces on postcards and talk about imminent extinction, and suddenly, money starts flowing. Politicians, environmentalists and the media all love it. Yet, like all great myths, the story of the koala’s supposed doom is more a crafted tale than a real ecological threat.